Middle East studies in the News

Islamic Jihad Holds Kidnap Training [incl. former U. of South Florida prof. Ramadan Abdullah Shallah]

by Robert Spencer
Jihad Watch
August 26, 2008

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/022376.php

http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/5556

...while the former University of South Florida professor who heads it up travels to Egypt to try to make peace among the warring factions of Palestinian Arabs -- a quixotic mission if I ever heard of one.

"Report: Terrorists hold kidnap training," by Dudi Cohen for Israel National News, August 25:

What are terror groups in Gaza doing now that a ceasefire technically prevents them from shooting rockets? It turns out that the Islamic Jihad has been spending its time in the southern part of the strip, holding 'training exercises' on how to kidnap Israeli soldiers in a manner similar to Hizbullah's 2006 attack. "Thousands of Palestinian fighters recently trained in how to kidnap Zionist soldiers," reported the London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper on Monday, referencing the conservative Iranian Kayhan newspaper and Quds news agency....

And meanwhile: "Egypt intelligence chief meets with Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader," from the Associated Press, August 25:

Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman met with Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Abdullah Shallah in effort to reconcile feuding Palestinian factions, Egypt's official news agency MENA reported Monday night.

Suleiman's discussions with the Islamic Jihad leader came as part of a push over the next few weeks to end Palestinian infighting, according to MENA, a day before Suleiman was set to meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, also to discuss the Palestinian issue....

Ramadan Shallah, one of the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists, was a professor at the University of South Florida in the 1990s -- due to the influence of another professor there, Sami Al-Arian.

Note: Articles listed under "Middle East studies in the News" provide information on current developments concerning Middle East studies on North American campuses. These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of Campus Watch and do not necessarily correspond to Campus Watch's critique.

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