NYC terrorist says he was inspired by Israeli-Palestinian conflict

NYC terrorist says he was inspired by Israeli-Palestinian conflict
December 12, 2017
https://www.conservativeinstitute.org/islam/islamic-terrorism/nyc-terrorist-inspired-israel.htm?utm_source=boomtrain&utm_medium=automated&utm_campaign=CNA_20170715&utm_source=boomtrain&utm_medium=automated&utm_campaign=CNA_20170715
NYC terrorist says he was inspired by Israeli-Palestinian conflict
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As we learn more about the thwarted terrorist attack yesterday morning in New York City, we are discovering key information about the background and motives of the bomber.

One major revelation is that the bomber was inspired by the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Who He Was
27-year-old Akayed Ullah was a native of Bangladesh who had been living in the US on a chain migration visa since 2011. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says he arrived in the United States on an F43 visa, visa of “preference” because he had other family members residing in the country.

Yesterday morning, Ullah packed a 5-inch metallic pipe bomb into his pocket and prematurely detonated the device outside of New York’s Port Authority bus terminal, a location of high-density traffic, clearly intending to kill many. He was shortly thereafter apprehended by the NYPD and transported to a local hospital.

The Israeli-Palestinian Issue
In an excited utterance to authorities after apprehension, Ullah reportedly said he was motivated not only by his desire to support ISIS but by the most recent conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in the wake of President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Last week, President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a goal to which every American president since Bill Clinton has paid lip-service. The statement offered no real political course of action on the part of the United States to support or interfere with any current conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians.

The President, in fact, went out of his way to clarify that this recognition does not change or alter his administration’s desire to work for peace and not involve any American military forces in the broader conflict.

In 1995, the U.S. Congress enacted the Jerusalem Embassy Act, declaring Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel and urging the relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While every previous president since Clinton exercised a “waiver,” declining to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem, every one of them can be seen on video clearly stating that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Trump, however, is the first to have actually acted on the commitment.

It is difficult to understand why this event has caused so much anger among Arab Muslims. It would seem that their anger is rather excessive, considering Trump’s action is merely an acknowledgment of the position the U.S. government has held for almost 25 years.

The Anger and its Sources
From where does this anger come and why did it sway the mind of a young immigrant electrician living in Brooklyn? What has the State of Israel (let alone the United States) ever done to this man or his country?

Islamic Transnationalism (IT) may be one explanation. This theory holds that Islam, from its inception, is both a religious and socio-political movement, and as such many Muslims view their country and people not merely defined by borders, but by the common belief in Islam. This conception of Islam explains why a young man from Bangladesh living in America, who has no ties to ISIS or the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, could be so inspired to commit an act of terrorism.

While some Muslims who live outside of Muslim-majority nations embrace a more cosmopolitan practice of Islam, others regard the more transnational interpretation of Islam as the modus operandi of their religion and culture.

It’s possible that Ullah’s ultimate identity was not one of mere national origin. He may not have considered himself Bangladeshi, but rather Islamic, and it may have been this worldview which caused him to launch a deadly attack in response to events in Israel.

The Politics Behind the Attack
Despite the implications of some, President Trump is not to blame for the New York City attack, nor for any loss of life in the Middle East since his announcement. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders in her press briefing yesterday stated:

We do know and the Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that the suspect was admitted to the United States after presenting a passport, displaying an F-43 family immigrant visa in 2011 and so we know that the President’s policy calls for end to chain migration, which is what this individual came to the United States through and had his policy been in place, then that attacker would not have been allowed to come into the country.

The ensuing political aftermath will refocus many Americans on the Trump administration’s themes of immigration, national security, and border security.

If Americans can’t control who comes into the country, then we can’t prevent terrorists from entering.

It’s that simple: Ours is either a nation of borders and laws or it is no nation at all.