In some ways this is (unintentionally) hilarious. In other ways, very sad ...Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
CHARLIE TAYLOR
Osama bin Laden was urged by a fellow leading al-Qaeda member to send a message to the Irish people persuading them to support Islam.
According to new declassified documents seized from his hideout in Pakistan following his death last year, bin Laden was advised that there was a possibility of converting Irish people because of their disenchantment with the Catholic Church and anger over the economic crisis.
Among the reasons outlined as to why the Irish might be open to Islam were Irish people's sympathy towards Palestinians and "the soft treatment of the judicial system to Muslims accused of terrorist acts".
The Combating Terrorism Center, a privately funded research base at the US Military Academy at West Point, posted a number of declassified documents belonging to bin Laden on its website today.
They were taken in the raid on his house in Abbottabad last May in which he was killed by US forces.
The documents, which total 175 pages in the original Arabic and 197 pages in the English translation, span a period from September 2006 to April 2011 and include private letters between prominent al-Qaeda members including bin Laden.
Among the documents is a letter from the American al-Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn to an unknown recipient in January 2011 which lays out reasons for reaching out to the Irish people.
The document, which highlights the reasons for issuing a call to the Irish people notes that Ireland was not a participant in "Bush's Crusade wars," but also adds that the country had been part of an EU-wide force engaged in training the Somali army.
It also speculates on the impact of the clerical child abuse scandal and the economic crisis on Ireland.
"What helped to prepare the message was the last economic crisis that affected Ireland a lot, thus forcing its youth to look for sources of living in the outside," writes Mr Gadahn.
"The other matter is the increasing anger in Ireland towards the Catholic Church after exposing a number of sex scandals and others," he adds.
The document says that Irish people, "who were the most religious of atheist Europe," are moving towards secularism.
"Why do not we face them with Islam,?" asks Mr Gadahn.
He goes on to suggest preparing a similar message to Catholics living in Arab regions calling them to Islam and cautioning them against co-operating with "invader enemies."
"Catholics were historically the prominent enemies of the Jews, amongst the other Christians. They were also the original enemies to the Evangelist Protestant who were the vanguard of the Crusades.”
“ Their public in general, these days, is more sympathetic and understanding of the Muslims, than other Protestant and Orthodox Christians," he says.
Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
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Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... ing53.html
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- Clinton Huxley
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
Al O'Qaeda.....
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I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled"
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
Don't you just love his line of reasoning: "Catholics -> historic enemies of the Jews ... the enemy of my enemy is my friend".
Just goes to show how hopelessly out of touch he was.
Just goes to show how hopelessly out of touch he was.
God has no place within these walls, just like facts have no place within organized religion. - Superintendent Chalmers
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
Fucking ideologues. What with this and CERN scientist in cahoots with Ali Q... what is the world coming to?
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Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish



Hillarious!!! There's no freakn way Irish are going to give up their whiskey to become some shit ite muslim.

Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
Talk about the wrong end of the stick.
While it may be true most Irish people will side with people they perceive to be trampled underfoot by an occupying force, like in the case of Israel over Palestine, due to our own mistreatment of an occupying force in the past we were also shocked and horrified by the 9/11 attacks and generally treat Islam with suspicion. America and Europe are our friends, even if we are critical of them. The Middle East is like a hopeless never ending nightmare many would be happy to see disappear.
And while it's also true we are unhappy with the Catholic church and some people are leaving it those people are not now in a spiritual dead-zone ripe for conversion but rather people who have decided that religion is a bad news and decided to do without it. Those that have stuck with the Catholic church won't be leaving it and tend to treat Islam as some mad foreign religion.
While it may be true most Irish people will side with people they perceive to be trampled underfoot by an occupying force, like in the case of Israel over Palestine, due to our own mistreatment of an occupying force in the past we were also shocked and horrified by the 9/11 attacks and generally treat Islam with suspicion. America and Europe are our friends, even if we are critical of them. The Middle East is like a hopeless never ending nightmare many would be happy to see disappear.
And while it's also true we are unhappy with the Catholic church and some people are leaving it those people are not now in a spiritual dead-zone ripe for conversion but rather people who have decided that religion is a bad news and decided to do without it. Those that have stuck with the Catholic church won't be leaving it and tend to treat Islam as some mad foreign religion.
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
A bit of religious extremism - that's what Ireland really needs! 


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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
I feel almost guilty that IHorwood Beer-Master wrote:A bit of religious extremism - that's what Ireland really needs!![]()


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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
Having said that, the Vatican has been holding talks with Iran's Supreme Leader about the threat of 'aggressive secularism' to.... erm... I forget what its supposed to be a threat to... 'tolerance' I think.
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Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
I think Osama spent a lot of time understanding the Irish History and particularly how the IRA operated.
The 911 stuff was directly inspired by the IRA attacks on the business district of London - including on Canary Wharf..........and the fact that hitting a country where the money is does acheive results, whereas blowing the arms and legs off the plebs (in uniform or not) is something that a Govt doesn't really care about. It's how the Irish "peace process" came about.
The irony being that the IRA was funded and supported by the Americans (even if they officially tut tutted about what they did) - sort of like Saudi and Al Queda......so could say that without the Americans supporting the IRA that 911 would never have happened as Osama would never have seen that the tactic worked.
The 911 stuff was directly inspired by the IRA attacks on the business district of London - including on Canary Wharf..........and the fact that hitting a country where the money is does acheive results, whereas blowing the arms and legs off the plebs (in uniform or not) is something that a Govt doesn't really care about. It's how the Irish "peace process" came about.
The irony being that the IRA was funded and supported by the Americans (even if they officially tut tutted about what they did) - sort of like Saudi and Al Queda......so could say that without the Americans supporting the IRA that 911 would never have happened as Osama would never have seen that the tactic worked.
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
Shit! 9/11 was Bobby Kennedy's fault. Wow! 

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Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
I dunno about that - but I certainly would have strung up Teddy for supporting IRA Al Qaeda ......if we could have found a rope strong enoughBrian Peacock wrote:Shit! 9/11 was Bobby Kennedy's fault. Wow!

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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
I blame Steven King's The Running Man.
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish

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Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
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Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Re: Al-Qaeda sought to convert the Irish
Maybe, if a special dispensation for alcohol consumption was given...
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