The Caliphate André Gallo (list of ebook readers TXT) 📖

     “Well, I’ve been away and just came back to town. But security heard from one source that there was Islamist interest in an American who was supposed to be a recent arrival and a CIA officer. I’m not connecting this with Steve right now, but who knows?”

     “I assume you’ll see him soon?”

     “Consider it done. His company must think well of him to send him on such an important business-mission by himself.”

     “To tell you the truth, Abdelhaq, I sometimes don’t recognize him. He always tested and interviewed very well but school bored him. Too many rules, he said. He was stronger on the people side.”

     A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Through the window Marshall saw the TV crew. He first straightened a small frame. It read:

WE FACE A HOSTILE IDEOLOGY, GLOBAL IN SCOPE RUTHLESS IN PURPOSE AND INSIDIOUS IN METHOD. UNHAPPILY THE DANGER IT POSES PROMISES TO BE OF INDEFINITE DURATION.

—Farewell Radio and Television Address to the American People by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, January 17, 1961.

Marshall put on his blazer before realizing it was the one with the Knights of Malta crest on the pocket. He quickly changed his jacket and then put his tennis racquet in a closet out of sight next to a German Heckler and Koch G3 rifle that had hung in his office until recently. His wife had finally persuaded him that it made their home look too martial. He opened the door.

     Bruce, the Channel 32 producer, and his cameraman came in. Their white van with the dish antennae was parked in his driveway. Marshall brought them upstairs to his office. He knew they preferred his office for these interviews because of the large framed 1676 map of the world, decorated with likenesses of the rulers of the time, and a large globe on a wooden stand.

     “Thanks for letting us come out,” Bruce said.

     He was in his early forties, with short dark hair, just under six feet and fairly trim. With the long sleeves of his checkered blue and white shirt rolled up, Bruce was all business but in a smooth, non-confrontational style.

     “We’d like to talk to you today about the latest terrorist video that Al Jazeera aired last night.”

     The cameraman set up his equipment and aimed his lens on the globe with a close-up of the Middle East. Marshall sat with his back to his desk and to the map.

     Bruce asked, “Last night, Zawahiri again mentioned their goal to recapture Andalusia. That’s been a theme in al Qaeda’s public statements over the years and one that we have not explored. What is that all about?”

     Looking into the camera, Marshall said, “Until a Frankish army stopped it in the eighth century, Islam expanded by force of arms into the vacuum left by the virtual disappearance of the Roman Empire. For several hundred years afterward it continued to rule over Spain, which they called Andalusia. The Islamists now claim all of the countries in their former Caliphate—from Spain to Bokhara, Tashkent, the Philippines and Burma.”

     “Of course, they can’t be serious,” Bruce said. “The world has changed.”

     “In his last statement,” Marshall replied, “the Prophet Muhammad declared that Allah had ordered him to spread the faith to all corners of the earth, to bring Islam to all unbelievers. This is taken literally by the radical Muslims.”

     Marshall pointed to the portraits on the map.

     “This fellow on horseback, Muhammad the Fourth, between Louis XIV of France and Pope Innocent XI here at the top, was the Ottoman Caliph. After conquering Baghdad in the thirteenth century, the Turks established the Muslim capital in Istanbul and, until Kemal Ataturk shut down the concept of the caliphate in 1924, the Arab lands were basically Turkish provinces. Then, in World War I, the Turks were on the wrong side, after which the British carved up the Ottoman Empire into new countries. The fundamentalists have never accepted the partitions. But that’s a topic for another time.”

     After the interview, Marshall called Steve, who picked up on the second ring.

     “Steve, what’s going on?”

     “Hi Dad. Moroccan Security wanted to know anything I could tell them about the explosion, which was nothing. I did tell them that I thought I might have been followed.”

     He recounted details of the men who’d followed him.

     “Keep in mind that there are a lot of criminals out there looking for rich Americans,” Marshall said. “They’re usually focused on tourist sites. But if they meet the time and distance test—if you see the same people in separate locations over time—then they’re probably professionals and have interests other than just stealing your wallet.”

     “One of the security guys debriefing me, Driss Benjelloun, looked uncomfortable. He squirmed when I told them about the surveillance. I got the feeling that he knew more than he was letting on. Security offered to give me a bodyguard if I wanted one. I said no. But I have the feeling that they’ll keep an eye on me anyway.”

     “You should just get the hell out of Morocco,” Marshall told him. “In the meantime, get in touch with Abdelhaq right away. I just spoke with him by telephone. With his background and his contacts, he should be able to help you out and find out what’s really going on.”

     “What should I do if I’m under surveillance again? Tell me how to lose them.”

     “In your case, go to the nearest authority—the police or the embassy. Usually, if the surveillance is official, it’s best to ignore them and lull them to sleep—convince them you’re not a threat. If the surveillance is official, you really can’t escape them except for brief periods. They’ll simply bring more resources to bear. But these guys tried to kill you, Steve. This is serious.