Baffling Puzzle: Sidelining Truth

By Luke Lloyd

The truth is in the eye of the beholder.

This is a popular expression that enables many people to twist reality and historical truth to their own advantage without requiring accountability. Thus, political correctness becomes censorship, and truth is sidelined. Knowing this, Luke Lloyd, a retired army colonel who spent thirty years in airborne infantry and armor combat units as well as intelligence-related to the Middle East, couldnt resist setting forth the realities of Islam as he had studied and experienced them at American University of Beirut and lived with them while working in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Since September 11, 2001, Lloyd has taught and spoken on issues concerning the Middle East and authored an educational novel titled, Out of Darkness. He believes Islam provides our greatest national security threat because of our appeasing leadership and an unsuspecting populace that interprets it broadly as a religion but, in general, is oblivious to its political focus.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477285626

Luke Lloyd

In his first book, Out of Darkness, Luke Lloyd set forth the major differences between Islam and Christianity he considered most important in responding to the Islamic threat in our country and overseas. He focused on both the religious ideology and its' political side most Americans do not understand. The book is factual, easy reading and filled with critical information revealed as Sam and Rick, the principle fictional characters, encounter exciting adventures fighting terrorism and stealth Jihad.

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© 2012 by Luke Lloyd. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/15/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8561-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8562-6 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-8560-2 (dj)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012920699

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

PREFACE

BOOK CHARACTERS

PREFACE

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1 WHAT HAPPENED?

CHAPTER 2 THE ENEMY?

CHAPTER 3 THE ARTICLE

CHAPTER 4 SAMIR

CHAPTER 5 RECOVERY

CHAPTER 6 SUCCESS

CHAPTER 7 DIFFERENT VIEWS

CHAPTER 8 BACK TO LONDON

CHAPTER 9 MARIA

CHAPTER 10 TROUBLE BREWING

CHAPTER 11 UNDER ATTACK

CHAPTER 12 SENATOR PERRY

CHAPTER 13 AFTERMATH

CHAPTER 14 ISTANBUL

CHAPTER 15 REUNION

CHAPTER 16 TRUDY’S FRIEND

CHAPTER 17 RICK AND THE LAW

CHAPTER 18 THE GUARDIANS AND THE CONSTITUTION

CHAPTER 19 ATLANTA VISIT

CHAPTER 20 ZURICH

CHAPTER 21 CHECKMATE

CHAPTER 22 CHRISTMAS PARTY

CHAPTER 23 CHANGE

CHAPTER 24 MUSLIM-ESQUE PRESIDENT?

CHAPTER 25 CHRISTIANIZED MUSLIMS

CHAPTER 26 THOUGHT POLICE

CHAPTER 27 ALLAHU AKBAR

CHAPTER 28 HOLLY

CHAPTER 29 RESCUE

CHAPTER 30 BRILLIANT STRATEGY

CHAPTER 31 TRUTH DISTORTED

APPENDIX 1: SOME ARABIC TERMS OF IMPORTANCE

APPENDIX 2: COLLABORATING WITH THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

This book is for those who seek the truth and pay it forward in the face of political correctness, multiculturalism, and political Islam. For it is written, Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’… ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!’ (Acts 4:18–20; 5:29 New King James Version)

PREFACE

M Y BOOK IS FICTIONAL and intended to be educational at the same time. While the characters, events, and story line are contemporary with the current events of the past few years, the characters in the book played no part in the actual, real-world happenings that took place. On the other hand, my thoughts, as presented in letters to the editor or others, are referenced from time to time by the principle characters. Unfortunately, from my perspective, they did not, to my knowledge, affect the situations for which they were written at the time.

I chose the novel as a way of presenting various thoughts and ideas as opposed to a nonfiction, academic tome. It is my hope that many will avail themselves of this work and become knowledgeable concerning the subjects discussed. From my perspective, there is no greater threat to our national security and constitutional republic than the ideology of Islam and anyone who chooses appeasement over confrontation in answering the Islamic threat.

Simply defining Islam under the broad term religion places all other religions at a disadvantage. Islam contains a political movement designed to establish a theocratic government and control every aspect of a person’s life under its Shari’a laws. Should the Obama administration agree to the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) resolutions regarding the ‘defamation of religion,’ or any other similarly worded resolution proposed at the United Nations that criminalizes religious discussion, our laws concerning freedom of speech would be nullified, and our country would be at a disadvantage in countering the implementation of political Islam at home and around the world. In essence, we would be tying our hands in dealing with any Islamic push to transform our country into an Islamic State.¹

Congress must recognize these subtleties and enact legislation against Shari’a and political Islam to protect our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and citizens regardless of such UN actions. We are a nation of free men, and we desire to remain free in every respect.

At the end of Appendix 1, Mr. Raymond Ibrahim summarizes his concerns relative to the realities of our nations situation today when he writes, The ultimate lesson? [This refers to Islamic religious and cultural concepts we are not dealing with well today.] So long as Muslim doctrines are downplayed in the West, so long will warning signs, even concrete intelligence, be ignored, so long will such seemingly inexplicable incidents occur [Such as Ft. Hood incident], so long will the media continue grasping for straws and Americans be completely blindsided, so long will Muslim grievance" be the default answer, so long will appeasement and concessions (domestically and internationally) be the only solution, so long will jihadists and Islamists grow emboldened and contemptuous, expecting more. Ad infinitum."

If we are to win the ideological battle between political Islamists and our Western beliefs, we must educate ourselves and hold our ground as we did during and after WWII. We must all be in this battle…united we must stand. May God’s Blessing be on our people and this land!

BOOK CHARACTERS

I HAVE ADDED THIS SECTION a t the request of several manuscript readers who were unfamiliar with Arabic names and encountered some difficulty in tracking individuals throughout the book. Hopefully, this will assist the reader who might have a similar problem with Arabic names.

Principal Characters

Sam Flynn – Retired Army Colonel, Middle East Specialist; wife Trudy

Rick Austin – Teacher, Journalist, Reserve Officer; wife Ann; two children Rick Jr. college student and future attorney, and Cathy High School Senior

George Ayoub – Lebanese Christian, Linguist for FBI, Naturalized Citizen; wife Najwa; daughter Hannah whose husband was killed by Muslims in Lebanon; grandchildren Jacqueline and Johnny

Ahmed Schahab – Former Muslim, Helped CIA Europe, FBI in US, Investigator for Thomas Ayoub, George’s son and attorney in Atlanta; wife Maria

Ibrahim Schahab – Former Muslim, Ahmed’s Brother, Import/Export Business in Tampa; wife Cynthia

Bud Parker – Tampa FBI Supervisor; wife Vanessa

Joe Griffin – Atlanta FBI Supervisor

Bill Tipton – Sam’s former cohort in Afghanistan, Senior Vice President, Innovative Military Training, Inc. (IMTI) based in Washington, D.C., Sam’s Boss in Retirement for Overseas Operations

General Characters

Prologue

Abdullah, Ali, Mohammed – Jihadists on Tampa Assault Team

Dr. Abid Sousa – Tampa Pediatrician, Assault Team Leader

Dr. Mahmoud Tariq – Pediatrician, Muslim Brotherhood Member

Chapter One: What Happened?

Dr. Mahmoud Tariq

Tawfiq Ramadan – School Friend, Mahmoud’s Attorney

Ahmed Schahab

Chapter Two: The Enemy?

Mark Fields and Hannah Ayoub’s Wedding. Hannah’s former husband was killed by Islamists in Lebanon, she came to United States with parents, met Mark, an Air Force KC135 Squadron Commander at MacDill who is a close friend of Rick’s. Hannah has two children: Jacqueline and John.

Chapter Four: Samir

Jamie Steward – Rick Austin’s Office Assistant

Josh Green – Colonel Hooper’s Office Assistant

Col. Chance Hooper – Rick Austin’s immediate Boss

Ron Perry – US Defense Attache, Beirut, Lebanon

Dr. Rafik Talabi – Lebanese Heart Surgeon; son with Sadr’s Forces in Iraq

Samir Talabi – Rafik’s son, in Iraq with Sadr’s Shiite Militant Group; Wants Out

Chapter Eight: Back to London

Mustafa Hakeem – Afghan College Friend of Sam Flynn

Kalid Badr – Afghan College Friend of Sam Flynn

Col. Ron Perry – US Defense Attaché in Beirut Embassy

Col. Monk Smith – SOCOM Liaison to US Headquarters in Iraq

Osama Latif or Oz – Afghan Islamist on Jihadist Mission in United States

Habib Latif – Osama’s Father

Chapter Nine: Maria

Mirna Nasser – Daughter of Mustafa Hakeem

Amer Nasser – Mirna’s Husband

Chapter Eleven: Trouble Brewing

Sen. Harry B. Perry – Democrat MI, Adversary of Rick’s, Muslim Constituents want Congressional Hearing

Chapter 12:

Sen. Doris E. Turner, R-PA, Chairman of Senate Committee

Mr. Baldwin – Witness

Chapter 13: Aftermath

B.G. Brooks – Director of Colonel Hooper and Rick

Austin’s Offices

Chapter 14: Istanbul

Kamal Kanaan and wife, Hanan; Abe’s cousin living in Istanbul

Chapter 15: Reunion

Gamal Talibi – Sam’s Classmate; Hezbollah, Worked with Syrians

Nabil Ajeem – Sam’s Classmate; Hezbollah, Lebanese Government Employee

Rafi Ajeem – Nabil’s Son, Maybe in Iraq; Situation Unknown

Akram Saab – Sam’s Classmate, Hamas, Living in Cairo

Salim Taha– Sam’s Classmate, Hamas, Living in Cairo

Walid Mubarak – George Ayoub’s College Friend, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda trained, confided in George for grandson Hussein’s sake

Hussein Murarak – Walid’s Grandson in Tampa at USF

Maha – Walid’s Granddaughter, lives Cardiff, Wales, Four Children (Two Boys, Two Girls), Husband is Imam Omar, Mosque Leader

Chapter 16: Trudy’s Friend

Liz Homzi – Trudy’s Friend in Atlanta, Marital Problems; Children Munir, Emil, and Mary Beth

Dr. Awad Homzi – Liz’s Husband; family in Jordan, related to royal line, militant member of the Muslim Brotherhood, school with Mahmoud Tariq and Abid Soussa, the Tampa Terrorists, instigated attacks on Ahmed Schahab.

Chapter 17: Rich and the Law

Rudy, Molly, and Phil: Rick’s Fellow Law Students and study buddies

Chapter 21: Checkmate

Munir Tobias – Second Investigator Hired by Thomas for Atlanta Office

Chapter 22: Christmas Party

Allen Fields – Son Born to Hannah and Mark Fields in September

Nada – Hussein Mubarak’s Significant Other at USF

Imam Omar – Maha’s husband, Imam of Mosque in Wales

Chapter 23: Change

Lillian Taha– Para Legal Working in Thomas Ayoub’s Atlanta Office

Chapter 26: Thought Police

Fawsi – Cardiff Mosque Friend of Imam Omar

Issam – Cardiff Mosque Friend of Imam Omar

Chapter 27 Allahu Akbar

Abdulhakim Muhammed – Actual Terrorist in Little Rock, Arkansas

Chapter 28 Holly

Ramzi Gebara – Son of successful Egyptian Jeweler, attended USF; wife Holly, father and mother returned to Egypt 2004

Holly Gebara

Samir Shatila – Wife Daud; Last Tampa Alumni Group President

Chapter 30: Brilliant Strategy

Fadi – Militant Member of Hamas

PREFACE

T HE PAST ELEVEN YEARS have been a difficult time for our country. Much has been sacrificed in defending our national security. Yet, no one wants to deal with the elephant in the room—political Islam. As a consequence, we talk of Islam as a religion and wistfully ignore the anti-Constitution, anti-Declaration of Independence, anti-freedom, anti-equality, and anti-liberty thrusts of the Islamists that are taking place in our country every day.

Many have recognized the dangers of the ideological stealth jihad we are fighting against Islam and have begun to take action; however, our government has become a willing supporter of Islamic evangelism in our country to the detriment of our endeavors to maintain our nation as our forefathers envisioned it so long ago. This book has been written in an attempt to illustrate the practical and ideological road of destruction facing us if we do not take effective action against those who would destroy our country and oppress our citizens as Islam has done in the past and is doing today. We need but open our eyes while at the same time educating ourselves as to the truth of Islamic teachings of the last fourteen hundred years. My first novel, Out of Darkness, published by Author House, Bloomington, IN, 2009, was designed to highlight those things about Islamic doctrine I did not believe most people understood. From my perspective, the reader would benefit by delving into Islam by starting with this book.

I applaud those who have taken the time to learn the truths of Islam and stand against its practices in the United States. I owe much to them in preparing this book. They are the watchmen who bring the warning of danger to us and fight with words to reverse the current political correctness and multicultural trends that can subvert, undermine, and destroy those things we hold dear today. They are the true patriots, and I commend each for their willingness to engage in this battle. In this regard, the following Internet sites have been particularly helpful to me in following the Islamist Movement in the United States, and I recommend them to those in the fight.

Act for America (www.actforamerica.org)

Campus Watch (www.campus-watch.org)

Center for the Study of Political Islam (http://www.cspipublishing.com)

The Daily Jot ([e-mail])

David Horowitz ([e-mail])

Islamist Watch (www.islamist-watch.org)

M. Zuhdi Jasser, MD (www.aifdemocracy.org)

The Legal Project (http://www.legal-project.org)

LIGNET (http://www.lignet.com)

Middle East Forum (http://www.meforum.org)

D. Pipes Mailing List (www.danielpipes.org)

Thomas More Law Center (www.thomasmore.org)

Many have assisted me in my efforts to publish this book. Friends, family, and my publishing team have all provided valuable advice, support, and assistance in bringing it to fruition. Their help and encouragement kept my spirits high and provided me with the sense of doing something important. To each one, I am ever grateful.

Lastly, this work would not have been possible without the love of Jeanne, my wife, and her willingness to put up with her warrior as he went through the joys and exasperations of assembling this novel. She is an angel in every respect, and this effort would not have been completed without her love, her sincere, candid, thoughtful comments and her willingness to work by my side.

PROLOGUE

A BDULLAH HIT THE BUTTON on the garage door opener as he headed to the van. This was going to be a glorious day. He was excited and overjoyed that he had volunteered for this mission. He had always dreamed of being a warrior for Allah. Today was the day. He would join him very soon in paradise. Praise be to Allah!

A crescendo of squeaking erupted as the opening garage door hit its halfway point. Suddenly, armed men were rushing at him through all the entrances and yelling, FBI! Get down on the ground! Get down! Get down!

Abdullah was so stunned he froze and was manhandled to the ground by one of the agents. As he went down, shots rang out. He saw his teammate, Ali, fire a burst at the intruders. The sound was deafening in the confines of the garage. Mohammed’s bullets tore into two of the FBI agents. Out of the corner of his eye, Abdullah watched them fall to the floor as their weapons sent streams of bullets into Mohammed’s body. Simultaneously, he stumbled backward, collapsed to the floor, and died as the bullets found their mark.

Immediately, Abdullah and his brother jihadists were cuffed, taken to a waiting vehicle, and sent on their way to jail. The whole incident hadn’t taken ten minutes. Everyone on the jihadist team was in a daze. They had been on an adrenaline high as they moved out to attack in the name of Allah. To them, it seemed inconceivable to be the surprised captives of their enemy. Their letdown, confusion, and tremendous disappointment brought stunned silence to all.

The worst part was realizing Mohammad’s success and his own failures. He was overcome with anguish. Streams of tears flowed down his cheeks as Abid, the team leader, said, Abdullah, it’s okay. Mohammed is where he wanted to be in paradise as a warrior of Allah.

I know! I know! Abdullah responded. He is happy, and I am happy for him! My tears are for all of us. We failed. Allah will never forgive us!

Abdullah, you are young, Abid added. There will be many opportunities for you to accomplish things that will please Allah and compensate for anything we failed to do today. I have no doubt you will always be a true warrior for Allah. A failure on the battlefield today does not mean a failure tomorrow. Cheer up! Allah has something important for you to accomplish, or he would not have spared your life today. Stop the tears! Show your manliness! You must be a better witness to your brothers-in-arms.

With these words, Abid turned to his own musings. He was as overwhelmed with shock as anyone. What had gone wrong? As he considered this question, he struggled to control his own composure. His team had been a part of the largest jihadist strike force set in motion in the United States since September 11, 2001. Simultaneous attacks were to have occurred in Tampa, Atlanta, and Detroit. Everyone had been ecstatic when they thought of the fear and awe this would create in the infidel Americans while at the same time demonstrating the true operational capabilities of Allah’s warriors. He couldn’t believe it was over. Two thoughts kept running through his mind: colossal failure and what went wrong?

The initial FBI interrogations confirmed previous information that Atlanta and Detroit were to be attacked along with Tampa. Actually, because of information from the Tampa FBI Office, the Detroit attack had been broken up, although there had been casualties. Fortunately, the simultaneous Atlanta attack had never materialized as planned.

To the utter dismay and almost incomprehensible surprise of the Tampa Bay area, two physicians identified as members of the Muslim Brotherhood were allegedly the leaders of the terrorists. Both Lebanese doctors were long-time residents of the city and known as capable, successful, and highly respected pediatricians.

Dr. Abid Soussa had been captured during the raid. He was the assault team leader. Dr. Mahmoud Tariq was arrested in his office based on the role he’d played in the preparations and other Ikhwan (Brotherhood) activities. During the US Attorney’s press briefing the day following the arrests, it was made known that the Tampa targets had been the Federal Building and Tampa Airport. Names of those who planned and captured the terrorists were withheld for obvious reasons. Emphasis was given to the fact Tampa had experienced an extremely close call, and all citizens and law enforcement officers needed to continue their extreme vigilance in the future. The FBI had no doubt the enemy was trying to bring the battlefield to the United States, and they would only increase their efforts with the passage of time. They would use every technique they could to be successful, but they must be blocked. Failure was not an option.

CHAPTER 1

WHAT HAPPENED?

S IX MONTHS HAD PASSED since FBI agents walked into Dr. Mahmoud Tariq’s office that Monday morning and arrested him on terrorism charges. In the twinkling of an eye, three years of careful planning to please Allah had been obliterated. They’d taken him to jail, interrogated him, charged him, provided a lawyer, and allowed him to speak to the press. From that point on, time had passed so slowly that he was beside himself with dread for his future. All he could think about was what had gone wrong. How had they known about the timing of the attack? Who had blown their cover, and how had they done it?

Initially, Mahmoud had refused a court-appointed attorney. He’d haughtily asserted he could handle himself, but understanding the critical nature of the case, the judge said he would appoint an attorney to help his defense if he did not have one himself. While he was still brooding about this, a longtime friend from his Beirut school days who was also a local attorney, Tawfiq Ramdan, had contacted him to see if he needed some help. Tawfiq was the answer to Mahmoud’s prayers and had represented him since that day.

Together, they had painstakingly worked through every detail to build his defense. Unlike Abid, who’d been caught red-handed, the prosecution was building Mahmoud’s case based on Abid’s use of his garage to prepare a second car for the diversionary attack, a lot of circumstantial evidence, and some very classified evidence that was not being released. For example, he had lied to his staff about his recent flights to Germany. The German police had presented evidence of his association with proven German jihadists. Uncovered documents had revealed he’d provided financial support to Hamas through guest speakers of the Beirut Alumni Group. No matter how Tawfiq tried, the classified evidence appeared to be the most damaging and frustrating, because he was unable to gain access to it. How was he supposed to prepare a defense when he was unaware of the critical evidence behind the prosecution’s charges?

In the meantime, politicians argued whether or not terror cases should be tried at Gitmo by the military or through the federal court system. Tawfiq doubted this question would be answered soon, but he felt pretty confident Mahmoud’s case would not be tried by the military. Both Mahmoud and Abid were satisfied with his conclusion and prayed he was right; however, they wanted their trials moved to other jurisdictions. They just believed they could get a fairer trial in a different area, because the citizens of Tampa were very angry about their attempted bombings.

One day, Tawfiq informed Mahmoud he’d been talking to Abid’s attorney and discovered Abid was as frustrated as Mahmoud about their failure. It is driving him nuts.

Me too, responded Mahmoud. I know I left a copy of that Muslim Brotherhood document in the Atlanta airport, and it had a portion of our address on it as well as our fingerprints. Regardless, it was only a small piece of the puzzle. No, there has to be a lot more. Has Abid come up with anything?

Not yet, although advancing the strike date at the last minute following all the careful secretive planning has always had him perplexed. He still doesn’t know why the date and time were moved forward and likes to think the Germans may have uncovered something or one of the other teams may have made a mistake, but word filtering through the Brotherhood seems to point to a breakdown here in Tampa.

Mahmoud frowned and said, I have racked my brain for six months and come up with nothing. I really didn’t support this job. Abid ran the whole show. If he can’t think of anything, I am not sure I would know where to begin.

I’ll pass that on to his lawyer, Tawfiq said.

Okay, at the same time, have him ask Abid if anything unusual happened he hadn’t expected. It might be something as simple as an overheard conversation, a lost piece of paper, an unexpected repairman, or a conversation at the Beirut Alumni Group. One thing is for sure: I’d certainly like to sit down and talk to him about this.

Tawfiq smiled and informed him, Once they are through the interrogations, maybe you’ll have the opportunity. Nevertheless, I’ll pass your thoughts on to Abid’s attorney, and we’ll see what happens.

Good, see you in a couple of days.

Returning a few days later, they both went over some fine points in Mahmoud’s defense. When they finished, Mahmoud asked, Anything new from Abid?

Tawfiq said, I passed on your thoughts and have talked to Abid’s attorney a couple of times since. He told me the only truly unexpected thing that happened was running into Ahmed Schahab at the mosque in Tampa. Abid indicated you both knew him as an escort for visiting jihadists at the Frankfurt mosque.

That’s right.…he escorted me a couple of times over the past few years.

Well, since everyone knew him and he’d just arrived in the States, Abid asked if he might like to help him with his mission. He needed the money, so he accepted and worked as a demolition team guard while the explosives were being prepared in the two vehicles.

That’s interesting, Mahmoud said. I didn’t know Ahmed was in the States or that Abid had asked for his help. In any case, it sounds as if he accepted him without any further checks. I think I would have been a little more suspicious.

Tawfiq nodded,You probably would have been at this point in your mission. I get the impression Abid is more of a gung ho operator who is anxious to get the job done once his course is set. Let me do a little investigating. I know a couple of detectives who will do a good job of checking up on Ahmed, and I will put them to work.

Okay, but make certain you tell Abid’s attorney what we’re doing so that we don’t cross wires, said Mahmoud.

Two weeks later, Tawfiq showed up with the detective’s report. As he opened their conversation, he skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the bottom line, saying, "Mahmoud, I think we have uncovered the source of the secret evidence being used in your case—it’s Ahmed. What he told Abid about coming to the States was true. It’s what he left out that put everyone in jail.

Ahmed is a Christian! He has pretended to be a Muslim all these years while working for the US intelligence in Germany and the FBI here. He was baptized at the United Methodist Church in Brandon six weeks after your arrest. Following the compromise of Abid’s team, he went to Atlanta and identified many of those cell members. While there, he met his former Christian girlfriend from Southern Lebanon, renewed his courtship, and will reportedly be married sometime this year. We don’t have all the details yet, but there is no question his deception was the key element in Abid’s failure.

Mahmoud couldn’t help himself. Mohammed was right.… Taqiyya (deception) is a great tactic at any time, particularly in warfare. Only problem is the FBI was able to turn the tables on us. Has Abid been informed of this? He will want revenge.…

No, not as yet, Tawfiq answered.

Mahmoud mused, He will suffer much when he gets this news, my friend. So be it. He must know the truth to prepare the best defense he can.

I agree.

When you get home, call this number, Tawfiq, Mahmoud directed his lawyer. Tell the person who answers Ahmed Schahab was instrumental in our failure. He will know what should be done at this point.

Tawfiq rose, said he would, and started to leave. Turning, he commented, You know, Mahmoud, this might help your case a little. After all, you were not a member of the attack team even though you were aware of what was going on at the time. I’m not certain you’ll get much legal sympathy, but you might through the press. At least we have some important answers. Remember, Allahu Akbar! See you soon.

CHAPTER 2

THE ENEMY?

R ICK AUSTIN SAT ACROSS from his good friend Sam Flynn in the dining room of the MacDill Air Force Base Officer’s Club in Tampa, Florida. They met there for lunch often. Rick had been in the reserves and was called back to active duty in July 2005. He currently worked on base in the Special Operations Command Headquarters (SOCOM). He and Sam had served together in Desert Storm and had become great friends over the years.

As a retired army colonel and Middle East specialist, Sam and his Lebanese American buddies had been very helpful to Rick in his freelance journalism work before returning to active duty. In fact, they had taken the time to school him on the various aspects of Islam so that he might write and speak authoritatively about it and the War on Terror.

Sam had recently hooked up with an old Afghanistan buddy, Bill Tipton, who was a senior vice president at a company called Innovative Military Training, Inc. (IMTI). Its focus was on selling modern training packages to foreign governments around the world. Bill wanted Sam to smooth the way for sales in the Middle East (ME) through his vast contacts with old Beirut University schoolmates who were now in positions of responsibility in their respective countries. Having been a defense attaché in Jordan and traveled throughout the ME when working with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Sam was pretty certain he could help Bill. At the same time, his salary and incentive package made both him and Trudy, his wife, very happy. Each loved the ME. Rick knew the prospect of visiting old stomping grounds and renewing acquaintances made this whole venture enticing to both. However, Sam had just returned from London where he’d had a close call with some extremely unfriendly Muslims.

As Rick and Sam returned to the table after selecting their meals from the buffet, Rick grinned and said, Sam, I’m not sure traveling with you is very safe. Trudy told me you almost got blown up on your recent trip to London.

Yeah, but I told her not to say anything. My being in London and on the tube when those jihadists blew themselves up in July was a fluke.¹ What were the real probabilities I’d be there on that day and at that precise time?

Probably one or two in several million, Rick guessed. Nevertheless, you were there. It must have been a pretty nasty scene.

It was, Sam admitted. I got banged up a bit … was bruised from head to foot, but nothing compared to some of the others in my car.

How did Trudy react when you got home and she saw that handsome mug of yours with all the stitches and scars? asked Rick.

Like any wife with an old, wounded warrior, but you know us, Rick, we trust the Lord and walk with him wherever we go. This was no different. We both praise him for my safety on that day. The young Arab who blew himself up was just one car forward of mine. A number of people died. Trouble is, such incidents seem to be more common. This type of terror attack is extremely hard to stop. The Brits have their hands full, and if we aren’t careful, we will too.

No question about it, Sam, Rick agreed.

That’s enough about me, Sam said. Trudy tells me you and Ann have really settled into your new home, and everything seems to be going well. How are things at work?

Thanks for asking, Sam. I love being involved in the operational aspect of day-to-day SOCOM activities. It keeps me on my toes even though I am miles away from the action. I’d like to see that change, but for the time being, I’m okay. Having been in the reserves for so long, I need time to get back in physical shape and make sure I am clicking on all cylinders before trying to get into the field. Some of the guys move back and forth from our headquarters here to the forward deployed elements depending on the situation. I am hoping to do the same in the next few months.

That’s smart thinking, Rick. Not only do you need to adjust yourself to the operational tempo of the command, but you need to know the guys you’re working with and they need to know you. Any problems in this area?

No They are all super guys, and we get along great. But I have to tell you, Sam, I think we’re missing the boat on defining the enemy. Everyone from the top down is focused on politically motivated terrorists and not Islam. In fact, I just read the February 2003 National Strategy For Combating Terrorism that says our enemy is categorically not religion.² Yet, you and I know it is the political part of Islam that drives everything in this war."

I understand, Rick. Our friends in Washington feel out of their league in discussing religions. It certainly goes against the way we were brought up. As a result, until 9/11, I had not detected any Thomas Jeffersons in the crowd either. At least he got himself a Koran and studied enough of Islam to know you cannot appease a Muslim and his religion. The use of force was the only way to save us from the Barbary Pirates, and he accepted the challenge.

He sure did a good job, said Rick. Being in the warrior trade, I am always a little miffed when I think of all the things that have happened over the past fifteen years with little or no response from any administration until 9/11. Even before then, our officials were telling us there was no such thing as a clash of civilizations and terrorism overseas wasn’t just Islamic, even though 99.9 percent of the time only Muslims were involved.³

Yes, Sam agreed, and there are those who have tried to convince us that Islam is compatible with our American ideals and way of life, although the Koran and hadith make it explicitly clear that is not the case because of Shari’a. As Christians, we are to respect all people and treat them as we would be treated, but that doesn’t mean we must accept the parts of their religion that are unacceptable to our Constitution and methods of governance.

Taking another sip of his iced tea, Sam responded, That’s right. It tears me up when I have conversations like this with anybody these days. We’ve been at war for the past four years and still waffle at the identification of our true enemy. I know oil is important to our economy, but sometimes I get the impression that our guys in Washington have been too focused on it and not enough on the advancing Islamic culture. Oil is important but not to the extent of the surrendering our culture to any other.

I agree. I think soft-pedaling our enemy by using such terms as a ‘distorted Islam,’ ‘radical Islam,’ and ‘extremists’ to define them and put them in a special category is designed to nullify Islamic concerns as to our intent in the countries where we are fighting. Unfortunately, an appeasement policy will not work. The bad part of all this is that in the process, the government’s actions provide a false picture of Islam to our citizens and indirectly foster Islam’s growth right here at home.

I know, Sam, but we have to call a spade a spade. The government is really letting us down on this one. They tell us there is no clash of civilizations when we are right in the middle of the biggest one of our lives. They try to take the focus off of Islam by telling us terrorism is not Islamic when Prophet Mohammad used every technique of warfare he could. What really frosts me the most is the line that Islam is comparable with American ideals and adds to American life, meaning we should learn to appreciate Islam. We have had to fight Islam one way or another since we became a nation. Where have these governmental officials been? I swear they and their advisors don’t read history books while they pander to Muslims every single day.⁴

"You can bet that won’t work, Rick. And this talk about moderates is so fuzzy nobody I know can get a good handle on them. It’s just inconceivable to me any so-called moderates can influence their more radical believers. We’ve talked about this before. The words of Allah are believed to be sacred and true. No Muslim I know is going to change or remove them from the Koran. If they did, you wouldn’t have Islam. The best one can hope for is to live as a secular