7
Dharma Bednarski:
Hamtramck, MI
8:00 a.m. Friday, Dec 25th, 2015
“Wake up sleepyhead. It’s Christmas morning! I’ll bet Santa Claus has been here!” Jade whispers, excitedly.
“What are we, six? Give me a break,” I moan. “It can’t be morning yet, and there is no Santa Claus, you dork.”
“I looove presents! C’mon, let’s open our presents!”
“Okay hacker-girl, let’s open ‘em!” Actually, I was way excited to give her what I had.
* * *
This morning we’re each doing our own thing, gathering up bits of evidence of what happened Wednesday at Thor’s Gun Shop, for another Anonymous Justice post to the group and to the world. I don’t know what Jade’s seeing on the other side of the room, but over here, some things that I just hadn’t expected begin popping up. While digging through YouTube videos that I’m guessing were shot by members of Black Lives Matter, judging by the angle they’re at, I stumble upon something interesting. There’s an interview by Marie Krantz mixed in among them, who has a pronounced limp now, speaking with a neighbor of one of the men killed in the slaughter at the gun shop:
“… I’ve lived next to Hussein for over ten years, and I’ve never seen anything at all to make me think he or his family are radicals. Sure, they’re Muslims. Sure, they dress different than we do. Sure, they go to a different church than we do, but they never miss church, ever. They attend that mosque just on the other side of town. Real nice people… I’m really surprised to find out that he was even at that protest, let alone participating in the bad stuff. There he was though, in one of those videos you guys shot, clear as day, throwing the first Molotov cocktail at the gun shop, and getting himself shot on the spot for it…”
Then I watch quite a few more videos that are clear enough to be able to see faces and hear voices. I see the Hussein guy, before he threw the fire bomb that got him shot, talking to and kind of revving up different members of the mob. To me, it seems like he knows a lot of the men there personally. Then, after he gets shot, I hear a lot of different voices yelling whatever, but I can pick out Hussein in most of them. That’s when the dozen or so firebombs get tossed all at once.
“Jade? Will you do your magic voice translation on a few YouTube videos for me?” I ask.
“Whatcha got?” She spins around in her chair to face me and my screen. “Ugh… Dude… That shit is worse than some of those shoot-‘em-up war videos my little brother plays! Throw those on a thumb-drive for me. I’m disconnected from the network right now with the Mac. I’ve got it working on enhancing some frames of video where there are some good close-ups of faces in the Muslim crowd. I wanna make stills of them good enough for the facial recognition software HPD CSI has, to find out who they all are.”
“You know you’re scary with that shit, yes?” I tease. “Nobody’s privacy is safe with the stuff you do! What are you, some kind of blackmailer on the side?”
“I can neither confirm, nor deny that statement, Madame,” she laughs. “I may or may not have made significant amounts of moolah like that!”
While we wait on the Mac to do its rendering, she rolls over to my side, and we log into the group as AJ on my laptop, on a shielded connection. It’s strangely quiet, compared to how it usually is.
“I think they may all be kind of freaked out by the gore,” I tell her. “We should probably say something to them, to get their heads back into the game, and keep them focused. I bet they all had a couple of long-ass nights like we both have, and just don’t know what to say about it. We should break the ice.”
Our usual arrangement when we speak as AJ is I talk out loud, and Jade types what I say in Notepad. When we’re happy with it, she pastes it into the FB prompt, but she doesn’t hit Enter until we review it again. Once we’re sure it’s good, she sends it out.
“That looks perfect,” Jade says. “Are you happy with it?”
“Yep. I’m always amazed that you can type faster than I can talk though!”
“It’s one of my things,” she says, as she hits Enter.
[AJ] Yesterday, those that could, dealt out Anonymous Justice to the terrorists holding siege on Thor’s Gun Shop. Some of you likely feel horrified by what you saw on network news. We are not used to seeing that kind of thing in here in America. For that, we should all be thankful. The media, at all levels, spun it as the senseless slaughter of peaceful protestors. It makes no sense to me that the media sees firebombs as peaceful protesting, but that is what they have done, and continue to do.
[AJ] As I have before, I will provide evidence here that will tell the true story. Then, and only then, should you judge for yourselves, whether what happened was just, or not.
[AJ] As always, be careful what you say in writing, in public. Professor? Are you with us currently?
[Professor Langston] I am indeed.
[AJ] Then allow me to introduce Professor Langston, his real name… Maybe, who teaches theology… Somewhere.
[Professor Langston] I have been asked by AJ to explain what it is that the radical Islamic terrorists in America and around the world today want, or hope to accomplish, as I understand it. That means he wants my opinion.
[Professor Langston] To do that effectively, I will have to give you a tiny bit of Muslim history, so it all makes sense to you. Bear with me.
[Professor Langston] All Muslims recognize the Prophet Muhammad as God’s last great messenger on Earth. After Muhammad’s death, there was a great disagreement about who should be the next leader of the world-wide Muslim community. That leader is called the caliph. His administration is called the caliphate.
[Professor Langston] One group, today called Sunni Muslims, thought that Abu Bakr, who was Muhammad's main advisor, should become caliph.
[Professor Langston] The other group, known as Shia Muslims, thought that Ali, who was Muhammad's cousin as well as his son-in-law, should become caliph. Ali and all of his successors are called imams. They lead the Shiites, and are considered honorary descendants of Muhammed.
[Professor Langston] ‘Ahl al-Sunna’, meaning ‘the people of the tradition’ is where the word Sunni comes from. They are known as the fundamentalists of the Muslim religion. They represent perhaps 85% of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims, a huge majority. They basically believe that the world’s Muslim community should be run exactly as the Prophet Muhammad ran it while he was alive, according to the Qur'an and the Hadith, governed by Sharia law. They do not believe in the separation of church and state. They believe they are the same, and that the caliphate runs them both.
[Professor Langston] Shiat Ali, meaning ‘the party of Ali’ is where the word Shia comes from. They are known as the moderates of the Muslim religion. They represent perhaps 15% of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims, a huge minority. They basically believe that the world’s Muslim community should be run according to more moderate and ongoing interpretations of the Qur'an, and an elected government.
[Professor Langston] Today, in countries ruled by the Sunnis, the Shiites are by-and-large the poorest citizens. They consider themselves discriminated against and oppressed, much as the majority of the black community has here in the United States for years, and in about the same percentages of population.
[Professor Langston] As an example of how their loyalties run, depicted by current events in the Middle East, young Sunni men are joining rebel groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Young Shiite men are mostly joining groups aligned with and fighting for the government in Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
[Anna Smith] So that’s the reason that Muslims have been fighting and killing each other all throughout modern history?
[Professor Langston] Well, pretty much. It’s been notably worse since 1924 until recently though, because there has been no universally recognized caliph within Sunni Islam. (The majority)
[Anna Smith] So the Sunnis fight against each other these days too?
[Professor Langston]
Yes indeed, they have been, to some extent. Within Sunni Islam, there are five sub-sects. Like any other group of peoples, each of these sub-sects would like a member of their school of thought to become the next caliph, who all Sunni Muslims, worldwide, would then be required by their faith to recognize and pledge their allegiance to.
[Charles Mullins] So like, then they’d have to take orders from him too?
[Professor Langston] Exactly right. It’s a terribly complex process, which I cannot do justice to here. I think I can best answer your question, Charles, by telling you about something you’ll all recognize. It’ll take a series of posts, so bear with me, please.
[Professor Langston] A global militant Sunni Islamist organization called Al-Qaeda, which was founded by Osama bin Laden, penned a written plan that mapped out a timeline for seven strategic phases necessary to establish an Islamic caliphate which they believed the West would be too weak to defeat.
[Professor Langston] Phase 1- Year 2000 to 2003. The purpose being to goad the United States into declaring war on Islam, thereby awakening Muslims worldwide to that fact. The terror attack on 9/11/2001 accomplished that. Phase 1 was successful.
[Professor Langston] Phase 2- Until 2007. The purpose being to attract young men to join Al-Qaeda and amass an army based in Iraq. Phase 2 was successful.
[Professor Langston] Phase 3- Until 2010. The purpose being to focus attacks in Syria, Turkey, and ultimately Israel to gain recognition of the legitimacy of Al-Qaeda as an Islamic organization. Phase 3 was successful.
[Professor Langston] Phase 4- Until 2013. Carry out constant attacks to gain control of the world’s oil suppliers to financially strengthen al-Qaeda, and weaken America’s economy. Phase 4 was successful.
[Professor Langston] Phase 5- Until 2016. The purpose is to declare the Islamic State or caliphate, and obtain universal recognition of it by Sunni Muslims.
[Professor Langston] Phase 6- Until 2020. The purpose is for the caliphate to bring war against the non-believers continuously.
[Professor Langston] Phase 7- In the year 2020. This phase is where the caliphate becomes victorious over the West, and the entire world, worn down by war, gives in to Islamic rule.
[Brad Stevens] Well, they were totally wrong about us Americans then, because we killed Bin Laden and all the top leaders of al-Qaeda. It all fell apart soon after, because we’d kicked their asses!
[Anna Smith] Is that why you never said that phase 5, 6 & 7 were successful?
The Professor got a chuckle out of that one, privately…
[Professor Langston] We have not yet reached the dates of phase 6 or 7 yet my dear. Only time will tell.
[Anna Smith] Well, what about phase 5 then?
[Professor Langston] So, all the sub-sects of Sunni Islam have been working together to accomplish Osama bin Laden’s plan. Each, of course, wanting the ultimate outcome in their favor. After the demise of al-Qaeda, our leaders made a huge mistake. Call it the ‘sin of pride’ if you will. They left Iraq, thinking like you Brad, that we’d “kicked their ass” and went home, leaving our tools and weapons of war behind, in the hands of Shia Muslims who were supposed to use them to maintain democracy there. Remember, they are the minority. Long story short, the majority, the 85% Sunni Muslims came, kicked their asses, and took the American tools and weapons of war away from the Shias. Tanks, heavy artillery, small arms and ammunition… Everything.
[Professor Langston] The ones who did this were a sub-sect of Sunni Islam called the Salafi Movement. They are an ultra-conservative branch of the Sunnis who believe in a literal interpretation of the doctrine known as Salafism. They are the fundamentalists of Islam, and support the implementation of Sharia law. Their people are divided into three separate roles or categories. The majority of the three are called purists. They stay out of politics and live a strict life, using Muhammed as the ultimate model. The minority role is the activist. They are all about politics, getting involved in Islamic affairs, etc. Then there is a tiny little, but best known role, known as the jihadists.
[Professor Langston] Guess what they did then? They controlled land. They ruled it by sharia law. Their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is a bloodline descendant of Muhammad. On June 29, 2014, his followers declared him caliph of a worldwide caliphate. They are known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, also known as ISIS.
[Professor Langston] There can only be one caliph in the world at once. According to Sunni beliefs, if he is found an imposter, the Muslim people must impeach him and execute him according to sharia law. If they cannot find guilt in him, they must embrace him, and swear their allegiance to him. All of them. Everywhere in the world.
[Professor Langston] That, my friends, is the scary part. They have not impeached him yet. If he is recognized worldwide, Sunnis everywhere will be faced with a choice. Pledge allegiance and prove your loyalty, or be subject to takfir. The doctrine of takfir calls for the execution of apostates according to sharia law. That means beheading, or crucifixion. This would lead to countless executions, to ‘purify’ the world. Sunnis consider all Shiites apostates.
[Charles Mullins] Well that’s bullshit. I’m not turning Muslim, ever!
[Professor Langston] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi follows the example set by Muhammed. Christians who live among them are permitted to live, as long as they support Islam by paying a tax known as jizya, don’t resist the movement, and acknowledge subjugation.
[Charles Mullins] And what if they don’t?
[Professor Langston] Then as Muhammad's example dictates, the men would be killed, their wives taken as concubines, and their children sold as slaves in the slave market. That’s what we’re up against.
* * *
“I had the feeling that that’s what we’d find, once you translated those videos. That Hussein guy was the main radical element in that mob,” I say.
“Not as surprising as discovering that most, if not all, of those men attend the same mosque here, on the other side of the city, from what they said,” Jade replies. “We have to make sure that AJ mentions that in his next post with all of this. We have more digging to do first though.”
8
Doom & Boom, Inc.
Hamtramck, MI
3:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec 26th, 2015
“How many inside?” Diesel asked Tank, who’d snuck a peek into the open doors of the mosque.
“Five guards, plus nine carrying boxes, make 14. Make that 15 if the Imam is in there,” Tank told him.
“So fourteen armed tangos, one holy man, and a ton of bad juju,” Playboy griped.
He’d been hesitant to hit the mosque, but it had come to light that several of the protesters had come from this very mosque, as well as at least one of the men from the van that had blown up. Since he’d been the driver, and his hands were out the window when the explosion hit, fingerprint analysis had identified him.
They’d gotten the tip on this from Anonymous Justice, or AJ as he insisted on being called, and they’d switched burner phones several times making plans. AJ only had circumstantial evidence that the Mosque was providing money and bodies to the more radical element, but Diesel had said they were willing to spend some of their own time and money to surveil them.
The first day they’d hit pay dirt. Tank, who was great at disguises, dressed himself up as one of them, and had gotten close enough to pin a listening device on one of the older men. They’d recorded every word spoken while that man had been there, and Diesel, who spoke the language, translated it all for the team later. After what they heard, Diesel was convinced, and although Playboy thought it was a bad idea, Lewis had convinced him. If these guys were ok with hitting St. Stanislaus church, what was wrong with hitting them in their church? Besides…
“The guards are armed with AK-47s,” Tank added hopefully.
“So we have to be quiet, and take out a few bad guys carrying machine guns,” Grim said quietly. “No problemo, chief.”
“We’ve already gone over entry and exit details. Does any
one think we need to cover the rear exit, if they’re all bunched up on this side of the Mosque?” Diesel asked.
Although Lewis was by far the brains of the group, the tactical planning and leadership had always gone to Diesel, the huge black man who was a natural warrior, and a character larger than life. Lewis raised an eyebrow and a hand.
“If we split their attention, and hit them in a crossfire…”
“I know, I thought about that, but if we come in the back door as well, we’d have the same obstacles that they would if they tried to leave that way. I think we can cut them down before that becomes an issue. Plus, we now know that they’re storing materials and weapons in there. I’d rather have a bomb go off as we come in the front door, instead of the room right next to us, if we came in the back.”
“We could argue this all day, I was just playing devil’s advocate,” Lewis said.
Grim snorted. This was an old game. The mental sparring. It annoyed them sometimes, but it also made them think about tactical situations and potential consequences. Diesel wasn’t inflexible; in fact he often tweaked his plans based on the quick terse discussions he had with Lewis.
“Playboy, you still good?” Tank asked.
“I’d follow you guys to hell and back. I’m just… Shit, I think it’s just superstition. Don’t walk under a ladder, don’t break a mirror, and don’t commit murder inside of a church…” His words trailed off, but he was smiling.
Not from pleasure or fun, but from nerves. They were all feeling the anxiety and the pangs of fear. Any warrior/soldier has them right before a big assault. To say they didn’t, would be an out and out lie. The only thing to do when the adrenaline dumps into your system, is to work it out, or lay off. Since they’d gotten proof from the Imam’s own sermon, or whatever the equivalent of it was, they had planned on going in.
SILENT MAJORITY (Anonymous Justice Book 2) Page 5