Terror plots against the United States by terrorists in Western cities like London and homegrown terrorists so extreme that they have pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda, have seemingly become a common topic in today’s media. The recent breaking stories about suspected homegrown radicals in Ireland are unlike any I’ve heard.
Seven people were detained last week in Ireland over concerns about a plot to kill Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks.
In 2007, Vilks drew a controversial cartoon of Prophet Mohammed’s head on the body of a dog. The cartoon caused a worldwide uproar and, as the controversy continued, al-Qaeda offered a $100,000 bounty to whoever killed the cartoonist.
Of the seven accused, three are Algerians, one is Libyan, one is Palestinian, one is Croatian and another is an American woman who is married to one of the Algerians.
The woman, identified by her family members as Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, was detained for having a connection to the plot.
According to her mother, Ramirez, who moved to Ireland from the United States in October with her 5-year-old son, cut off contact with her family, converted to Islam and befriended fellow Muslims in Internet chat rooms.
She began to practice Islam at a mosque in Denver, accepting to wear the traditional Islamic headscarf and participating in other Muslim practices. Her family feared that the 31-year-old single mother was becoming a radical Muslim.
This story is surprising because Ramirez is not the stereotypical terrorist. Her blonde hair and green-eyes do not reflect the characteristics of your common terrorist. The fact that she was a single mom really throws me off. Highly publicized terror plots usually involve Middle Eastern Muslim men. Rarely do you hear of female terrorists, especially single moms from Denver.
Recently, a federal indictment in Pennsylvania revealed that Colleen LaRose, a mother from suburban Philadelphia, was similarly arrested on terrorist charges in October. LaRose, nicknamed “Jihad Jane,” is accused by prosecutors of befriending militants in other countries over the internet and plotting an assassination. Her case was also connected to the alleged assassination plot of the Swedish cartoonist, Vilks. .
Both women are recent converts to Islam and active members of online radical Muslim communities, known to harbor terrorist activity.
In addition to the existing controversy, last week, three Swedish newspapers reprinted Vilks’ controversial cartoon, highlighting the importance of defending freedom of expression, as well as the news value of the cartoon. Extra security on Vilks has been placed after he received two death threats over the phone.
Out of the seven accused in Ireland, four have been freed without charge, including Ramirez.
The irony of this story lies in the fact that we have been fighting al-Qaeda at the international level for years, but somehow we have missed the rise in homegrown terrorist groups. The stereotype doesn’t fit. These American terrorists are not men with rifles and beards, but women with mini-vans and car seats. Maybe it’s time we begin to focus on terror at home, and start fighting it as hard as we do overseas.
Uzo Umeh is a sophomore pre-nursing major and an opinions editor for the Daily 49er.