The Jaad (Grandfather) Letters an Al Qaeda Worldview Through the Eyes of a Terrorist Mentor
Abstract
This work models the militant worldview of a militant Islamic terrorist through a series of fictitious letters written by a hypothetical Jaad ("Grandfather") to his grandson, Habib Talib ("Grandson Student"). These letters represent Jaad's attempt to mentor Habib Talib and to indoctrinate him into the world of international militant jihad (holy war).4 Through these letters, the reader will get to know the workings of Jaad's mind and will develop a mental model of his worldview as a senior leader within Al Qaeda. The letters will show how easily an extremist can twist logic to convince otherwise rational people that waging violent jihad is their religious duty. Unfortunately, there are as many specific terrorist worldviews as there are terrorists. Jaad's letters are intended to provide a representative model, a composite viewpoint to illustrate many beliefs common to those who adhere to his version of militant Islamic ideology. The baseline understanding gained by getting to know Jaad's mind will help the reader understand the larger world of Islamic extremism. While few beliefs are common to all Islamic militants, the views expressed by Jaad should be representative of much of the militant thinking within Al Qaeda. Jaad's character is a well-educated native of Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim of the Wahhabi Salafi tradition,5 and a member of Al Qaeda's leadership currently living in the mountains of Kashmir. Habib Talib is Jaad's fictitious grandson who immigrated to the United States with his parents as a toddler and is currently in college. Despite the sympathy of Habib Talib's parents for the jihadist cause, Jaad believes they have failed to properly educate Habib Talib in Jaad's fundamentalist version of radical Islam.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA540250
Entities
People
- Kelly A. Lawson