Talking with Terrorists: Part 1

Catholic Online Special Report: Two Part (Part Two) Interview with Aaron Klein on the Jihadist Agenda. Catholic Online recently got together with the author and journalist for a telephone interview to discuss his book. While the interview -- presented here as the first of two parts -- reveals Klein's personal perspective, it is important to note that his conclusions do not necessarily coincide with official Catholic views.

LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - Few of us would ever want to speak with a terrorist, much less meet one face to face. Aaron Klein has done it dozens of times.

Klein, the Jerusalem bureau chief for the online journal WorldNetDaily (www.worldnetdaily.com), has met, interviewed and communicated with some of the toughest Islamic extremists imaginable -- radical Muslims of various terrorist groups who carry out many of the suicide bombings and deadly attacks that take place almost on a daily basis in the Middle East today.

These conversations between Klein and the terrorists form the basis for his new book, "Schmoozing with Terrorists" (WND Books, $25.95). The book's subtitle sums up its focus rather well: "From Hollywood to the Holy Land, Jihadists Reveal Their Global Plans -- to a Jew!"

It is remarkable how Klein, an orthodox Jew, could gain such unprecedented access to these elusive Islamic jihadists. Evidently, the extremists have a message to convey, and they actually trust him enough to grant him interviews. Still, Klein pulls no punches in describing the agenda and world view of those who hold the world hostage by their terrorist tactics.

Catholic Online recently got together with the author and journalist for a telephone interview to discuss his book. While the interview -- presented here as the first of two parts -- reveals Klein's personal perspective, it is important to note that his conclusions do not necessarily coincide with official Catholic views -- particularly in his statements on the futility of negotiations and his characterization of the jihadists as having "no humanity to them."

As Catholic Online reported Jan. 31, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, head of the Vatican permanent observer mission of the Holy See to the U.N. and other international organizations in Geneva, stressed to an interfaith gathering that day that efforts for peace must be based on a respect that looks at others of different nations, beliefs or cultures as "partners in the same humanity, children of the same creator, with the same aspirations for a happy and peaceful life."

"By walking together on the path of dialogue, respect, justice and love," Archbishop Tomasi said, "God's gift of peace can be ours even today."

Here is Part 1 of Catholic Online's interview with Aaron Klein.

CATHOLIC ONLINE: You have conducted many in-person interviews with Muslim terrorists, which is even more remarkable because you are Jewish. Terror groups have kidnapped and even killed journalists before. Did you feel at any time that your life might be in danger?

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AARON KLEIN: Yes, there were definitely a lot of times when I went to these interviews and I did feel at risk. I've been in Jerusalem reporting for about 2-1/2 years, and in my reporting and my dealing with terrorists I've had the opportunity to develop relationships -- I hate to use the word "relationships," but -- with terrorist organization in the Gaza strip, the West Bank and throughout the Middle East.
When I went to conduct these interviews for the book, I didn't just go blindly with terrorists I didn't know before. But still, these are killers, they've kidnapped reporters before, and there were one or two times during the interviews when I honestly didn't think I would come out alive.

COL: Will the publication of this book endanger you further among the more militant terrorists?

KLEIN: It could, and that's why for now I'm going to talk to them only on the phone. Still, they're well aware of the book, and they call me all the time because they know I report on terrorism. A lot of terrorist groups will call me right after they carry out an attack to let me know they claim responsibility.

COL: From a Western perspective, the stereotypical Islamic jihadist is often seen as a violent and fanatical Muslim who has little or no regard for persons who do not embrace their agenda. Are they really as scary and evil as they are caricatured to be?

KLEIN: They are the most evil people you will ever meet. I've sat down with them, and I've looked in their eyes; there's no humanity to them. That's what Americans need to understand. With these killers, there's no negotiation. There's no dialogue. There's no ceasefire. Ceasefire to them means a chance to reload and regroup and prepare for future attacks on the enemy.

A lot of people think that terrorism in Madrid is different from terrorism in London, New York, Tel Aviv, or the attacks against our troops in Iraq. People think one terror group here is just seeking to liberate their land, another terror group is looking for something different. But I've met with all sorts of terror groups, and I can tell you that this notion is ridiculous. It's not a conflict about territory. They're looking to spread their brand of Islam in the Middle East, in Europe and eventually in America. To them, that's what the war is about.

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COL: We often hear that the violence is being carried out by the most extremist followers of Islam, a tiny minority of the world's Muslims. We hear that they don't represent what Islam is about, but rather are just its most radical expression. If so, then why are centrist Muslims not doing more to oppose and distance themselves from these groups?

KLEIN: It would be erroneous to say that the majority of Muslims in the world support al-Qaeda, support suicide bombings. It's true, though, that there are very dangerous statistics - a poll conducted by the BBC a few months ago showed that 25 percent of British Muslims support suicide bombings. The figure is even higher in the Middle East.

Why is it that you don't see more moderate Muslims confront the extremists? Why is it that the extremists are allowed to hijack their religion? Can you imagine, right now, if a Catholic religious leader anywhere in the world were to come out tomorrow and advocates suicide bombings? I can guarantee you that every Catholic organization in the world would condemn this leader and affirm that Catholicism, Christianity and Judaism do not condone this murderous act. You don't see that in the Muslim world.

So it does need to be asked: Where are the leaders? Still, there are some great examples. There are some Muslim leaders who are trying to fight this trend, but certainly not enough of them.

COL: Anecdotally, we've often heard of what extremist Muslims are said to believe -- for example, that a suicide bomber is a martyr and as such he will be rewarded with the services of 72 virgins in heaven. How much of that is true?

KLEIN: In this book, I had the opportunity to meet with a recruited Palestinian suicide bomber, a guy who was recruited to blow himself up and kill as many civilians as possible. I also met with his terrorist handlers. They absolutely believe that it's their duty, for the Jihad, to suicide bomb themselves. The suicide bomber believes, by the way, that it's not propaganda -- that once he dies, he'll go up to Allah's paradise and get 72 dark-eyed virgins and spend the rest of eternity there.

In one interview - and this was one in which I honestly did not think I would survive - I went with another radio host, Rusty Humphries, to meet the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a terror group that has taken responsibility for every terrorist bombing inside Israel over the last three years. We peppered them about this whole claim that suicide bombers get 72 virgins because actually, in the Quran, it doesn't say anything about suicide bombing or about 72 virgins. We sat there and we talked with this terrorist group -- they were very well armed, by the way, and we were in their territory -- and we said, "Show us in the Quran where it says anything about 72 virgins."

The terrorist leaders kept trying to change the subject, but Rusty kept peppering them, and they were poring through the Quran and they couldn't find it. They finally conceded that it doesn't say anything about 72 virgins in the Quran. By the way, you can go to www.youtube.com, look up my name, and watch the video and hear the audio of Rusty and me interviewing this terrorist group about the 72 virgins.

This is the base of what I think is wrong with reporters in the Middle East. These terrorists don't have any legitimate claims, but it's very easy to take their propaganda and completely turn it around and question them about it because it's just ridiculous stuff. Yet reporters will hear the terrorists, and a lot of them will just take the terrorists' lies and responses and just go on to the next question.

These extremists need to be confronted -- if not by moderate Muslims, who don't seem to be doing too much, then by our country and our culture.

(Catholic Online will publish (Part Two) on Wednesday)

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