ASU Study Sympathetic to al Qaeda Terrorists

Researchers with ASU’s Center for Strategic Communication (CSC) analyzed more than 2,000 items of propaganda from al Qaeda and related Islamist groups from 1998 to 2011. They catalogued more than 1,500 quotes from the Qur’an that extremists used to support their arguments, and identified the chapter (surah) and verse represented in the quote.The ASU Insight publication story says: “Results showed that most of quotes are about enduring hardships and maintaining faith and hope in the face of attacks by enemies of Islam. The so-called ‘Verse of the Sword’ (9:5) that says “fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them” was used only three times.”The study concludes with four recommendations for the West: 1) abandon claims that Islamist extremists seek world domination; 2) focus on addressing claims of victimization; 3) emphasize alternative means of deliverance; and 4) reveal that the image of “champion” sought by extremists is a false one.And now the real story: Islamic extremists are the reigning world champions of terrorism, leaving the safety of their self-defense nests to destroy the World Trade Center towers—on their second attempt, attack the Pentagon, and attack and kill innocent civilians in numerous countries around the globe. All 19 terrorists on September 11, 2001 were radical, al Qaeda Muslims. So let’s not focus on their claims of victimization, but remain vigilant of their ongoing attacks on domestic and international victims.And we are not reassured that al Qaeda only mentioned the “Verse of the Sword” three times. Their terrorist attacks are many more than that.Read the ASU story here.