Gaza jihad group rejects U.S. classification as terror group: "This American decision only aims at harming Islam"

What's ironic about this is that the U.S. officials responsible for this designation are certain that the group has nothing to do with authentic Islam, and that it holds to the twisted theology of the violent fringe. They would assert this as confidently and complacently as Abu Al-Abbas asserts that to label his group a terror group is an attempt to harm Islam. Yet no actual evidence demonstrating that groups like this really do twist the true, peaceful teachings of Islam has ever actually been produced. "Gaza group rejects U.S. terror classification decision," from Xinhua, May 20:

GAZA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- A Gaza-based extremist group on Friday rejected a recent U.S. decision that labeled it a foreign terrorist group. "We completely reject this decision and consider it unfair," said a spokesman for the Army of Islam, calling himself Abu Al- Abbas. "This American decision only aims at harming Islam," he said.
The U.S. State Department said the group was responsible for kidnapping Americans, Britons, New Zealanders over the past few years in the Gaza Strip. It noted the group, comprising former members of various Palestinian groups, threatened the security of Israel and Egypt.
The al-Qaida-inspired group appeared in 2006, when it joined the Islamic Hamas movement in capturing an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid near Gaza. A year later, Hamas took over the Gaza Strip by force. The State Department did not mention anything about the kidnapping of soldier Gilad Shalit....

Posted by Robert on May 20, 2011 8:44 AM