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Al-Qaeda's Job Application Form Revealed

HughPickens.com writes: ABC News reports that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has released a list of English-language material recovered during the raid the killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011 including one document dubbed "Instructions to Applicants," that would not be entirely out of place for an entry-level position at any American company – except for questions like the one about the applicant's willingness to blow themselves up. The questionnaire includes basic personal details, family history, marital status, and education level. It asks that applicants "answer the required information accurately and truthfully" and, "Please write clearly and legibly." Questions include: Is the applicant expert in chemistry, communications or any other field? Do they have a family member in the government who would cooperate with al Qaeda? Have they received any military training? Finally, it asks what the would-be jihadist would like to accomplish and, "Do you wish to execute a suicide operation?" For the final question, the application asks would-be killers that if they were to become martyrs, who should al Qaeda contact?

The corporate tone of the application is jarringly amusing, writes Amanda Taub, but it also hints at a larger truth: a terrorist organization like al-Qaeda is a large bureaucratic organization, albeit one in the "business" of mass-murdering innocent people. Jon Sopel, the North American editor from BBC News, joked that the application "looks like it has been written by someone who has spent too long working for Deloitte or Accenture, but bureaucracy exists in every walk of life – so why not on the path to violent jihad?"

149 comments

  1. When watching GI Joe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I always wondered where the Cobra employees came from. Now I know.

    1. Re:When watching GI Joe by mujadaddy · · Score: 4, Funny

      And knowing is half the battle!

      --
      Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur...
      "Force shits upon Reason's back." - Poor Richard's Almanac
    2. Re:When watching GI Joe by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      "What's the other half, Joe?"

      "Killing those Cobra motherfuckers!"

    3. Re:When watching GI Joe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      story is probably as truthful as gi joe too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3COsYaJ47o and then lately stories about his favorite authors http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-surprising-books-on-osama-bin-ladens-reading-list-2015-05-20

    4. Re:When watching GI Joe by painandgreed · · Score: 2

      I always wondered where the Cobra employees came from. Now I know.

      Actually, this was answered in the GI Joe comic (written by the guy that had the idea for the new GI Joe IIRC). Cobra employees typically came form the slums of the world. They would find gang members, poor, the dispossessed. Move them to Cobra facilities where they are inducted into a new gang, clothed, fed, socialized into a new family, given education and training, entertainment, healthcare, and even plans to send some of their salary back to their families and help elevate them out of poverty. The typical Cobra base is 2/3rds dorms and recreation space. The rest is doing things that are probably nicer than what they did on the street and no worse than what the governments they used to live under are doing. Then one day, GI Joe attacks them, destroyed their lives, and shatter their dreams.

  2. business of mass-murdering innocent people by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    That is hardly exclusive to Al-Qaeda. You are tagged by the direction you point your gun.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If anything, Al-Qaeda isn't actually in the mass-murder business.

      They are a nasty bunch, treat civilian casualties as a feature not a bug, etc.; but they don't have nearly the resources or the direct combat assets; much less specialized infrastructure that must either be carefully hidden or sited in an area where you are the de-facto government, to do 'mass murder'.

      They do terrorism: that tends to include a good deal of violence; but calibrated with an eye to maximum psychological impact, attacks on culturally salient targets, that sort of thing. In terms of straight body count, they rank well below more-or-less-strictly-business drug cartels, and even a fair percentage of the 21st century bush wars in countries that aren't interesting enough to even attract a few foreign correspondents; much less the sort of stuff that made the 20th century so notorious.

      The numbers get a bit fuzzy because of the various more-and-less-actually-connected 'franchise' operators, some of which were actually collaborators to some reasonably close degree, some of which were little more than unrelated thugs with a taste for trademark infringement; but Al-Qaeda's body count just isn't that big. It's well weighted for psychological punch, lots of Americans in important buildings, fewer peasant conscripts in ethniclashistan; but in absolute numbers? Chickenshit. ISIS and Boko Haram are almost certainly well ahead; and let's not even talk about how quickly the professionals working for established nation states can stack up bodies...

    2. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by murdocj · · Score: 1

      Well, and who you point it at. And whether you use teenagers to kill as many innocent people as is possible. It's a bit like saying there's no difference between a civilian getting killed on the battlefield and herding people into gas chambers. At some point, yes, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

    3. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ...and let's not even talk about how quickly the professionals working for established nation states can stack up bodies...

      Now you're talking about 21st century Bush wars.

    4. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by sound+vision · · Score: 1

      10 or 20 deaths in a single event qualifies as mass murder. I'm pretty sure the 'qaeda has killed fiftyfold that amount in single events.

    5. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ...and let's not even talk about how quickly the professionals working for established nation states can stack up bodies...

      Now you're talking about 21st century Bush wars.

      Bush Wars
      Obama Wars
      Hollande Wars (Libya)

      The French are as devious and cruel as the Americans. They just like to kill with no tv's around. Especially in their old time African colonies.

    6. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      insert 'banality of evil' quote here

    7. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by KGIII · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Beer and circuses my friend. It appears you know this, which is good. Today it is televised sports and beer. Circuses are not so common any more but the result is the same. A lethargic and mostly satisfied or entertained populace does not seem to inspect or criticize their government (or those who have power over them) nearly as much as a disenfranchised group with neither satisfaction or entertainment.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    8. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Once or twice doesn't make a sustainable business.

    9. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Four people counts as mass murder.

      Wikipedia:
      Mass murder (sometimes interchangeable with "mass destruction") is the act of murdering many people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time. The FBI defines mass murder as murdering four or more persons during an event with no "cooling-off period" between the murders. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more people kill several others. Many acts of mass murder end with the perpetrator(s) dying by suicide or suicide by cop.

      A mass murder may be committed by individuals or organizations whereas a spree killing is committed by one or two individuals. Mass murderers differ from spree killers, who kill at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders and are not defined by the number of victims, and serial killers, who may kill people over long periods of time. Mass murder is the hypernym of genocide, which requires additional criteria.

      Mass murder may also be defined as the intentional and indiscriminate murder of a large number of people by government agents; for example, shooting unarmed protestors, lobbing grenades into prison cells, and randomly executing civilians. The largest mass killings in history have been governmental attempts to exterminate entire groups or communities of people, often on the basis of ethnicity or religion. Some of these mass murders have been found to be genocides and others to be crimes against humanity, but often such crimes have led to few or no convictions of any type.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_murder

    10. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by plopez · · Score: 1

      mmmm... ot to different that any corporation that hires untrained people and puts them into deadly situations with poor safety. Such as coal mining, oil field work, handling agricultural chemicals, chemical refineries, etc. One does it for Allah, the other does it for profit.

      --
      putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
    11. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by bazorg · · Score: 1

      Totally agree. I suspect that if the Al Qaeda affected somehow the interests of a traditional Mafia or of a large drug cartel, they would not survive long.

    12. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by strikethree · · Score: 1

      ISIS, now known as Da'esh, started out as Al Queda in Iraq. Eventually, there were some management disputes and Al Queda kicked them out.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    13. Re:business of mass-murdering innocent people by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      I see Al-Qaeda as more of an agency, or employment center. They are definitely little more than one of many middlemen that executes(?) a purchase order from the nation states that need their services, a procurement office for weapons and personnel, passports, credit cards, you name it. They might even have an iStore. Either way it is a facade, a front, in the global terror business. They attract everybody's attention, while their financiers are off to Monaco!

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  3. Truth be told... by garyisabusyguy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    These 'applicants' would probably never consider the path to jihad if they had a decent job and the ability to earn a living to raise a family

    The unemployment rates are 27% with even higher rates for people in their twenties
    The application takes advantage of their desires to have a 'real' job and twists it into continuing strife that does nothing to improve their economic conditions

    --
    Wherever You Go, There You Are
    1. Re:Truth be told... by retchdog · · Score: 1

      That's all too true, and this is described in The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright (who later wrote Going Clear about Scientology). The big Q paid a decent wage with health benefits and a hefty compensation package to your family, especially upon "martyrdom." The fanatics were in the top-middle of the organization; the rank-and-file were mostly just desperate young males with a lot of social/familial obligations and nothing to lose. Depressing, really.

      --
      "They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
    2. Re:Truth be told... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Anonymous coward( 'Bull Fucking Shit', below) is far too strident; but it is the case that there's a curious sort of 'bifurcation' in the 'terrorist' labor market(a confusion we probably contribute to by conflating the various local tribal militias, warlords, strongmen, etc. who cause us trouble during our ground campaigns with the 'terrorists' who are much more international in scope).

      On the one hand, as you say, the terrorist grunt supply is heavily drawn from frustrated young men(inconveniently, lots of prime recruiting grounds have demographics that skew fairly young, so there are lots of them), with limited economic prospects, often compounded by a culture where you probably aren't getting laid unless you've achieved enough economic stability to get married. The miscellaneous 'insurgents' who raise hell when you attempt to occupy their home sand trap; but lack international ambitions and/or capabilities are mostly these guys. Some of the lower-skill terrorists proper are as well(particularly for the Israelis, since Gaza's festering-prison-slum atmosphere provides an endless supply of the angry and hopeless; and you don't even need to buy them plane tickets to have them go do a 'martyrdom operation'.

      On the other hand, a lot of terrorist leadership, and high-skill recruits(if you want to blow stuff up, it sure helps to have some real engineers and chemists around), are not driven by economic desperation. Bin Laden himself was basically a trust-fund fundamentalist, and a lot of the more influential and logistically important figures are people with decent university degrees, often in marketable subjects, who are financially stable; but alienated by some aspect of the injustice of the world, or disaffected by secularism or the wrong sort of religious practice, exactly which one varying by person.

      They come in both flavors.

    3. Re:Truth be told... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These 'applicants' would probably never consider the path to jihad if they had a decent job and the ability to earn a living to raise a family

      The unemployment rates are 27% with even higher rates for people in their twenties
      The application takes advantage of their desires to have a 'real' job and twists it into continuing strife that does nothing to improve their economic conditions

      Right. Because the one billion poor Hindus in India are a murderous lot that's bent on killing non-Hindus all over the globe.

    4. Re:Truth be told... by hey! · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Dear moderators: "Troll" is not a synonym for "I disagree with this".

      That said, I disagree with this.

      We've known since the investigation of 9/11 that suicide bombers are not necessarily dead-enders except in the literal sense. Economic powerlessness might play a role in the political phenomenon of extremist violence, but it is not a necessary element of the profile of a professional extremist. These people often come from privileged backgrounds and display average to above average job aptitude.

      Mohammed Atta's life story makes interesting reading. He was born to privileged parents; at the insistence of his emotionally distant father he wasn't allowed to socialize with other kids his age, and had a lifelong difficulty with relating to his peers. At university he did OK but below the high expectations of his parents. He went to graduate school in urban planning where his thesis was on how impersonal modern high rise buildings ruined the historic old neighborhoods of the Muslim world.

      That much is factual; as to why he became an extremist while countless others like him did not, we can only speculate. I imagine that once he decided modernity was the source of his personal dissatisfactions Al Qaeda would be attractive to him. Al Qaeda training provided structure which made interacting with his new "peers" easier than ever before. And martyrdom promised relief from the dissatisfactions of a life spent conscious of his own mediocrity. Altogether he was a miserable and twisted man -- but not economically miserable.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    5. Re:Truth be told... by Smallpond · · Score: 2

      These 'applicants' would probably never consider the path to jihad if they had a decent job and the ability to earn a living to raise a family

      The unemployment rates are 27% with even higher rates for people in their twenties
      The application takes advantage of their desires to have a 'real' job and twists it into continuing strife that does nothing to improve their economic conditions

      The 9/11 hijackers included an architect, a law student and a school teacher. A significant number of suicide bombers have technical backgrounds, have families and have had a pretty good life. They have found solutions to the problems of jobs, food and home life and choose to focus on a perceived evil in the world that they don't think they can change in any other way.

    6. Re:Truth be told... by manwargi · · Score: 1

      The psychological examination of terrorism has shown the good news that it's not really linked to how poor, religious, or mentally unstable the people are. The poorest countries are not the ones that create the most terrorism, many terrorists are educated and middle class or higher (with respect to the countries they came from, anyway), and unsurprisingly, a lot of terrorists aren't devoutly religious. Terror cells require secrecy and organization, so while crazy guys might seem easier to persuade to do crazy things, they have the drawback of being a liability to whatever plan is being hatched.

      The bad news is that the most common link is entirely too common: angry young males ranging from their late adolescence to their 20s. The demographic that commits the most violent crime of any variety. Doing something about angry young men who feel they have nothing to lose and are willing to hurt people for a cause is going to be a bit complicated.

    7. Re:Truth be told... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hindus are taught that the divine is in all beings.

      Muslims are taught that there's is the only true god and that jihad is a required act of faith. The word jihad refers to both personal struggle and warfare against non-believers. The conflation is deliberate.

    8. Re:Truth be told... by Cafe+Alpha · · Score: 1

      These 'applicants' would probably never consider the path to jihad if they had a decent job and the ability to earn a living to raise a family

      Sadly, not true there was a study that showed the terrorists, at least in the middle east, tend to come from relatively upper class backgrounds. It's more a bunch of privileged apsies who think they know what God wants and have no human empathy. People who are struggling depend on other people enough to learn a little empathy and have other worries than "what does God want"

    9. Re:Truth be told... by garyisabusyguy · · Score: 1

      Hey,
      I would argue that Atta, and many of the well educated 'forefathers' of this movement were facing their own glass ceilings, and would never reach the levels of social success in their own countries (as compared to what they could expect in the western countries they were educated in) due to the members of the royal families that got all of the sweet positions

      One solution to their problem would be to mount an internal revolution

      To prevent this they were intentionally radicalized by royally-supported Wahhabis to direct their angry energies outwards against the same western influences that had educated them to expect more than their current lot in life

      At least that is my speculation

      --
      Wherever You Go, There You Are
    10. Re:Truth be told... by garyisabusyguy · · Score: 1

      I agree on both flavors, and I suggest that they are rooted in the same cause, which is an attempt to prevent internal revolution due to lack of opportunity

      Even bin laden was relegated to some son-of-the-boss position if he had toed the line, so he traded that away for leading his own quasi-government

      By design, this was outside the borders of his birth and in no way threatened the people who actually limited his ambitions at home

      --
      Wherever You Go, There You Are
    11. Re:Truth be told... by garyisabusyguy · · Score: 2

      "and unsurprisingly, a lot of terrorists aren't devoutly religious"

      I think that it may be a similar phenomenon to Born Again Christians in America, where people are deeply indoctrinated when they are young, put aside their beliefs for lives of debauchery in their young adult years, then fall back to their original beliefs (or influence of religious leaders who represent those beliefs) in later years or when facing some emotional hardship

      --
      Wherever You Go, There You Are
    12. Re:Truth be told... by KGIII · · Score: 3

      I opted to school myself on quickly via the mighty Google. I learned something today and it is surprising.

      Perhaps surprisingly, our review of the evidence provides little reason for optimism that a reduction in poverty or an increase in educational attainment would meaningfully reduce international terrorism. Any connection between poverty, education and terrorism is indirect, complicated and probably quite weak. Instead of viewing terrorism as a direct response to low market opportunities or ignorance, we suggest it is more accurately viewed as a response to political conditions and long-standing feelings of indignity and frustration that have little to do with economics.

      Citation: http://www.uvm.edu/~wgibson/PD... (Note: PDF)

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    13. Re:Truth be told... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dear moderators: "Troll" is not a synonym for "I disagree with this".

      Until slashdot gets the -999 "Wrong" option then "Troll" has to suffice

    14. Re:Truth be told... by garyisabusyguy · · Score: 2

      Because we live in a simple world of right and wrong where everything is in black and white...

      --
      Wherever You Go, There You Are
    15. Re:Truth be told... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do realize that's what Overrated is for, right?

    16. Re:Truth be told... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > These 'applicants' would probably never consider the path to jihad if they had a decent job

      This is incorrect. Your mistake is to extend your way of thinking to people from other cultures. *You* would consider jihad only if you are desperate, and even then it's not very likely. These people leave in a society with very different values. Becoming a mujahid (or, even better, a shahid) is an attractive career option that typically would serve one's family much better than any boring job can. This is sort of similar to becoming a good basketball or baseball player.

    17. Re:Truth be told... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... well, black and white and shades of green.

    18. Re:Truth be told... by mjwx · · Score: 1

      A few people with or capable of getting PHDs will join the armed forces for the challenge or career opportunities, this does not mean most who join the army are PHD candidates. In fact I'd say the average Rifleman/General Infantry recruit is quite the opposite.

      Why would any other armed force, regular or otherwise be any different. You want to attract highly skilled people for highly skilled work, you need grunts for grunt work and there is a lot of grunt work to be done.

      The only real difference is that in the west, joining the army is seen as a good move for a kid with limited prospects (meaning he didn't do too well in school) where as its an act of desperation to join al queda (meaning there was no high school to do well in and even digging ditches is a highly controlled and nepotist market).

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  4. Cause and Effect by Livius · · Score: 0

    Are we sure corporations didn't get their recruiting style from jihadists and crusaders?

    Corporations just tend to be a little more subtle about their attitudes to the human pawns they exploit to subvert enlightened civilization.

    1. Re:Cause and Effect by plopez · · Score: 1

      And kill them when they put them into dangerous situations. See my comment re: safety regulations and getting low wage workers killed on the job. Corporations do not even see them, and probably us, as human.

      --
      putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  5. I forgot to ask by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Why is "business" in quotation marks? This is a business. Al-Qaeda and ISIS are brand names, just like DuPont and AT&T. Financed by big money from around the world. That would most likely include your favorite financial institution.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re:I forgot to ask by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kind of reminds me of a seed company, starts with an "M" and ends with an "O"

  6. Benefits by petes_PoV · · Score: 1

    "Do you wish to execute a suicide operation?"

    So what's the state of their pension scheme and healthcare package?

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
    1. Re:Benefits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They get 7 virgins, but the fine print says the virgins are all donkeys.

    2. Re:Benefits by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually, the fine print would probably resemble: "You will receive stated number of virgins in the afterlife, but Al-Qaeda and its affiliates cannot guarantee the quality, skill, sexual preference, or the species of the virgins. Nor do we offer substitutions."

    3. Re: Benefits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Completely on par with regular US company standards I'd say, meaning basically non existent :D

    4. Re:Benefits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's about as fun as the retirement plan for all the stupid, crippled people who fought for the US and all they got was no legs and some cash. I'm sure they think they have done something truly great. Poor losers.

    5. Re:Benefits by plopez · · Score: 1

      Virgins are generally unskilled.... duh!

      --
      putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
    6. Re: Benefits by ub3r+n3u7r4l1st · · Score: 1

      which company you are talking about? Most have matching 401Ks

    7. Re:Benefits by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      So are people who think virgins are better, but it's what their market seems to want.

    8. Re:Benefits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Virgins are generally unskilled.... duh!

      Not in Heaven they aren't. All it takes is a sprinkling of a little holy water and wham! they are a Virgin again.

    9. Re:Benefits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the best thing about virgins is you can train them how you want them to be...

    10. Re:Benefits by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      "Do you wish to execute a suicide operation?"

      So what's the state of their pension scheme and healthcare package?

      For Al-queda? I'm not sure. For Hamas and the PLO attacking Isreal, it was probably more money than they would every be able to save in their lifetime donated to their families. Used to be paid for by Iraq, but now Iran has stepped in to pay the price last I read. I can only imagine that Al-queda had a similar deal if nothing else.

  7. Standard procedure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It does seem like they'd try not to leave a paper trail of 'employees' but then again it'd be difficult to tell if someone was a spy if you didn't have a paper trail on them.

    I don't think this is really that shocking at all, it's not like they just walk up and say 'hi i want to al qaeda lol' then get sent off with important information or some such.

    1. Re:Standard procedure by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      During WW2 Japanese soldiers were not told to keep operational details a secret since it was assumed "family honour" would ensure they kill themselves when captured. The practice was an intelligence gift to the allies since most who were captured chose to live.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  8. They also serve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Those who only fill out forms and proceed with following the bureaucratic standards of proper practice and regulation.

  9. Why did the shoe bomber cross the road? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Deregulation of the chicken's side of the road was threatening its dominant market position. The chicken was faced with significant challenges to create and develop the competencies required for the newly competitive market. Andersen Consulting, in a partnering relationship with the client, helped the chicken by rethinking its physical distribution strategy and implementation processes. Using the Poultry Integration Model (PIM), Andersen helped the chicken use its skills, methodologies, knowledge, capital and experiences to align the chicken's people, processes, and technology in support of its overall strategy within a Program Management framework. Andersen Consulting convened a diverse cross-spectrum of road analysts and best chickens along with Anderson consultants with deep skills in the transportation industry to engage in a two-day itinerary of meetings in order to leverage their personal knowledge capital, both tacit and explicit, and to enable them to synergize with each other in order to achieve the implicit goals of delivering and successfully architecting and implementing an enterprise-wide value framework across the continuum of poultry cross-median processes. The meeting was held in a park-like setting, enabling and creating an impactful environment which was strategically based, industry-focused, and built upon a consistent, clear, and unified market message and aligned with the chicken's mission, vision, and core values. This was conducive towards the creation of a total business integration solution. Andersen Consulting helped the chicken change to become more successful.

  10. No suprise by Revek · · Score: 1

    Its not like corporations are a democracy anyway.

    1. Re:No suprise by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      What are the shareholder votes?

  11. BULL FUCKING SHIT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    These 'applicants' would probably never consider the path to jihad if they had a decent job and the ability to earn a living to raise a family

    The unemployment rates are 27% with even higher rates for people in their twenties
    The application takes advantage of their desires to have a 'real' job and twists it into continuing strife that does nothing to improve their economic conditions

    BULLSHIT.

    Jihadi John:

    Emwazi was born Muhammad Jassim Abdulkarim Olayan al-Dhafiri[15] on 17 August 1988 in Kuwait[1] to Jassem and Ghaneyah.[14] The family, who were Bedoon of Iraqi origin,[14] moved to UK in 1994 when he was six.[16] They settled in inner west London, moving between several properties in Maida Vale,[17] later living in St John's Wood and finally in Queen's Park.[17][18] Emwazi attended St Mary Magdalene Church of England primary school, and later Quintin Kynaston Community Academy.[3]

    In 2006 he went to the University of Westminster, studying Information Systems with Business Management. He secured a lower second-class BSc (Hons) on graduation three years later.[3] At age 21, he worked as a salesman at an IT company in Kuwait and was considered by his boss as the best employee the company ever had.

    You are one addle-brained moron.

    1. Re:BULL FUCKING SHIT by davester666 · · Score: 2

      Clearly, most/all 'applicants' have similar qualifications as Jihadi John.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    2. Re:BULL FUCKING SHIT by KGIII · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And Osama came from a wealthy family and was wealthy himself. So? You realize that your post includes a link to Wikipedia? The reason there is an article about him specifically is because, well, they are an outlier and their exception to the rules makes them noteworthy enough to have an article to start with. Occam's Razor ring a bell? Yay! You found an exception and that somehow disproves, "...applicants' would probably never consider the path..."

      At risk of going a bit too far I would highly recommend a Critical Thinking course (or two) at the collegiate level. "My driveway is wet, it must be raining." Or, you know, it could be a sprinkler, melted snow, a water balloon fight, or a myriad of other causes. You may find the following link beneficial:

      https://www.google.com/search?...

      I may seem like an ass but, oddly and truly, I have your best interests at heart. The more people who utilize logic the better my planet will be and the better your understanding will be.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    3. Re:BULL FUCKING SHIT by KGIII · · Score: 1

      And see post http://news.slashdot.org/comme... where I decided to actually research this and learned something new. My sincere apologies. In my defense I know, for a fact, that I read a study that stated otherwise but I am unable to find it thus will concede the point and consider the benefit as having learned something new.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    4. Re:BULL FUCKING SHIT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IMHO, you and the parent post that you denigrated are both correct.

      1) The bulk of ISIS is made of of disenfranchised men with no prospects who pick up a gnn and are sharing in the power of a gang run amok (same as so many other this world conflicts)

      2) There are individuals (such as Jihad John) that join these groups for different reasons, it seems some gung-ho social deviants are attracted to the drama (soldier of fortune, serial killer, religious wack jobs, etc)

      I believe the parent post (#1) is more correct and more relevant. There are not enough Jihad Johns to start a war, only enough to stir up fear among those who scare too easily.

    5. Re:BULL FUCKING SHIT by garyisabusyguy · · Score: 1

      Trading papers, I will see yours and offer:
      "This paper also suggests that the Gini Index of economic inequality may also have a significant correlation with terrorist risk. The results overall imply that exclusion from the economy can be a motivator for terrorism just as exclusion from politics can be, regardless of the overall wealth of a country."
      http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/...

      I will even go on to say that it is the political control over the economy (whether the military control of Egypt or Pakistan, or the royal control of Saudi nations) that reduces the economic opportunities of the lower and middle classes, as well as the political ambitions of the upper classes, which encourages them to join groups like ISIS or AQ

      --
      Wherever You Go, There You Are
    6. Re:BULL FUCKING SHIT by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I was unable to find a study that supported that side though I knew that I had read the opposite (like the one you linked) view in the past. I also think that I followed the link from a comment here. The one you link is not the same though but reaches similar conclusions. My guess is the data can be interpreted either way depending on how you choose to view it.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    7. Re:BULL FUCKING SHIT by plopez · · Score: 1

      He has ties to the Saudis and the 'war on terror' has been described as a civil was inside the Saudi ruling class.

      --
      putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
    8. Re:BULL FUCKING SHIT by mcswell · · Score: 1

      It is a wise man--or woman--who can admit error.

      Fortunately, **I** am never wrong.

      Oh, yeah, :-)

  12. EVEN ***MORE*** BULLSHIT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    Osama bin Laden:

    Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden[23] was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a son of Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, a billionaire construction magnate with close ties to the Saudi royal family

    You UTTER FUCKING FOOL.

    1. Re: EVEN ***MORE*** BULLSHIT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More to your point, the 7/7 London bombers were all doctors.

    2. Re: EVEN ***MORE*** BULLSHIT by garyisabusyguy · · Score: 4, Informative

      Doctors? Hardly

      Mohammad Sidique Khan: aged 30, worked as 'learning mentor' in a primary school for immigrant children

      Shehzad Tanweer: aged 22, worked part time at his father's fish and chips shop

      Germaine Lindsay: aged 19, worked part-time as a carpet fitter and supplemented his income by selling covers for mobile phones at a local market

      Hasib Hussain: aged 18, a recently graduated student who was living with in-laws and had a recent arrest for shoplifting

      --
      Wherever You Go, There You Are
    3. Re: EVEN ***MORE*** BULLSHIT by oobayly · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I think the AC was getting confused with the people who thought that light a fire under gas bottles would cause explosions - some of them were doctors. Ironic that the more educated ones were more inept. I saw it more as a sad indictment of British education - they'd all been schooled over here but didn't understand basic science.

  13. Slashdot falling behind by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=15/05/22/1516240

  14. SubjectsInCommentsAreStupid by lesincompetent · · Score: 1

    Let's get serious: how well do they pay?

  15. Here are MORE exampe of how full of shit you are by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    Ayman al-Zawahiri

    Ayman al-Zawahiri's parents both came from prosperous families. Ayman's father, Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri, came from a large family of doctors and scholars. Mohammed Rabie became a surgeon and a medical professor at Cairo University. Ayman's mother, Umayma Azzam, came from a wealthy, politically active clan.

    Mohamed Atta:

    Atta was born on September 1, 1968 in Kafr el-Sheikh, located in Egypt's Nile Delta region.[8] His father, Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta, was a lawyer, educated in both sharia and civil law. His mother, Bouthayna Mohamed Mustapha Sheraqi, came from a wealthy farming and trading family and was also educated. Bouthayna and Mohamed married when she was 14, via an arranged marriage. The family had few relatives on the father's side and kept a distance from Bouthayna's family. In-laws characterized Atta's father as "austere, strict, and private," and neighbors considered the family reclusive.[10] Atta was the only son, but he had two older sisters who are both well-educated and successful in their careers—one as a medical doctor and the other as a professor.[11]

    When Atta was ten, his family moved to the Cairo neighborhood of Abdeen, located near the center of the city. Atta's father continued to keep the family private, and did not allow Atta to socialize with other neighborhood children. Atta spent most of his time at home studying, excelling in school.[12][13] In 1985, Atta entered Cairo University, where he studied engineering. As one of the highest-scoring students, Atta was admitted into the very selective architecture program during his senior year

    So tell us, you blabbering buffoon, what opportunities did all these jihadi archetypes lack?

  16. News for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nerds. I suppose this means that nerds are likely applying to join al-qaeda?

    1. Re: News for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's see: powerless, dejected, a chip on their shoulders the size of Jupiter... Yes, nerds would be the ideal material were it not for the fact they could never cut it physically and mentally. Nerds are good for nothing.

    2. Re: News for by plopez · · Score: 1

      Except maybe hijacking strike drones.....

      --
      putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  17. looks fake by mOzone · · Score: 2

    This form poped up on net about a week ago and looks fake as hell ..al Qaeda is like grampa with the old ass computer with a dot matrix printer that family has to hunt cartage's down for and isis 4k HD video makeing high gloss pdf magizine makeing teen

  18. FFS by koan · · Score: 2

    Al-Qaeda and ISIS are manufactured FUD, why does media like /. want to further that crap?
    A Primer:
    http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu...

    A snippet:

    This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

    In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

    We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

    Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades.

    In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

    Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.

    The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present

            and is gravely to be regarded.

    --
    "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
    1. Re:FFS by koan · · Score: 1, Informative

      Secret Pentagon Report Reveals US "Created" ISIS As A "Tool" To Overthrow Syria's President Assad
      http://www.zerohedge.com/news/...

      Saudi Arabia-funded Islamic State
      http://www.thedailybeast.com/a...

      CIA-funded al Qaeda
      http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03...

      Start with the top link it leads to all the others, and there are a LOT of them.

      --
      "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
    2. Re:FFS by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Al-Qaeda and ISIS are manufactured FUD,

      I'm really interested......do you realize that the link you posted does not logically support this statement? Eisenhower could be right, and Al-Qaeda/ISIS could not be manufactured. They can both be true.

      Seriously, are you saying the government orchestrated the crash into the twin towers? Because if you are, you need to get your head screwed on straight.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    3. Re:FFS by koan · · Score: 2

      I don't believe I mentioned 9/11, What I am trying to say is that every bit of this terrorism you see today is manufactured.
      I was pretty specific about this.

      As far as 9/11 goes, well maybe it was a straight forward attack maybe it wasn't, but the people in charge needed something like 9/11 to put their agenda into action.
      Little chance the US would have gone to war and occupation of Iraq without it, and no way you get the PATRIOT act and the NSA issues without it.

      By the way if you're under 30 I really don't want to hear from you again, you're too young to grasp this bit of history.

      Here are the choices I think you have for 9/11.
      A: Factions in the government not only knew, but assisted in it.
      B: Factions in the government knew there was an attack coming, ignored warnings and allowed it to happen, but did not participate further than that.
      C: Your government is telling the truth.

      My personal choice is B.

      9/11 can not be discussed rationally online, I realized this a long time ago, Just take a look at how you posted...

      you need to get your head screwed on straight.

      There are only 2 paths of discussion for the majority of the people out there.
      A: The government told the truth.
      B: Conspiracy nuts.

      There is no "in between" has been my experience, no room for conjecture or debate. (again see your response)

      What Eisenhower stated in his speech came true, every bit of his concern exist and thrives today.
      ISIS and Al Q are manufactured crisis for the MIC.

      I'll leave you with a saying that illustrates the above points.

      You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.

      Rahm Emanuel

      9/11 was the crisis, the Never Ending War on Terrorism is "the opportunity".

      --
      "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
    4. Re:FFS by phantomfive · · Score: 0

      There are only 2 paths of discussion for the majority of the people out there.
      A: The government told the truth.
      B: Conspiracy nuts.

      There is no "in between" has been my experience, no room for conjecture or debate.

      You find this to be true because you sound too much like the latter. Change the tone of your writing and you'll end up with better conversations.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    5. Re:FFS by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      You can look at this a different way, answer these questions (true or false):

      1) The government only acts for the interests of the wealthy few.
      2) George Bush only wanted to help his rich friends.
      3) Obama only wants to help his rich friends.
      4) Rand Paul only wants to help his rich friends.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    6. Re:FFS by redwraith94 · · Score: 1

      They also said we needed a 'new pearl harbor'. Pearl Harbor itself may have been allowed to get us into the war. Hawaii itself was unlawfully annexed, and invaded. President Cleveland called it an 'act of war'. People called us isolationist in WWII, but I believe Major General Smedly Butler's book 'War is a Racket', which sold millions of copies was likely the reason. He was the youngest Major General of the Marine Corps, and received two Congressional Medals of Honor, and the Brevet medal, all for separate actions, but he wouldn't know what he is talking about. He must be a nut job too.

      I find it perfectly likely that bunch of sad, lost souls with box cutters could commandeer a jet given the air of conformity regarding hijacking at the time.

      I find it egregiously unlikely that they could have also planted the requisite amount of nano-thermite (or conventional charges) required for:
      Pyroclastic flow, massive amounts of glowing steel (pouring from the ~80th floor). (Aluminum won't glow yellow, as its emissivity is 1/4 that of iron / steel, Aluminum would only glow white when it finally combusts. Iron alloys at the temperature indicated by yellow are already beyond aluminums boiling point, and carpet fibers would not glow so uniformly, or so brightly). To turn the subbasements into a 'foundry' with 'rivers of molten steel'. To create the WTC meteorite (with manganate, sulfur, etc. which is indicative of thermate, a 'cutter' charge which corrodes steel better than thermite). To drop all three buildings into (nearly) their footprints at (roughly) free-fall speed. Even looking just at that some of the 11 towers of that complex had huge amounts of debris fall on top of them, and were still standing. To create explosions of sufficient force to shatter the support pillars in the subbasements, rend the elevator doors from their frames. Rip a man's skin off of his arms (all 80 stories below the impact), and destroy the marble paneling, and windows of the first floor. There is even a photo of a central support column cut at a 45 degree angle where the frozen steel rivulets running down it didn't even have time to rust yet.

      Cut the power for the whole previous weekend, remove the bomb sniffing dogs (etc. etc.)

      We needed a Goldstein. Instead we got a SIlverstein. My favorite quote was his on a PBS documentary where he said he had been talking with the fire captain, "and they made that decision to pull and we watched the building collapse" (regarding Tower #7). o'course later he said he was referring to pulling the people out of the buliding, or some such. Though the building had been on fire for multiple hours, and was already evacuated apparently didn't matter.

      All the 'conspiracy' aside the towers fell after jets hit them, so we replace it with a single tower made of glass, looking like a giant dagger? What a massive amount of idiocy. You would think they would want a more impact resistant structure, not less.

      The pentagon looked consistent with a jet impact, pilots saying it couldn't swing around that fast, I can't comment on. It is suspicious that they left out the most interesting frames, and that the jet hit an area that was under construction, and so less populous than it should have been.

      My personal favorite item of all of the insanity was the gent on the PA flight that calls his mom. Identifies himself by his full name, then asks her if she believes its him. Then says there is a hi-jacking, then asks her if she believes him. I dunno, maybe they were estranged, and he lied alot, but I laugh every time I think about it. "You do believe me, don't you mom?" Nooo, it must be April-fucking-fools! I was surprised he called her 'mom', and didn't identify her by her SSN, or full name at least.

      On a different note; have you ever noticed how anytime we have 'war on something' we generally lose terribly at it? War on:
      Education
      Poverty
      Drugs
      Terror


      Are we winning any of these, or are they perhaps, just an on-going racket?

      I am still waiting for them to officially announce the war on liberty, but they seem to be winning that one...

      --
      I art more snarky, and terse than thou. I art Slashdot!
    7. Re:FFS by koan · · Score: 0

      After a decade of reading and discussing 9/11, and other "incidents" I came to one inescapable conclusion...

      Look out for #1, try to take care of your family and real friends, there isn't much else you can do.

      --
      "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
    8. Re:FFS by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Pearl Harbor could have been predicted by a modern intelligence agency, of the sort the Department of War created in January 1942 (the timing is not accidental). In fact, nobody was in charge of putting top secret intelligence together. In fact, it was no secret that war with Japan was imminent, and Pearl Harbor received two warning messages ten days before the attack, which were pretty well ignored by the authorities there. General Short, in charge of the defenses, was a fossil who disregarded the importance of his post and sent misleading messages about readiness to Washington.

      The US had been waging war in the Atlantic against Germany for about four months by the time of Pearl Harbor, and so Pearl Harbor was largely irrelevant for war against Germany, which Roosevelt wanted.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    9. Re:FFS by redwraith94 · · Score: 1

      That is interesting. I always thought that having a bunch of warships docked at harbor like cruise liners was not terribly prudent. Especially given the oil embargo.

      I was watching 'In Harms Way' on Netflix the other day, and it struck me how they called WWII 'Roosevelt's war', and John Wayne made the comment that he remembered WWI being referred to as 'Eisenhower's war'. So much is forgotten. "My people perish for lack of knowledge".

      --
      I art more snarky, and terse than thou. I art Slashdot!
    10. Re:FFS by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      It's a really good idea to have some sort of safe place where warships can be, and Pearl Harbor was supposed to be that sort of base. It was the Army's responsibility to protect the Fleet while in harbor, and in fact the Navy was on higher readiness against air attack than the Army was. One destroyer shot down several torpedo bombers that were attacking the battleships.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  19. Sample questions by Snotnose · · Score: 5, Funny

    Al-Faruq has 12 sticks of dynamite in his vest. El-waqui has 4 packs of C4. They trade 3 sticks of dynamite for 1 pack of C4.
    a) Did Al-Faruq's vest weight go up or down?
    b) How many infidels can each send to hell when they're a martyr?

    Awan-Afuqya and Al-Suq Aweenr can destroy 1,000 feet of priceless ancient artifacts in 3.5 hours. Awan-Afuqya alone takes 6 hours. How long would it take Al-Suq to do the job alone?

    M'Ballz Es-Hari made 2 IEDs yesterday, and 3 IEDs today. How many IEDs does M'Ballz Es-Hari have?

    Divide 80 infidels into 3 groups such that the second group will have twice as many as the first, and the third will have 5 less than the second.

    1. Re:Sample questions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      During the gulf war, there was a video of a Al-Qaeda picking up a large caliber machine gun off its tripod trying to be a Rambo wannabe, he pulled the trigger and got knocked on his ass. Funny as hell.

    2. Re:Sample questions by Cafe+Alpha · · Score: 1

      There was a famous math book for small children used in Lebanon and probably Syria that had questions like:
      You have twelve Jews to kill, you kill five of them, how many Jews do you have left to kill?

    3. Re:Sample questions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is their proposed answer "all of them"?

    4. Re:Sample questions by mobby_6kl · · Score: 1

      Those sound like school math test questions, not job interview ones.

      Estimate how many infidels there are in the middle east right now that need killing.

      Please talk about a time you had a disagreement with a Shia colleague and how you handled it?

      How many sticks of dynamite can you fit in a Peugeot sedan? Before the suspension starts to visibly sag?

      Explain Jihad to an 8-year old in 3 sentences or fewer.

    5. Re:Sample questions by redwraith94 · · Score: 1

      'As many as are left' is also an acceptable answer. That is there way of allowing religious zealots who don't bother with studying to pass with flying colors. Much like some sports teams in the states.

      --
      I art more snarky, and terse than thou. I art Slashdot!
  20. Life Assurance by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

    With their jobs I expect the level of life assurance is more important than the salary.

  21. Re:Here are MORE exampe of how full of shit you ar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're taking a few famous ones out of a pool of a whole bunch of guys who just spent the last decade or so building car bombs and ambushing Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    So you tell me, you blabbering buffoon, what the fuck are you on about?

  22. mass murder? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "...albeit one in the "business" of mass-murdering innocent people"

    That statement is certainly hued by some some hue.

    Total number of people killed by Al Qaeda from 1992-2008: ~4400.
    http://npsglobal.org/eng/news/29-non-state-actors/1034-al-qaeda-attackss-death-toll-more-than-4400-lives.html

    Total number of people killed by U.S. led coalition forces is much much higher by any reasonable inference (just Iraq):
    https://www.iraqbodycount.org/analysis/numbers/2011/

  23. Re:Here are MORE exampe of how full of shit you ar by hax4bux · · Score: 1

    Good job w/the research, but I think it misses a point. You could substitute those two w/GWB and Cheney. Sadly, the people cheerleading for everybody to go fight will not be the ones to go bleed. I think (somewhere along the thread) the point was made that if people had access to a decent economy then a career in jihad would be a tough sell.

    Of course there are examples of western youth who come for the "adventure" of combat. I have no glib answer for this save "Darwin".

  24. Brought to you by dice.com by linebackn · · Score: 4, Funny

    This story has been brought to you by your dice.com overloads.

    Which makes it even more disturbing...

    Wonder that the health benefits are like. :P

  25. Cause and effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The causes and effects are perfectly clear. We just choose to ignore them in our pursuit of global, interconnected world which shares common values. The US, UK, France and others want those values to be theirs, or at least close to theirs even if those values are all different from each other.
      Some want to convert us, some want to kill us, some want to think like us, some want to fuck us; it's all nonsense, identity seeking garbage with distracts us from solving the material issues and moving onwards from stone age ancestry worship, and accepting the fact that we have a form of written history now.
      Let those who want to destroy their little worlds just do that, rescue the innocent, mop up the mess they have caused after their extinction and let the rest of us just focus on solving bigger problems. A man cannot be helped until he wants to be helped.

  26. Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectations by foreverdisillusioned · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As it happens, I'm unemployed right now and extremely (clinically) depressed. (Too bad I can't afford COBRA, so I can't afford the antidepressant I was taking.) And yet--for some bizarre reason--I have not considered the option of murdering a bunch of people who don't share my philosophical views. Maybe I should. Do they offer dental?

    Come on. If a bunch of people are one layoff away from going jihadi-apeshit, then there is a problem here quite distinct from whatever economic woes they might face.

    And let's face it, however bad things are in Britain, these unemployed proto-jihadis have it a hell of a lot better than I do on this side of the pond, watching my life savings dwindle, several months later still fighting to receive my first unemployment check, with a maximum benefit cap of roughly $4000 (maximum for the year. Not per-payment max.)

    I have a certain amount of leftist sympathies, but their strife simply does not warrant their jihad. (And as others have noted, a great many of the terrorists have been middle or upper-middle class.)

  27. Like an American company by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, my company did have a question on the application if we were willing to blow ourselves up. It also asked if we had any military training or if we had family members or other connections willing to work with Al Qaeda.

    I often wondered why McDonalds wanted to know these things for their fry cooks, but hey I needed the money so I just checked yes to ensure I got the job.

    1. Re:Like an American company by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is your particular franchise located in quantico?

  28. HR? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I wonder if they have a fat-ass HR clown drilling them on stupid questions like "well, we are looking for somebody with X years experience in suicide bombing"

  29. Re: Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectati by AnotherSeattlePrgmr · · Score: 1

    I am really sorry for your situation and hope you get medical care that you need and your prospects improve. You raise a good question from your terrible circumstances. Why don't lots of people in terrible circumstances turn to crime or destruction out of the unfairness of their situation? I think that most people even in extreme circumstances are mostly just interested in improving things for themselves and their family. Those people living in the terrible despair of the Palestinian refugee camps or Syria today have all the reason and justification in the world to be terrorists but most of them are not.

  30. Innocent is a relative term here by damn_registrars · · Score: 1

    Jihadists believe that the people they are killing are in some way interfering with their goals. They generally believe that the land they are fighting in is rightfully theirs, so they see the killing of "infidels" as a righteous cause. It just so happens that the people they are killing are better skilled at selling their own cause to the media that reports the killings.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    1. Re:Innocent is a relative term here by Cafe+Alpha · · Score: 1

      Naw, they just don't think of people who are unlike themselves as people, and they're sure God agrees and will reward them for killing them.

  31. One question by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    How do you get references from dead martyrs?

  32. An army marches on its stomach by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but runs on logistics!

  33. Likely True by JimSadler · · Score: 1

    We live in a nation that was fool enough to elect Baby Bush and in my state the notorious Rick Scott as governor. In such a warped society I do not find it unthinkable that recruits for a nut job cult that enjoys suicides and murders would be here for the asking.

    1. Re:Likely True by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly. How do we know that the Bush Crime Family didn't create al Qaeda? One of them already admitted paying for 9/11. Their high temperature burning jet fuel made to weaken steel was genius, and it must have taken a lot of money and science to create. That sounds like a business.

    2. Re:Likely True by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This nation was also fool enough to believe Obama and elect him, twice.

    3. Re:Likely True by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gah, I hate the uncertain feeling you get when you cant tell if you should laugh at the obvious sarcasm... or if you should be scared that its not sarcasm.

  34. full of shit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No one in AQ has filled out an application form to work there, there isn't even an AQ so to speak. The only thing this story proves is how fucking stupid and easily manipulated we've become in the west.

  35. CIA's Job Application Form Revealed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    FTFY

  36. Sadly I already answered in this topic by Cafe+Alpha · · Score: 1

    Or I'd mark you and your parent as "overrated." We don't need this kind of bullshit here or anywhere.

    1. Re:Sadly I already answered in this topic by koan · · Score: 0

      But not so sad as to stop and offer an insult.

      --
      "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
    2. Re:Sadly I already answered in this topic by redwraith94 · · Score: 1

      To dissent, and express an opinion? Or to think for himself? We don't stand for that crap in this country! This is the East India Trading Company! AHEM, the U S of A! Sorry, I got my flags mixed up.

      But if you still don't believe me, then let me throw some numbers at you! Five! Twenty three! Eight hundred six!

      --
      I art more snarky, and terse than thou. I art Slashdot!
  37. Re:Here are MORE exampe of how full of shit you ar by garyisabusyguy · · Score: 1

    They all have a glass ceiling, that is to say that they lack the room to grow their ambitions and are being sent out to find it

    In the case of the notable FEW that you bring up, they were relegated to becoming fat lapdogs, servants of the royal family who could never rise above their 'place'. These were people with ambition who could have taken places of political or corporate leadership in a country that did not give all of those away to the royal family.

    Of course leaders need foot soldiers and those come from the ranks of the 20-30 somethings who do not even get the lapdog jobs, they sit at home and take in a huge amount of propaganda about jihad and fighting the western corrupter. There are no jobs for them to start their own families so the become cannon fodder for the wars that the Wahhabis have created for them. These are the people applying in droves with hopes of gaining an income and family, or an honorable death that their families could give value to

    It is the intent to keep pressure off of the ensconced leadership by diverting this 'energy' into jihad instead of a long-delayed internal revolution to provide equal opportunities to their people

    --
    Wherever You Go, There You Are
  38. al qaedah or isis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is there real ? maybe hoax, www.teguhhadisantoso.com

  39. Re:Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectatio by KGIII · · Score: 1

    a maximum benefit cap of roughly $4000 (maximum for the year. Not per-payment max.)

    WTF? State law or you only worked a limited time? Republican in office? That is entirely unacceptable, seriously. I would almost suggest posting a PayPal address but I got bitched at the last time I suggested that though I still made use of it much to the chagrin of the naysayers.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  40. Re:Here are MORE exampe of how full of shit you ar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The more people from the west going to the ME to embark on a supremely stupid quest is a good thing. They and all their ideological madness creates nothing but death and misery. However, once they leave they leave on their quest their passports should be revoked and they should not be allowed back in the country of their origin. Every violent act perpetrated by a terrorist group is nothing but an invitation for western military forces to converge on the area. 9/11 was supposed to encourage US and western countries in general to leave the Muslim lands but that is not exactly what happened. Anyone with half a brain would have realized what would happen in the wake of 9/11. Pissing off the US public has always resulted in the US military being given the go ahead to bring out the big guns and start blowing shit up and killing people while those not involved in the fighting treat war as just another game.

  41. Sounds all too like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    HR at your typical rapacious tech firm or multinational bank. Mind you, telling them apart from ISIS, Al Queda etc is getting harder...

  42. Re:Here are MORE exampe of how full of shit you ar by KGIII · · Score: 1

    I thought that too and recall a study (from a comment on this site - I am near certain of this being the source of the link and I am certain about the study's conclusion in the abstract) but I decided to verify this and do some searching. I can not find the original study that I read but I did find this and a number of other studies that support that economics and education are insignificant. Link/citation: www.uvm.edu/~wgibson/PDF/kruger_mal.pdf

    Needless to say, I am surprised with this (and others) study's conclusion but I can not argue with their definitions, methodology, or conclusions. I concede the point as I am unable to find the original study that I read the abstract from. The study itself was behind a paywall so I would likely still concede, even if I could find it, as I am unable to see the full study and at least check the methods and data source(s).

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  43. Re:Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectatio by foreverdisillusioned · · Score: 1

    I appreciate the thought and sympathy, but I was trying to address that overblown ultra-echochamber-progressive concept of poverty being the main driver of religious terrorism.

    I wouldn't complain if someone mentioned a good entry level position for a math-y major thinking about jumping into CS/IT, but I suspect there would be competition.

  44. I Applied by BlackHawk-666 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I applied, but the recruiter insisted I already have five years experience in suicide bombing before he could get me a decent placement.

    --
    All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
    1. Re:I Applied by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      At least it's not Java

    2. Re:I Applied by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course it isn't -- terrorists use PHP.

  45. Listen, if you wanna join Al Qaeda... by dristoph · · Score: 1

    Listen, if you wanna join Al Qaeda, you have to really hate the Americans.

    "I do!"

    Oh yeah? How much?

    "A lot!"

    Right, you're in.

  46. Re:Here are MORE exampe of how full of shit you ar by guruevi · · Score: 1

    And how many Westerners are that highly educated? How many of the US military troops, besides the higher ranking officers are educated at all? A military requires it's peons, the higher ranking officers, generals and most leaders are highly educated.

      Al Qaeda/ISIS was/is the only standing military force in the region but their claimed 'land' is currently divided. They have a cause and a mission, not surprising they're organized. After Hussein, Iraq didn't have much of a military and the US paying a minimum wage to some unemployed people does not a military make, Syria's military was made to kill it's own people so that didn't do well for keeping your military together.

    --
    Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  47. Available Job titles by redwraith94 · · Score: 1

    Button presser extraordinaire

    Dinghy 'Captain'

    Box truck 'Driver'

    Fuse lighter

    Foot switch operator

    Parking lot attendant briber

    U.S. Navy public access schematic reader

    skiff load capacity mathematician

    --
    I art more snarky, and terse than thou. I art Slashdot!
  48. Re:Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectatio by KGIII · · Score: 1

    It may be worth clicking the Jobs link at the bottom of the page.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  49. HR by PPH · · Score: 1

    ... can't find any applicants who have had 5 years experience martyring themselves.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  50. Bureaucracy by manu0601 · · Score: 1

    Do they have Pointy Haired Boss?. Pointy-bearded boss, perhaps?

  51. Not so different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... the "business" of mass-murdering innocent people ...

    It's not so different to generals and politicians who proclaim: "It's your fault your family was murdered by our bombs: You got in our way of killing a possible suspect."

    It's a lot easier to demand hero worship by pretending your enemy, a Kingdom (Caliphate) paying idealistic mercenaries to protect their land, has fewer rights than you: Including the right to murder by-standers. (Remember Chelsea/Bradly Manning released a video of Americans killing unarmed by-standers with an aircraft cannon: A war crime.)

    Christian countries have used immolation to execute criminals (in particular, female criminals). Japan has used swords to execute criminals; Saudi Arabia still does. The American use of lethal injection or electrocution isn't an improvement in judicial homicide. Such executions are shown to the press and interested parties. The USA doesn't have moral superiority on judicial homicide.

    I don't approve of ISIS, they're a mafia with a Qur'an: But they've killed far fewer by-standers than certain national armies. The difference between ISIS and national armies is small, why would the difference be recruitment and bureaucracy? One important difference is ISIS gets recruits easily while the USA is struggling to find recruits. Maybe the attention should be on what sort of person joins a mafia commanded by religious fanatics? I suspect a person who feels politically powerless and socially devalued in their own country.

  52. Sure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I do not believe in blowing myself up for a cause, much less some seventies opium dem stoner turned imam trying to keep the honey chain coming.
    i am however not opposed to causing everyone else to blow each other up.

  53. Ass-Ass-In by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here is their training video:

    On the heels of a half-assed attempt at assassination of a Saudi official by an al-Qaeda operative who had a pound of explosives stuck up his rectum, comes this latest al-Qaeda training video: GET LUCKY WITH A BOMB UP YOUR BUTT

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  54. Re:Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectatio by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

    trying to address that overblown ultra-echochamber-progressive concept of poverty being the main driver of religious terrorism.

    Hunger drove the "Arab spring" not Facebook. Everybody seemed to forget that there were rolling food riots in cities like Cairo and Aleppo shortly before the outbreak of hostilities. They were brought on by skyrocketing food prices due to record breaking droughts that were occurring in Australia, Russia, and the Fertile Crescent during the 2000's. In Syria alone, 2M people abandoned their farms and moved into the city looking for jobs, in a nation of 20M people it's not surprising that such internal displacement triggered a civil war. In fact it was shown in the diplomatic cables posted by wikileaks that at least one US diplomat predicted the Syrian war and even guessed the city where hostilities first erupted (due to the large influx of internal migrants).

    Poverty alone is not enough inspire a terrorist response, but three days without bread will prompt most people to behave like a wounded animal. At that point you just need religion (or FB) to point the finger at someone they can blame for their predicament.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  55. Let me ask one key question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is there a drug test?

  56. Re:Here are MORE exampe of how full of shit you ar by markass530 · · Score: 1

    All officers have a college degree, most if not all senior NCO's have at least an AA degree , most Mid Level officers have masters degrees.

  57. In other news: Bonsai Kitten by Pope+Raymond+Lama · · Score: 1

    Seriously!
    Do you remember the 90's widespread hoax of a company selling kittens grown up inside glass bottles as "bonsai"? I consider this to be on the same level of hoax - but for some possible state-intelligence level sponsoring that could be used to stir even more the rage against "the terrorists". Just to keep the wars going, you know.

    --
    -><- no .sig is good sig.
  58. Re:Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectatio by dave420 · · Score: 1

    You being unemployed is not exactly comparable. If you are going to try to understand this, starting from your own experience is not the best way, as you are not directly comparable. Plenty terrorists have had good jobs, but the vast majority have not, or have no chance of finding one again. Pointing out the relatively-rare as evidence that the majority doesn't exist isn't particularly helpful.

  59. Re:Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectatio by dave420 · · Score: 2

    You are the one who is confused. It's not "poverty", but being outside of the economy and not being allowed in. It's like mega-poverty, as you simply don't exist, have no voice, yet still have the lovely gift of being shat on by those with power.

  60. Re:Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectatio by foreverdisillusioned · · Score: 1

    I was specifically using Britain's Muslims as an example (they have it much better than America's from a poverty standpoint, but there is a bigger radicalization problem over there.) Focusing exclusively on the lowest classes in the third world is another conversation entirely. Yes, they are a significant part of the game here but the founders and leaders of ISIS and al-Qaeda were not and are not impoverished.

  61. Re:Soft bigotry of incomprehensibly low expectatio by foreverdisillusioned · · Score: 1

    As I said in my other reply, my situation is directly comparable to British Muslims (like Jihadi John, the 7/7 bombers, etc.) and the statistics of what British Muslims vs. American Muslims believe show that this is not a purely anecdotal point I am making. Protection from poverty is clearly not preventing extremism.

    Also, it is worth focusing on the middle and upper classes, because they are primarily the ones creating all of these organizations and ideologies (Osama bin Laden, Sayyid Qutb, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi) and carrying out many of the most prominent attacks (including the Ph. Ds and grad students who slammed planes into buildings on 9/11).

  62. Clarificiation for clueless moderators by foreverdisillusioned · · Score: 1

    This was a job application written in English, so I was comparing my situation to those of lower class Muslims in Britain. If you dislike my anecdote, I direct you to the hard data concerning:

    a. The differences between American assistance for the lower classes and the unemployed vs. British assistance (even under a Tory government)

    and

    b. The statistics describing what American Muslims believe vs. what British Muslims believe


    Or, you know, you can just mod me troll because I'm too lazy to post a redacted scan of my termination letter.

  63. "Please write clearly and legibly." by Kiyyik · · Score: 2

    So, does this mean that somewhere out there is someone who wanted to join Al-Qaeda and become a terrorist and blow themselves up and all that jazz but got rejected for poor penmanship?

    "Well, Ahmed, you scored high in fanaticism and lack of moral scruples, but this application is frankly a mess. I could barely read the thing. I'm afraid you're just not what we're looking for, sorry. Have you tried Amway?"

    "They sent me here."