By Joseph A. Klein, CFP United Nations Columnist ——Bio and Archives--January 28, 2013
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"Since the jihadist takeover, Gao’s economy has come to a standstill. Every Thursday, there are theocratic show trials in Arabic, a language many residents do not speak. The fundamentalists focus on teaching the predominantly Muslim population of Gao 'how to be Muslim.' Like Al Shabab in Somalia and the Taliban in Afghanistan, they have a morality brigade that patrols the city, checking who is not wearing a sufficient veil and whose telephone sins with a musical ringtone. Speaking to a woman in public is an offense; this ban has caused such terror that some men flee in fear if they simply see a woman on the street."Mali's citizens by and large support France's military involvement to get rid of the jihadist occupiers. "We must give thanks loudly to President Francois Hollande," said Amadou Cisse, a local resident of Bamako, the capital of Mali. "We are delighted and proud of the French troops and the Malian soldiers who die every day on the front lines for our freedom." "I decided to hang a French flag next to the Malian flag to show I'm in favor of the military intervention by France," said another resident. "It's a way to support the French troops. God answered our prayers by sending French troops." Even so, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-backed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi stated last week his opposition to France's action. His rationale, as reported by the Associated Press, was that it "would create a 'new conflict hotspot' that separates the Arab north from its African neighbors to the south." To the contrary, France did not create a new conflict hotspot. Arab and other Islamist intruders seeking to expand the jihadists' control of vast expanses of the African continent have planted the seeds of destruction and chaos. Islamists from various al Qaeda-affiliated and other jihadist groups such as the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, Ansar Dine, Nigeria’s Boko Haram and Somalia’s al Shabab are exploiting instability and a vacuum of power wherever they find it to spread the boundaries of the 21st century caliphate they have in mind for the entire region. Who else has come out against France's intervention? The Al Qassam Brigades of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood's terrorist progeny, has been tweeting messages of support for the Al Qaeda terrorists of Mali and against the French intervention. "We feel pain about what is happening in #Mali #Gaza #Palestine #France #French #StopFrenchTerrorism #Terror #WarAgainstIslam #Hamas," the tweet said. Qatar is also displeased with France's action. "I don’t think that power will solve the problem,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani told reporters. He called instead for "political dialogue." Political dialogue with whom? Is Qatar's prime minister suggesting that the Islamist jihadist occupiers in Mali, whom Qatar is reportedly funding, want genuine dialogue? Are they any different than the Mujahideen of Syria whom Qatar is also funding and arming? These fanatics, who are highjacking the opposition to the Assad regime, declared in a message in support of their Islamic brethren in Mali that "A Mujahid fights so that the word of Allah may reign supreme." They called upon Muslims worldwide to "blow them [the French] up wherever they are, and slaughter them." The jihadists, whether in Syria, Libya, Egypt, Nigeria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mali or anywhere else in the world, are not interested in dialogue or in understanding the will of the people. They are all linked together in a common cause to forcibly impose their notion of Allah's will. As Ms. Bennoune wrote in her New York Times op-ed article with respect to Mali, "negotiating with groups who believe they are God’s agents and whose imposed mode of governance is utterly alien to the people of northern Mali is unlikely to succeed, especially while the north remains occupied." France has taken the first bold move to roll back the jihadist occupation and provide more time for the African-led multi-national force and Malian army to prepare for the complete liberation of the Malian people. The supremacist, racist, colonialist face of the jihadists and their supporters is exposed for all willing to face evil and defeat it.
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Joseph A. Klein is the author of Global Deception: The UN’s Stealth Assault on America’s Freedom.