The next portents would be great earthquakes, one in the east, one in the west, as well as one in Arabia, which, according to the Prophet, was the center of the world. A wind would blow across the whole of the globe, the sun would rise in the west, and there would be a great fire in Yemen. Once these signs appeared, repentance and conversion to Islam would no longer be possible. By then it would be too late.
Jabbar was reaching the end of his talk. The Muslims of the world were appalled at Western culture, he thundered. Role models like Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent had taken the place of the Prophet. He urged those in the audience to do as al-salaf al-salih—the true believing forefathers—and invest in akhirah, life after death. A perfect segue into the money collection. Buckets were passed around. Donating money to Islam Net was an “investment for Allah’s sake” and would give extra points on the day of judgment, the audience was reminded.
“For those of you who are not members, you’ll find registration forms on the floor beneath your chairs. You can fill them in and pay at the tables over there!” boomed a voice throughout the hall.
The collection turned into an auction, where you raised your hand depending on the sum you wanted to donate. It was important to stake money on paradise while still in this world, one of the preachers who had been flown in called out. Alms would wash away sins and help against illness. Words of warning and blame were called out.
The bearded men in the clothes of the Prophet had already left. They raised money for their own causes and some of them were often seen with collection boxes at the metro station in Grønland and outside the mosques. Emergency aid, they said. For the children in Syria. And for the widows.
The differences between these rougher-looking types and the leadership of Islam Net could appear slight from a purely religious point of view. They all wanted a society based on sharia, all believed in the day of judgment, and all laid claim to follow the Prophet. The style of dress differed, but what set them apart was something far more important. Where Islam Net followed the Prophet’s instruction to spread the word, those who had left the hall wanted to go in the footsteps of warrior Muhammad and conquer the world by the sword—jihad bi’l-sayf.
What set them apart was the belief in violence.
11
VALENTINE’S UMMAH
Aisha was having a rough time.
When criticism rained down in the Norwegian media, she was left on her own to weather the storm. She wanted Islam Net to back her up in the niqab debate and had approached Fahad Qureshi for support. That was something the board would have to consider, he replied.
It took time.
Aisha had told him about being assaulted by a man, one of those motionless, statuelike men painted gold who stand on the street and hardly blink. She had been walking past him by Parliament, when he had suddenly reached out and pulled off her veil.
The board was in favor of women wearing the niqab in public, both in school and in the workplace, but was now the right time to pursue the issue? And was Aisha the right one to front it?
Aisha had a tendency to be brusque, not a quality held in high regard by the board. She was subservient to God alone, not men in general. Feminism was, in her words, about “fighting for the right to cover up.” The niqab served as protection against the world; it was not about her letting someone else make decisions for her.
Islam Net was also uncomfortable with the powerful rhetoric the former extortionist Arfan Bhatti had used in the speech he’d given at the demonstration against Norwegian military engagement. The group was further distressed by a video that had been made to promote the rally, a video that Aisha had shown support for. The director was Bastian Vasquez, born to parents of Chilean ancestry in Skien, a couple of hours’ drive south of Oslo. The short, slightly overweight, but strong convert had made a video about the Norwegian forces in Afghanistan, featuring footage of Crown Prince Haakon, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, and Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, followed by the threat: “Oh, Allah, destroy them and let it be painful!”
A few hours after Bastian posted it online to advertise the demonstration, the police were at his house. He opened the door wearing only a towel around his waist. They followed him into the bedroom while he got dressed, and began searching the room. One of the officers saw him put something in his mouth and heard it hit hard against his teeth. The policeman put him in a headlock to prevent him from swallowing. Bastian was eventually forced to spit it out—a memory stick containing the film, bomb-making instructions, and footage of hundreds of beheadings and torture methods signed by al-Qaida.
One of the first things Bastian Vasquez demanded when he was placed in custody was that Arfan Bhatti, the former leader of the underworld, be notified. He never asked for his wife.
According to police interview notes, Bastian had set up a new online profile “a couple of weeks ago with the intention of finding a second Muslim wife.” The notes recorded that “the accused is married but polygamy is permissible in Islam.” He had also created an online profile under the name Mohammad Jundullah in order to “network and make as many friends as possible online.” The notes went on to say that
