Texas: Muslim Who Joined ISIS First Became More Religious

Yesterday Jihad Watch brought you a report about these two Muslim brothers from Texas who joined the Islamic State, and their parents who lied to the FBI about it. The Dallas News has much more detail in its report, including this: “A Texas college friend who asked that his name be withheld because he didn’t want to be associated with Arman said he arrived at UT-Austin as a ‘pretty normal kid.’ But he became religious during his second year and gradually grew more orthodox. Arman was no longer playing soccer, basketball and video games with friends. He was spending more time at the mosque, he said.”

So once again we see a Muslim becoming more observant in Islam and then joining a jihad terror group. There are so very many examples of this; just recently a Muslim in Canada who stabbed a woman in the throat explained that he did it because he started listening to the Qur’an. And there are many other jihadis who have justified their violent activities by pointing to Islam:

Jihad was a way of life for the Pious Predecessors (Salaf-us-Salih), and the Prophet (SAWS) was a master of the Mujahideen and a model for fortunate inexperienced people. The total number of military excursions which he (SAWS) accompanied was 27. He himself fought in nine of these; namely Badr; Uhud, Al-Muraysi, The Trench, Qurayzah, Khaybar, The Conquest of Makkah, Hunayn and Taif . . . This means that the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) used to go out on military expeditions or send out an army at least every two months.” — Abdullah Azzam, co-founder of al-Qaeda, Join the Caravan, p. 30

“If we follow the rules of interpretation developed from the classical science of Koranic interpretation, it is not possible to condemn terrorism in religious terms. It remains completely true to the classical rules in its evolution of sanctity for its own justification. This is where the secret of its theological strength lies.” — Egyptian scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd

“Many thanks to God, for his kind gesture, and choosing us to perform the act of Jihad for his cause and to defend Islam and Muslims. Therefore, killing you and fighting you, destroying you and terrorizing you, responding back to your attacks, are all considered to be great legitimate duty in our religion.” — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his fellow 9/11 defendants

“Allah on 480 occasions in the Holy Koran extols Muslims to wage jihad. We only fulfil God’s orders. Only jihad can bring peace to the world.” — Taliban terrorist Baitullah Mehsud

“Jihad, holy fighting in Allah’s course, with full force of numbers and weaponry, is given the utmost importance in Islam….By jihad, Islam is established….By abandoning jihad, may Allah protect us from that, Islam is destroyed, and Muslims go into inferior position, their honor is lost, their lands are stolen, their rule and authority vanish. Jihad is an obligation and duty in Islam on every Muslim.” — Times Square car bomb terrorist Faisal Shahzad

“So step by step I became a religiously devout Muslim, Mujahid — meaning one who participates in jihad.” — Little Rock, Arkansas terrorist murderer Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad

“And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives, and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for Jihad.” — Texas terrorist bomber Khalid Aldawsari

Yet authorities persist in claiming that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism. We even see the claim that jihadis know little about Islam and care even less. Arman Ali’s trajectory tells a different story.

Also, which mosque in the Austin, Texas area was Arman Ali attending? Has it been investigated? Has the FBI tried to determine whether Arman Ali got the idea to join the Islamic State from what he was taught there? Almost certainly not: the FBI remains determinedly clueless regarding the jihad terror threat. If we had any investigators who were patriotic and worth their salt, that mosque would be thoroughly investigated, and agents would be closely monitoring its teachings and attendees.

Note also that Omar Ali was working in strict accord with the Qur’an: “He emailed her again in October 2014 to say, ‘Allah tells the Muslim to fight, kill and exile “those who wage war against Allah or His messenger,”‘ according to court records.”

“Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment” (Qur’an 5:33).

Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and author of the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. Coming in November is his new book Confessions of an Isalamophobe. Follow him on Twitter here. Like him on Facebook here.