Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the head of al Qaeda terrorism in Iraq, is an inspiration for Islamic radicals. Zarqawi, unfortunately, is carrying out his terrorist attacks mainly against fellow Moslems. This is not unusual, as, so far, most al Qaeda attacks have been against other Moslems. But for Arabs, living in Arab countries, the al Qaeda carnage in Iraq is scary, and disturbing. But for Moslems living in Europe, North America and other non-Moslem nations, the death of so many Moslems, at the hands of other Moslems, is inspiring. Especially with the young Moslems in places like Europe, it's easy to swallow the official al Qaeda line that the Iraqis killed by al Qaeda bombs deserved to die. Moslems in Moslem countries know better. This generation gap is being exploited by al Qaeda, and has made Zarqawi a hero to many of these European born Moslems.You'll even find this Zarqawi hero worship in the United States, but with a difference. While America has a tradition of assimilation, such is not the case in Europe. There, the immigrants are encouraged to hang onto the culture and customs of the old country. This makes it easier for terrorists to operate. Fewer people will turn them in, and recruiting prospects are better. In the United States, there's too much danger that someone in the community will call the FBI or police. Even before September 11, 2001, this was the case. And since late 2001, the American Moslem community is even more dangerous for Islamic radicals and terrorists. This, and recent reports that bin Laden is urging Zarqawi to make attacks in the United States, makes European counter-terrorism people very upset. They know that any serious Islamic terrorist efforts are more likely to happen in Europe. It's that old "how do you deal with the danger of grizzly bears when you go hiking? Always go with someone you can outrun" routine. Islamic terrorists know that three years of efforts to carry out more attacks in America have only filled the jails with Islamic radicals. The only hope the terrorists have is that the American counter-terrorism people will get lax and lazy, as they did in 2001.
The 911 attack team was typical of Islamic terrorists in that they were not highly disciplined when it came to OPSEC (Operational Security). After the fact, it was discovered that there were numerous opportunities to catch them if the FBI and CIA had been more on the ball. This is an old problem. After the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the FBI got a lot more money for counter-terrorism, and the CIA paid more attention to al Qaeda. But this effort grew weaker as more was known about al Qaeda, and their sloppy methods. It was another example of "don't underestimate your enemy." The danger now is that the greater terrorism danger to Europe will make American counter-terrorism organizations assume that the terrorists are giving up on attacks in the United States. That will never happen, and it's the not-so-bright, not-well-trained or disciplined terrorists, who keep coming, that you have to worry about.