Jihadist chat logs in this month's Harper's

deadwolfbones · 05-13-2010, 08:56 AM

From online conversations between jihad enthusiasts, identified by their screen names only, and Tarek Mehanna, a twenty-seven-year-old pharmacist in a suburb of Boston who was arrested last October and charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. In 2004, Mehanna went to Yemen to seek terrorist training; when he returned he began translating and distributing texts in support of Al Qaeda, including "39 Ways to Serve and Participate in Jihad." The conversations, retrieved from his computer by the FBI, were included in a memorandum submitted last November by the U.S. government in support of Mehanna's detention. "The old man," "Hadrami," and "Shaykh" are references to Osama bin Laden, whose Messages to the World was published in 2005.

February 2, 2006

Quote:

Abu Mundhir: we're real popular now
Abu Mundhir: we got our stuff pinned on big forums
Tarek Mehanna: Sweetness
Abu Mundhir: we are al qaeda in iraq
Abu Mundhir: media wing
Abu Mundhir: hehe
Tarek Mehanna: man, I don't think
Tarek Mehanna: we deserve that title maybe
Tarek Mehanna: if we are lucky
Tarek Mehanna: we get to clean their toilets
Abu Mundhir: lol
Abu Mundhir: yeah
Abu Mundhir: i would be the happiest man in the world if
Abu Mundhir: the old man just let me hang around with him
Abu Mundhir: and clean
Abu Mundhir: his toilet
Abu Mundhir: love that guy
Tarek Mehanna: dude
Tarek Mehanna: This morning
Tarek Mehanna: I was thinking to myself imagine how
Tarek Mehanna: like, reporters from al Jazeera must have felt
Tarek Mehanna: waiting for Hadrami to come out
Tarek Mehanna: and start the interview
Tarek Mehanna: I'd like wet my pants

February 6

Quote:

Mehanna: I had a crazy idea, man
Mehanna: that you and I
Mehanna: go study in Yemen
Mehanna: as soon as u finish undergrad
AAB: man that would be awesome
AAB: id love to do that
Mehanna: I'm 150% serious
Mehanna: there's a school there
Mehanna: that is very good
Mehanna: they all walk around
Mehanna: with camo jackets and AK-47s
AAB: maaan, no way
Mehanna: way. It's more a camp than it is a school

February 12

Quote:

DS: i'm downloading some of Shaykh Abdullah el-Faisal's lectures right now
Mehanna: don't reveal everything online
DS: I know
Mehanna: that can be used against u
DS: But these are publicly available talks
Mehanna: yeah, but still

February 16

Quote:

Mehanna: a brother I know in Egypt
Mehanna: the intelligence
Mehanna: there
Mehanna: they questioned him about me
Mehanna: so, I should be careful
Abu Mundhir: right
Abu Mundhir: which means?
Mehanna: I don't know
Abu Mundhir: u will stop with the franchise?
Mehanna: No, of course not

March 5

Quote:

Mehanna: Dude
Mehanna: I was wondering
Mehanna: about the 39
Mehanna: is there anyone else who can finish it
Mehanna: I'd rather not
Mehanna: continue
Mehanna: cause the next few ones
Mehanna: are kinda touchy
Abu Mundhir: there's no one dude
Abu Mundhir: u know that lol
Mehanna: if I can do 'em
Mehanna: someone else can post them
Abu Mundhir: that can be arranged
Mehanna: just as long as my name isn't associated with it

April 3

Quote:

M: may our end be in martydom
M: this world is accursed
Mehanna: remember
Mehanna: I am being watched ;-)
M: oh lol
Mehanna: and I know that for a fact

April 4

Quote:

Mehanna: still gonna add a cover
Mehanna: make it look nice
Mehanna: and put it in PDF
Mehanna: this is just ur exclusive copy ;-)
AR: ooo mi cool now
Mehanna: :-d
AR: i wish we could live at a time where jihad is like something u could talk openly about
Mehanna: heh
Mehanna: keep dreaming habibi
AR: :'(

April 9

Quote:

Mehanna: dude
Mehanna: 39 is done and PDF'd
Mehanna: do u need to check it before it's released?
Abu Mundhir: uhm no not really lol
Abu Mundhir: it's really nice
Mehanna: :-)
Mehanna: I hope
Mehanna: the book makes an impact
Abu Mundhir: i showed
Abu Mundhir: one brother the cover
Abu Mundhir: he loved it
Abu Mundhir: he said it reminded him
Abu Mundhir: of like anarchist
Abu Mundhir: cookbook or mein kampf
Abu Mundhir: lol

April 28

Quote:

Mehanna: that book
Mehanna: about the Shaykh
Mehanna: the orange one
Mehanna: I read it in the Harvard coop the other day
Mehanna: and started crying
AAB: which book is this
Mehanna: Messages to the world
Mehanna: I realized that I look to him
Mehanna: as being my real father, in a sense
Mehanna: from the moment I saw him
Mehanna: the hair on my arms
Mehanna: stood on end
Mehanna: without even knowing who he was
AAB: wow really
Mehanna: anyone with manhood
Mehanna: feels the same way

Seriously, I'm dying laughing over here at the April 3rd one.

Parallax · 05-13-2010, 09:02 AM

Reads like a Saturday Night Live comedy skit. "AlQaeda Valley Girls"

deadwolfbones · 05-13-2010, 09:17 AM

But really, this seems to reinforce the idea (I know, I know... not a statistically valid sample...) that most Jihadists (at least the middle-class/affluent ones) are, at their core, average bros looking for glory/recognition/attention and a cause to get them to it. It's like Fight Club for those with a religious inclination.

GingeM · 05-13-2010, 09:32 AM

Quote:

are, at their core, average bros looking for glory/recognition/attention

You have to admit... A quick Jihad is probably a bit easier than getting into the NFL, winning The Masters, writing a classic novel or a symphony, winning a Nobel Prize... Oh, wait... Barry and AlGore managed that one...

deadwolfbones · 05-13-2010, 09:41 AM

I was going to mention that their glory-hunting isn't much different from that of school shooters (Columbine dudes obsessed with The Matrix) or, say, politicians in general.

Ratmagiclady · 05-13-2010, 12:32 PM

Originally posted by Parallax

Reads like a Saturday Night Live comedy skit. "AlQaeda Valley Girls"

Yep.

Note the uncommented-upon 'this world is accursed.'

Seems a lot of people have been somehow impelled to believe that.

Never underestimate what a smart and pissed-off kid can accomplish, but making these people into just the kind of bogeymen two major religions want them to be...

Well, people get hurt.

Speaking of education, I think too many people are deprived of real hope for this world, and their only language about it is war, domination, and conversion.

Despair leads to terrible waste. And maybe that's how we should all look at this. Not a 'war over righteousness in a 'fallen world,' ...but a waste. Pitiable, awful, degrading, waste.

Rupert · 05-13-2010, 07:59 PM

Originally posted by GingeM

You have to admit... A quick Jihad is probably a bit easier than getting into the NFL, winning The Masters, writing a classic novel or a symphony, winning a Nobel Prize... Oh, wait... Barry and AlGore managed that one...

Sounds like a normal conversation between Dick and George....maybe add Karl in there for a little background insanity, and you just have your everyday Whitehouse dialogue for eight years. Add a few jokes about those "F***ing Dumb Christians" and what's the difference?
Regards!

05-13-2010, 08:56 AM	#1
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	Jihadist chat logs in this month's Harper's From online conversations between jihad enthusiasts, identified by their screen names only, and Tarek Mehanna, a twenty-seven-year-old pharmacist in a suburb of Boston who was arrested last October and charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. In 2004, Mehanna went to Yemen to seek terrorist training; when he returned he began translating and distributing texts in support of Al Qaeda, including "39 Ways to Serve and Participate in Jihad." The conversations, retrieved from his computer by the FBI, were included in a memorandum submitted last November by the U.S. government in support of Mehanna's detention. "The old man," "Hadrami," and "Shaykh" are references to Osama bin Laden, whose Messages to the World was published in 2005. February 2, 2006 Quote: Abu Mundhir: we're real popular now Abu Mundhir: we got our stuff pinned on big forums Tarek Mehanna: Sweetness Abu Mundhir: we are al qaeda in iraq Abu Mundhir: media wing Abu Mundhir: hehe Tarek Mehanna: man, I don't think Tarek Mehanna: we deserve that title maybe Tarek Mehanna: if we are lucky Tarek Mehanna: we get to clean their toilets Abu Mundhir: lol Abu Mundhir: yeah Abu Mundhir: i would be the happiest man in the world if Abu Mundhir: the old man just let me hang around with him Abu Mundhir: and clean Abu Mundhir: his toilet Abu Mundhir: love that guy Tarek Mehanna: dude Tarek Mehanna: This morning Tarek Mehanna: I was thinking to myself imagine how Tarek Mehanna: like, reporters from al Jazeera must have felt Tarek Mehanna: waiting for Hadrami to come out Tarek Mehanna: and start the interview Tarek Mehanna: I'd like wet my pants February 6 Quote: Mehanna: I had a crazy idea, man Mehanna: that you and I Mehanna: go study in Yemen Mehanna: as soon as u finish undergrad AAB: man that would be awesome AAB: id love to do that Mehanna: I'm 150% serious Mehanna: there's a school there Mehanna: that is very good Mehanna: they all walk around Mehanna: with camo jackets and AK-47s AAB: maaan, no way Mehanna: way. It's more a camp than it is a school February 12 Quote: DS: i'm downloading some of Shaykh Abdullah el-Faisal's lectures right now Mehanna: don't reveal everything online DS: I know Mehanna: that can be used against u DS: But these are publicly available talks Mehanna: yeah, but still February 16 Quote: Mehanna: a brother I know in Egypt Mehanna: the intelligence Mehanna: there Mehanna: they questioned him about me Mehanna: so, I should be careful Abu Mundhir: right Abu Mundhir: which means? Mehanna: I don't know Abu Mundhir: u will stop with the franchise? Mehanna: No, of course not March 5 Quote: Mehanna: Dude Mehanna: I was wondering Mehanna: about the 39 Mehanna: is there anyone else who can finish it Mehanna: I'd rather not Mehanna: continue Mehanna: cause the next few ones Mehanna: are kinda touchy Abu Mundhir: there's no one dude Abu Mundhir: u know that lol Mehanna: if I can do 'em Mehanna: someone else can post them Abu Mundhir: that can be arranged Mehanna: just as long as my name isn't associated with it April 3 Quote: M: may our end be in martydom M: this world is accursed Mehanna: remember Mehanna: I am being watched ;-) M: oh lol Mehanna: and I know that for a fact April 4 Quote: Mehanna: still gonna add a cover Mehanna: make it look nice Mehanna: and put it in PDF Mehanna: this is just ur exclusive copy ;-) AR: ooo mi cool now Mehanna: :-d AR: i wish we could live at a time where jihad is like something u could talk openly about Mehanna: heh Mehanna: keep dreaming habibi AR: :'( April 9 Quote: Mehanna: dude Mehanna: 39 is done and PDF'd Mehanna: do u need to check it before it's released? Abu Mundhir: uhm no not really lol Abu Mundhir: it's really nice Mehanna: :-) Mehanna: I hope Mehanna: the book makes an impact Abu Mundhir: i showed Abu Mundhir: one brother the cover Abu Mundhir: he loved it Abu Mundhir: he said it reminded him Abu Mundhir: of like anarchist Abu Mundhir: cookbook or mein kampf Abu Mundhir: lol April 28 Quote: Mehanna: that book Mehanna: about the Shaykh Mehanna: the orange one Mehanna: I read it in the Harvard coop the other day Mehanna: and started crying AAB: which book is this Mehanna: Messages to the world Mehanna: I realized that I look to him Mehanna: as being my real father, in a sense Mehanna: from the moment I saw him Mehanna: the hair on my arms Mehanna: stood on end Mehanna: without even knowing who he was AAB: wow really Mehanna: anyone with manhood Mehanna: feels the same way Seriously, I'm dying laughing over here at the April 3rd one.

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05-13-2010, 09:02 AM	#2
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,332	Reads like a Saturday Night Live comedy skit. "AlQaeda Valley Girls"

05-13-2010, 09:17 AM	#3
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	But really, this seems to reinforce the idea (I know, I know... not a statistically valid sample...) that most Jihadists (at least the middle-class/affluent ones) are, at their core, average bros looking for glory/recognition/attention and a cause to get them to it. It's like Fight Club for those with a religious inclination.

05-13-2010, 09:32 AM	#4
GingeM Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North of Canada Posts: 612	Quote: are, at their core, average bros looking for glory/recognition/attention You have to admit... A quick Jihad is probably a bit easier than getting into the NFL, winning The Masters, writing a classic novel or a symphony, winning a Nobel Prize... Oh, wait... Barry and AlGore managed that one...

05-13-2010, 09:41 AM	#5
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	I was going to mention that their glory-hunting isn't much different from that of school shooters (Columbine dudes obsessed with The Matrix) or, say, politicians in general.

05-13-2010, 12:32 PM	#6
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Originally posted by Parallax Reads like a Saturday Night Live comedy skit. "AlQaeda Valley Girls" Yep. Note the uncommented-upon 'this world is accursed.' Seems a lot of people have been somehow impelled to believe that. Never underestimate what a smart and pissed-off kid can accomplish, but making these people into just the kind of bogeymen two major religions want them to be... Well, people get hurt. Speaking of education, I think too many people are deprived of real hope for this world, and their only language about it is war, domination, and conversion. Despair leads to terrible waste. And maybe that's how we should all look at this. Not a 'war over righteousness in a 'fallen world,' ...but a waste. Pitiable, awful, degrading, waste.

05-13-2010, 07:59 PM	#7
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	Originally posted by GingeM You have to admit... A quick Jihad is probably a bit easier than getting into the NFL, winning The Masters, writing a classic novel or a symphony, winning a Nobel Prize... Oh, wait... Barry and AlGore managed that one... Sounds like a normal conversation between Dick and George....maybe add Karl in there for a little background insanity, and you just have your everyday Whitehouse dialogue for eight years. Add a few jokes about those "F***ing Dumb Christians" and what's the difference? Regards!

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