Michael Hodges

Okay, we are going to nip an argument in the bud today. Yes, terrorists will celebrate the execution of Nidal Hasan, just as they celebrated the murder of his victims. They glorify dying for their cause, and of course, will use it in propaganda. But the argument that his execution will somehow unleash a massive wave of terrorist recruitment or inspire waves of suicide bombers needs to stop. That motivation already exists, look at the waves of new recruits after the fall of Kabul, after October 7th, and after the fall of Assad. There are over a dozen terrorist camps in Afghanistan right now that soley train suicide bombers. These people want to destroy your way of life, plots bigger than 9/11 have been in the works since late 2021 and early 2022. The mere fact that I am a woman speaking out against them is enough for them to justify killing me, that is why there is a fatwa to do just that. So whatever your opinion is on a live-streamed execution, have that opinion. But don't use the terrorists as your excuse. Stop pretending we need to worry about upsetting people who already want us dead. Now, if you actually want to understand how terrorists inspire recruits, watch the video below. This is the most watched video, TODAY, inside Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. The Taliban were great and posted it online for all of us to use. The video shows Jamaluddin Haqqani saying goodbye to Sirajuddin and the late Badruddin Haqqani before what recruits are told is him leaving to carry out a suicide bombing. But recruits are never told who Jamaluddin really is or that he is a member of the Haqqani family. Instead, he is sold as an ordinary fighter, just like them, receiving extraordinary love and admiration from terrorist leadership that he "earned" because he was willing to die for the cause. The entire story sold to new recruits is built on deception and lies. First, Jamaluddin was literally family, hence the emotion. Second, Jamaluddin never actually even carried out a suicide bombing. He was killed a couple of years after this video was filmed, in the same U.S. strike that killed Badruddin. So stop pretending one American execution is what inspires these people. This same argument has helped keep 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed alive for two decades, and it's weak. Terrorist organizations already have entire systems dedicated to manufacturing hate through manipulation and deception. We need to stop letting the fear of how terrorists might react dictate our decisions. And remember, terrorist stories never have happy endings anyway.