National Security – John Guandolo

Recent Attacks Raise Questions About the Nature of Terror Threats

Understanding the Threat pic — Understanding the Threat
Image: understandingthethreat.com

UnderstandingTheThreat.com (UTT), headed by John Guandolo, offers anti-terrorism training and consulting. John Guandolo and the UTT team maintain a regularly updated blog that offers a background on links between sharia and terrorism and provides insight on world events.

A recent UTT article examined a pair of terror events in September 2016. One involved the coordinated setting-off of bombs in the New York City area, which Mayor de Blasio refused to call “terrorism.” A question raised by many in the wake of the attacks is why the mayor refuses to allow discussions of Muslim threats at the municipal level, while supporting local communities that are set on undermining democracy.

At the same time, another terrorist tragedy was unfolding at the shopping mall Crossroads Center in Minnesota, where a jihadist began shouting “Allah u akbar” and proceeded to stab nine people. The perpetrator was described as being non-religious and free from mental instability until three months before the attack, when he started reading the Koran. A key question posed is why so many people become radicalized after reading the words of the prophet Mohammad.

Sharia Law Restricts Ability of Authorities to Prevent Attacks

A former FBI agent and officer with the U.S. Marine Corps, John Guandolo is author of the 2013 book Raising a Jihadi Generation, which can be found at Amazon or on his site UnderstandingTheThreat.com. At the latter site, John Guandolo focuses on emerging threats posed by Islamic groups within the United States.

A recent post explores why more Muslims have not contacted authorities in Europe and North America and alerted them about potential jihadists in their midst. The basic reason is that it would violate Sharia, or Islamic Sacred Law, to do so.

Sharia makes it a violation of basic precepts to leave Islam and, further, makes it a capital crime to deny the tenets of Islamic law in any way. Restrictions extend to strict edicts against talebearing and slander, which means that Muslims place themselves in grave danger by assisting police in actions against fellow Muslims. This has limited the information-gathering capacities of authorities trying to stop major terrorist attacks.

A Brief Overview of the Muslim Brotherhood

An award-winning counterterrorism expert, John Guandolo is a published author and vice president of a national security firm in Arlington, Virginia. John Guandolo is particularly knowledgeable in the workings of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood follows teachings in the Quran, which addresses how people should carry out their family lives. The Quran also discusses duties related to communities and states. While individuals who identify with the religious and political group express disdain for acts of violence, the organization has been linked to numerous attacks in the Middle East, according to CNN.

Violent acts tied to the Brotherhood date as far back as the 1940s, when the Egyptian prime minister was assassinated. Though the group attempted to instill peace among its members in the 1980s, it has not been successful. The Brotherhood remains determined to support resistance and fight against the United States and Israel. Specifically, the Palestinian branch advocates Hamas, a terrorist sect that follows Jihad rules to bring themselves closer to Allah.

Muslim Brotherhood – Controlling the U.S. Terrorism Dialogue

As founder of www.understandingthethreat.com, former FBI agent John Guandolo focuses on emerging threats facing the United States. John Guandolo examines how Islamic extremist organizations have infiltrated the country’s defense perimeters and pose a distinct threat to its continued existence as a nation in which liberty and freedom are enshrined.

Speaking on national radio, a pair of former U.S. government officials recently revealed Muslim Brotherhood to be a driving force in jihadi activity nationwide. The influence of the organization is so great that it defines the way in which terrorism is discussed and influences what national security activities are carried out.

Asked to explain the kind of language that was prohibited within the U.S. government, one of the Sean Hannity radio program guests noted that no reference to Islamic doctrine could be constructed in such a way that an American enemy was defined. With the Muslim Brotherhood controlling many aspects of the government decision-making process, security personnel are not easily able to develop a comprehensive understanding of potential threats. The bottom line is that a recurrence of the events of 9-11 and the Orlando nightclub shooting is more likely to happen as long as this issue is unresolved.

Categories of Sharia Law

John Guandolo is an expert in counterterrorism, security operations, and international security consulting with over two decades of experience in the public and private sectors. A retired marine and special agent for the FBI, John Guandolo also developed a training program for the FBI that focuses on threats from the Muslim Brotherhood and sharia law, which was the first of its kind at the bureau.

Sharia law is an Islamic moral code and set of religious laws. An Arabic word meaning “path to be followed,” sharia stems from the Islamic holy book the Quran and the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Sharia includes components on beliefs, character, and actions, which include legal injunctions.

Classical sharia systems are practiced in countries such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where sharia law has an official status and covers most components of the legal system. Mixed systems have less sharia influence on the broad legal system and primarily cover family law. Countries that practice mixed sharia include Morocco, Lebanon, and Syria. Other Muslim countries such as Albania and Turkey have secular systems in which sharia yields no influence over the legal system.

Different Meanings of “Peace” and “Truce” in Different Cultures

Retired from the Marine Corps and the FBI after nearly two decades of service, John Guandolo writes for and manages UnderstandingTheThreat.com, a website he founded to provide information about counterterrorism to the American public to safeguard them. With the same goal, John Guandolo also leads the Strategic Engagement Group, a national security firm in Virginia.

Interpretation of terminology varies by culture. To effectively plan counterterrorism strategies, it is important to have a good understanding of those differences. For example, the words “peace” and “truce” are both used in Western civilization as well as Islamic law, also known as Shariah. In Western culture, “peace” refers to the end of war. It represents freedom. The term “truce” is defined as a mutual agreement to cease fighting.

Under Shariah, peace can only be achieved when dar al harb no longer exists. Dar al harb is the house of war and consists of all individuals who do not abide by Islamic law. Those who live by Shariah, such as Hamas and other Jihadist groups, must uphold the Shariah code of taking action to obliterate the house before they can achieve peace, or dar al Islam.

Shariah states that a truce is permissible when its Jihadi devotees require a moment to regroup. A truce does not result in cessation of fighting permanently. Instead, it offers time for planning, strategizing, and rearming to continue warfare with the intention of eliminating dar al harb.

Qualities that Helped One Woman Evade Counterintelligence Measures

Jill Kelley pic — Jill Kelley
Image: breitbart.com

John Guandolo formerly served as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In that capacity, he focused on counterterrorism. John Guandolo is also knowledgeable about counterintelligence, which he frequently reports on for the online news network Brietbart.

The story of Jill Kelley, published on Brietbart, offers a good example of how the American counterintelligence system is flawed. While there are no indications that Ms. Kelley committed acts that would harm Americans, her ability to gain access to high-level U.S. officials is worth discussing.

Ms. Kelley, formerly Jill Khawam, is of Lebanese descent. She married a Florida oncologist; together, the couple has hosted numerous social gatherings in their home. Their guest lists have included high-level military and government officials, many of whom do not hesitate to respond immediately when she calls. Unofficially, she served as an unpaid social liaison, according to the U.S. military. The U.S. Central Command described her as a volunteer and private citizen.

Ms. Kelley appears harmless. She carries herself well and easily earns the trust of others at her social gatherings. From the standpoint of national security, however, she raises many flags, which were not addressed prior to her gaining access to influential members of government. A background check of Ms. Kelley never occurred because she presented herself in a kind and likeable manner. However, her actions resemble those of a person conducting an intelligence-gathering operation for the Russians or the Muslim Brotherhood.

Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood

John Guandolo writes on issues related to counterterrorism on his website UnderstandingTheThreat.com and through outlets like breitbart.com, where he has published works on the Muslim Brotherhood organization’s activities in the United States. When not writing, John Guandolo provides security training to national and state leaders through the Strategic Engagement Group, where he serves as vice president of strategic planning.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a pan-Islamic political organization with parties in many countries. It was founded in the early 20th century in Egypt and reached a pinnacle in 2012 when Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood candidate, won the Egyptian presidential election. However, he was deposed by the Egyptian military in 2013 and later tried and sentenced to death.

Both inside and outside of Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood has been linked to terrorism. Moreover, in the United States, a federal case against the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) found that the HLF, which posed as a humanitarian nonprofit, was functioning in America as a front for the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Meaning of Peace and Truce Under Islamic Law

A United States Marine Corps veteran, John Guandolo possesses expertise in strategic threat management and counterterrorism. John Guandolo launched the site UnderstandingtheThreat.com to impart his knowledge. He also publishes works on these subjects on Breitbart.com.

According to Mr. Guandolo, the definitions of “peace” and “truce” are different in some Eastern cultures. In particular, those following Islamic law do not understand “peace” to mean “freedom from warfare.” They also do not view a truce to be an action derived from a mutual agreement to cease fighting.

Muslims must follow jihad teachings to eliminate societies practicing other religions. Jihad represents warfare, which is acceptable in territories living in “dar al harb,” one of two worlds outlined in the doctrine. Devout followers must forcefully take action to annihilate that world, which consists of non-Muslims, in order to achieve peace.

In the same respect, Mr. Guandolo says, “truce” takes on a different meaning under Islamic law. Rather than serving as a tool to gain peace, it is valued for its ability to halt fighting temporarily for jihad members to regroup during times they feel their efforts may not be successful. Jihad members use these times to strategize and rearm themselves to continue warfare.

Understanding and Investigating the Jihadi Movement

Accomplished counterterrorism expert John Guandolo is the founder of UnderstandingtheThreat.com. Also known as UTT, this organization provides consulting, education, and training services to assist governments in understanding and combating the threat of terrorism. John Guandolo offers a series of courses and workshops through UTT, including a three-day program called Understanding and Investigating the Jihadi Movement.

Designed for law enforcement professionals, this interactive program covers jihadi operations and beliefs, as well as alleged jihadi networks in the United States. On the first day of the course, students learn about strategies that terrorists use and the beliefs and history of the Muslim Brotherhood organization. Day two of the program is spent analyzing sharia (Islamic) law and learning how it is interpreted by extremists. On day three, students take the information they have learned and apply it to law enforcement and military situations. Working as teams, the students use their newfound knowledge to investigate and prepare a presentation on Muslim Brotherhood entities.

At the end of the course, students receive instruction on how to help members of their local government understand the terrorist threat. They are also given additional resources to supplement the concepts they learned in class.