| Another article on Takfir wal Hijra. Maybe adds something to what we already know. Sounds like the writer's just discovered them... |
By BRIAN MURPHY AP RELIGION WRITER
An ultra-radical Islamic ideology mixing zealot-like devotion and holy war creed is drawing more scrutiny in anti-terrorist probes from the Middle East to Europe - with increasing indications that its base on the fringes of Islamic extremism could be widening.
| It's maybe the fringe of Islam, but it's a part of the core of Islamic extremism... |
In existence since the 1960s, al-Takfir wa al-Hijra has offered intellectual inspiration to al-Qaida and other militant groups. But authorities now worry about followers becoming more aggressive with recruitment and retaliation against perceived foes of Islam, such as Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Officials in the Netherlands say the Dutch-Moroccan suspect - accused of killing Van Gogh on a busy Amsterdam street earlier this month - hosted gatherings of immigrants influenced by the Egyptian-founded Takfir ideology, which strives for a purified form of Islam and condemns anything or anyone deemed an enemy of the faith.
| That pretty much amounts to everyone but them. The "secret knowledge" imparted by adopting their outlook is a part of the groupthink that makes them tick... |
The "spiritual leader" of the Amsterdam meetings, officials say, was Syrian-born Redouan al-Issar, who has apparently fled the Netherlands. Authorities allege he had contacts with suspects linked to May 2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca, Morocco, which killed 33 people. "They place their own actions in terms of jihad (holy war)," Dutch Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner told The Associated Press. "To that extent, there is jihad in the Netherlands."
| How much more of an extent do you need, Piet? |
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