Tony Z2001 scribbled:
Warnings from Islam's 'messianic whirlpool'
Jihadists in global frenzy over coming of prophesied 'Mahdi'

Posted: March 29, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern

2004 WorldNetDaily.com

An Israeli intelligence analyst sees a frenzy of jihadist Internet
communications as part of a "dangerous Islamic messianic whirlpool" featuring a
number of prophecies culminating in the coming of the "Mahdi," reports the
latest issue of the premium online intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah's G2
Bulletin.

Some of the documents obtained in a sweep of Internet communications just
before the attack on the Madrid trains are signed by an unknown sheikh –
assumed to be a nom de guerre for Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri or others
in leadership in al-Qaida.

The communications make a number of predictions about world events pointing to
"The coming of the Mahdi" – a messianic figure Muslims expect to come and
lead them in victory against the infidels in the last days.

Here is what these communications foresee:

Two European countries will be attacked.

Another attack is planned against the U.S.

Followers are asked to get rid of euros and as true Muslims replace them with
gold.

There will be an assassination attempt against a high-ranking Egyptian
official.

A mass gathering of jihad warriors is expected in the cities of the twin holy
mosques Mecca and Medina.

A divine signal will be given when three celestial stars will be aligned on one
axis.

The appearance of a new star, never seen before, will be in plain sight to all
humanity.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharaf and Yasser Arafat will be annihilated in
the same month.
The list includes other apocalyptic predictions such as "the march of Islam
through Russia, the return of Islam to Andalusia and a victory parade in
Jerusalem with liberated Saddam Hussein at the lead. This will follow after a
war in Syria and the assassination of King Abdullah of Jordan."

There is no specific time frame for the apocalyptic prophecy, according to G2
Bulletin sources. The most important aspect of the communications is the
subsequent attack in Spain, and an important threat to the continental U.S.

The analyst says the Internet is now the most important tool used by the jihadi
propagandists. Some of the material is clearly a warning to Muslims to distance
themselves from possible target areas.

Further analysis suggests the second European country to be hit, according to
the jihad spirit, is probably Italy or the Vatican. This is based on constant
verbal attacks on the pope as an enemy of Islam and on rejection of Christian
missionary movements in Africa and the Middle East. A direct threat is aimed
against American missionaries and indeed some were attacked last week in Iraq.

Experts say the latest Ramadan saw, according to Muslim scholars, three aligned
stars. Also the issue of unknown stars is lately highlighted among jihadists
such as the news of March 15 about distant unknown galaxies and information
about new stars. The new star is explained by the jihadists as the discovery of
a new planet.

The jihadists reacted to this information by saying: "Even infidel researchers
are aware of the Mahdi's message." G2B reported earlier that U.S. military
intelligence experts were studying a video clip of bin Laden in which he stands
before a dry-erase board with an Arabic phrase written upon it – "awaited
enlightened one."

No one who has seen the video is quite certain of the meaning or the context.
But, the Hadith, a collection of Islamic holy writings that supplement the
Quran, predicts the messianic figure will arise in the last days of history.
This "Mahdi," along with the "Prophet Jesus," will lead the believers to
victory over the infidels.

The video raises the question of whether bin Laden sees himself as this Mahdi
or if he is expecting another to arise and lead. Either way, the addition of a
dimension of Islamic prophecy to the global terror war may seriously complicate
matters for planners in the West.

According to G2 Bulletin's military sources, some of the detainees currently
held at Guantanamo Bay have told interrogators they joined bin Laden's al-Qaida
offensive because they think he is the "awaited enlightened one." Others in
military intelligence say some of the terrorists crossing the border into Iraq
with al-Qaida ties are doing so because of their belief in this Islamic
prophecy.

Muslim believers – both Sunni and Shiite – expect the Mahdi to return one
day to restore justice to the world. This messenger is not as great as
Muhammad, but is a messianic figure found in all branches of Islam.

Interestingly, since the end of 2001, bin Laden has been signing his name
"Osama bin Muhammad bin Laden," rather than just Osama bin Laden. This is
significant because it gives the al-Qaida leader an apocalyptic dimension. The
Hadith says the Mahdi will be recognizable, among other things, by the fact
that he carries the name of the prophet.

The Mahdi is supposed to come, according to Islamic clerics, just before the
advent of the day of judgment – when believers are severely oppressed in
every corner of the world. He will fight the "oppressors," unite the Muslims,
bring peace and justice to the world, rule over the Arabs, and lead a prayer in
Mecca at which Jesus will be present, according to Islamic scholars.