CIRCLE AROUND THE SUN
Book One of
THE ISIS PROJECT
By M.D. Johnson
Copyright © 2004, 2006 by M.D. Johnson
Revised 2011
Publish Green
212 3rd Ave North, Suite 290
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612.455.2293
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-938297-93-9
The ISIS Project Series is historical fiction. The first book “Circle Around the Sun” includes the real life characters of Ulrike Meinhof, Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, Leila Khaled, Fusako Shigenobu, and Osama bin Laden, all of whom are or were terrorists and as such will be judged by history. All dialogue in this work is purely fictional but has been based on the ideology and published quotes of the subjects themselves. The terrorist training camps mentioned did exist although the venues and descriptions have been changed. The incidents taking place in them occurred solely in the imagination of the author. The main characters in this work are fictional.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book would not have been possible without the love, help and support of the following people who have my heartfelt thanks. My husband Pete and our family, daughter Adrienne, sons Ian, his wife Amanda, Robert, Eric and Bryan along with other family members Peter James Dease, Lynne Dease, Pam, Neil and Sophie Dease, Carle and Carol Johnson as well as close friends Suzette, Devon, Seth and Rosemary D’Atri, Lora Holstege,The Leinbach family, Deb Banker, Jen Shuvani, Angela Henry, Diotima Mantinea, Terry Moritz, Renee Swafford, Jay Kelly, Neil Franklin and my son-in-law Wil Raga. Special thanks to Pauline Jellicoe, Eeva Varner and “Pop” Johnson for their recall of the Heidelberg experience, David and Peggy Sheppard for their editorial expertise along with Ashley and the gang at TNT for always keeping me sane.
The following people are some who served as inspiration; literary genius John Le Carre, Afghan civil rights activist and dear friend Fahima Vorgetts, another warrior woman, as well as Tyrone Powers, Ph.D. whose remarkable Terrorism and Counter-terrorism lecture series enabled me to revisit the greatest game of all.
In the four years spent researching this project I found it easier to recall certain events as well as gain the peace of mind that only comes through listening to good music. I am particularly indebted to Folksinger Peter Mayer, whose beautiful song “One More Circle” not only provided me with a fitting title but whose works never ceased to bring me peace of mind. Additional inspiration came from the works of Jim Steinman, Peter Gabriel, Trinitas, Anonymous 4, Richard Thompson, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, War, Osibisa, The Searchers, Rod Argent, and the magical Colin Blunstone. Every attempt has been made to contact those performers whose work has been mentioned.
My gratitude to Cindi Hackett of the Anne Arundel County Public Library System for going above and beyond the call of duty in 1999 when the project first began. The amount of public information available on the subject was enormous but the sources and reference notes were from my paper and lecture “al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden: The Man in the Shadow” which has served as a major reference throughout this book. For future reader reference the sources are acknowledged when cited. I am indebted to Alexander B. Callahan’s paper entitled “Countering Terrorism. The Israeli Response to the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre and the Development of Covert Action Teams”, which gave me another perspective on the event.
The ISIS Project is dedicated to the memory of my parents, Peter and Mona Dease of Liverpool, England, who believed without question in freedom of speech, and to our grandchildren Adam, Zach, Jay, Aliah and Cameron, who are our future. For them, we must ensure we never lose the rights we hold so sacred.
PREFACE
In December 2000 I presented a paper called “Al-Qaeda and its Leader Osama bin Laden, The Man in the Shadow”, to an audience of young law enforcement professionals. It was well received, but international terrorism, while interesting was far from central in the imaginations of criminal justice students in December 2000. On September 13th, 2001 as a guest speaker, I once more lectured on al-Qaeda, Women in Terrorism and re-presented the “bin Laden” paper. My audience was again young law enforcement professionals, but this time they were in a state of shock! Life after September 11th 2001 was changed for all of us.
It has been my intent throughout “Circle Around the Sun” to look objectively at all sides of the terrorist equation by blending fact and fantasy. In the late sixties and seventies I lived and worked in an environment conducive to revolution, which sadly evolved into acts of terrorism. I offer no excuse for the actions of terrorists, but I would be remiss if I did not attempt to understand many of the reasons behind their actions. History is written, as is so oft quoted, by the victors.
M. D. Johnson
Maryland, 2005.
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
Monday September 10th, 2001
James Weldon Jackson, PhD, a tall, light complexioned black man stood slowly and gripped the highly polished walnut table as he began to speak. He faced his audience from the stage of the Chesapeake College Criminal Justice Department’s auditorium and winked slyly at the well dressed middle-aged woman on his right. “Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen,” he announced in his Baltimore baritone, “Our speaker this evening is Emily Byron Cowan, Director and founder of ISIS, an investigative research company based here in Annapolis. Her lecture will focus on Osama bin Laden, his organization ‘al-Qaeda’ and its long-term effects on Afghanistan and the United States. Please remember to submit your paper on this lecture by Monday for extra credit. Pay close attention to Professor Cowan, as there will be questions on this lecture in your mid-term examination.”
“Thank you, Dr. Jackson,” his guest said, bowing her head in an unofficial salute. Emily, a short, self described “warrior woman” responded warmly to the introduction. Smiling down on her colleagues in the front row and relying on recollections from her past, she took a deep breath and addressed her audience of young law enforcement professionals and pre-law students.
“As students of both Terrorism and Counter-terrorism,” she began, “It is vital that you understand what makes a terrorist and the unbridled chaos that is their world. As you have already learned there is no clear definition of terrorism. The boundaries between terrorist and freedom-fighter, good guys and bad guys are porous, but for convenience we’ll use the FBI construct, that terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against person or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” She continued wryly, “As you will note, while this is our definition, we occasionally lapse into amnesia ourselves when we ourselves sponsor terrorism some place else.” At that Dr. Jackson cringed, shook his head, and muttered, “Oh shit,” under his breath.
“In order to counteract terrorism, you have to live inside the mind and body of the opponent, recognize their ideal, be one step ahead, or,” she paused for effect, “they will win.” Continuing in her nasal yet refined northern English accent, “It would be foolish not to acknowledge the role of Sheikh bin Laden as a key figure in the political theater. This course is designed to familiarize you with the reasons behind al-Qaeda, why it was formed and how it supports the Taliban in
Afghanistan. Most of all, I ask that you consider the term ‘blowback’ and remember that we most certainly did create this monster. But perhaps more importantly, over the next two weeks I want to also give you some insight into bin Laden the person, whom I have often referred to as ‘The Man in the Shadow’.” She continued to explain that her book, “The Man In The Shadow” paid special attention to the legends and folklore still circulating throughout the Afghani and Pakistani border villages concerning the tall, quiet man the people called a savior. “He is considered by both militant and moderate Muslims to be the only man to stand up to what they describe as our ‘super power arrogance’.”
Emily Byron Cowan was a short round woman in her fifties, expensively dressed in the black Chanel business suit she had chosen especially to detract attention from her solid five foot two inch frame. Being well-dressed was always half of the battle of acceptance, she believed.
She walked over to the television and inserted a video tape, one of her own. The pirated tape, which she quickly translated from Arabic, showed bin Laden being interviewed by the Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel in Qatar. It had been filmed sometime in June 1999.
It was classic terrorist theater, with all the right visual effects, showing Osama bin Laden seated on a straw mat wearing his usual camouflage jacket, with the AK-47 which he allegedly took from a Russian officer in hand to hand combat ever present at his side.
Looking calm and collected, he stared into the camera with a hypnotic glare which could appear almost sincere were it not so lethal. He spoke using the flowing and somewhat poetic upper-class Arabic befitting a man of wealth and stature. Osama bin Laden touted the draft of what would later become his best selling book, “America and The Third World War,” and spewed forth a tirade of hate.
“I am not afraid of death,” the thin faced bearded man continued, “I came here to die. Some of my supporters followed me here just to die for the cause of Islam. They are ready to defend me and to kill anyone who thinks of attacking our positions.” Cowan’s students sat riveted to their chairs, listening to her translate the words of the one described by his followers as ‘The Prophet’.
Quickly changing videos so as not to lose their attention, she translated another interview with bin Laden by Rahimullah Ysefzai in January of 1998. “The International Islamic Front for Jihad against the USA and Israel has, by the grace of God, issued a crystal-clear fatwa.” She paused the video while she explained that this fatwa was a decree calling on a United Islamic Nation to carry out a “jihad” or holy war aimed at liberating all holy sites throughout the Middle East.
Looking around the room, she focused on a young blond man who was rapidly taking notes. “This, ladies and gentlemen, is his long-term goal and he believes the nation of Mohammed has responded to this appeal. Bin Laden feels, and not unjustly, that those who love God, his prophet and their religion will not deny that any thief, criminal or robber entering another country in order to steal, that is to say in this case, us, the good old USA, should expect to be exposed to murder. Not a new concept, I might add, but one which was also espoused by Euro-terrorists in the sixties and seventies. Bin Laden has stated that, “Americans should expect a reaction from the Muslim world that is appropriate to the injustice they inflict.” Consider this quote from Mark Juergensmeyer’s book, ‘Terror in the Mind of God’. “There is no need to contend with society’s laws and limitations when one is obeying a higher authority.”
“God,” she continued, “is always first in the minds of the faithful, and I for one hope that this time, God in all known forms will protect us from some of his more fundamentalist followers…on all sides!”
Glancing at her watch, she concluded, “We have time for a few questions.”
The blond, muscular young man in a Police Academy t-shirt stopped writing. He sported the “new” cop buzz haircut and was seated along with some of the faculty in the front row. He raised his hand; “Professor Cowan, there isn’t much media information on bin Laden available. You sound like a lot of yours comes firsthand.”
She smiled slyly, “Suffice it to say that it’s my job to pay attention to detail. The intelligence is out there. National security, in my humble opinion, just chooses to ignore it. Bin Laden,” she continued, “has been largely ignored by our intelligence. My understanding is that while there is indeed a price on his head, he’ll be around for a long time. There is no doubt that he is wearing out his welcome in Afghanistan, but as I said earlier, this man is a supreme strategist, his marriages have been within old established tribes from Chechnya to Syria, they are obligated to protect him. His Taliban tie is also strengthened by marriage and family commitment. Bin Laden’s daughter is married to Mullah Mohammed Omar, the key player of the Taliban and bin Laden himself has taken Omar’s daughter as a wife. Any betrayal at this level would result in immediate death. It would be the ultimate insult. It’s a family affair…it always is.”
“Sadly, we are reluctant to understand Islamic Jihad mentality and to the rebels, bin Laden is a hero. He will never be betrayed by his inner circle. They have sworn fealty to him. Betrayal is not even a remote consideration. However, in Afghanistan there is a need for international acceptance, not to mention the building of the UNOCAL pipeline which is backed by a wealthy international consortium. When this project is completed that impoverished little country will be propelled from the dark ages to prosperity and massive economic growth. As long as the Taliban, backed by al-Qaeda, subjects the Afghan women to gendercide, they will never be acknowledged by the UN. Women of the west will unite on this issue, because the abuse of women in Afghanistan is sending all the wrong signals to women here, and we will let this message be known. Women in the west are that strong! The message will get to the politicians and that will go back to the United Nations. That UN seat is not a bargaining chip. We can and must block the Taliban, and in turn stymie their little helpers, al-Qaeda.”
“I believe,” she stated emphatically, “That the only choice left to bin Laden, who has provided training camps, hospitals and roads to this country using his enormous wealth, is to leave Afghanistan voluntarily. Or, he should at least appear to leave as we mount pressure on the Taliban. That way, everybody has a back door and such is the political thrust of the U.S. We advise them adamantly to clean up their act by restoring the rights of women. In return they get the UNOCAL pipeline and we get a piece of the action before the Russians, our old established enemy does.”
Emily continued, deliberately lowering her voice as she stared at the faces of the students before her “At this point the Taliban can effectively say hello to the UN. Unless there is some sort of major catastrophe or act of war where he can win over all Muslims and call upon militants to join him waging war against the West, I’m inclined to think that he will orchestrate an attack against a major US landmark, something of national importance or one where he could get a lot of media attention for al-Qaeda. Don’t forget he is an educated professional with a family background in one of the largest construction engineering companies in the world. He likes to design as well as destroy. His method in the past has always been to hit and run with no fancy application. He always leaves a calling card. The message is always, ‘Nothing is safe from me – You cannot hide!’ That’s his power. It’s the Dark Lord come to life, except this is not Harry Potter.”
“The place to watch first is Afghanistan,” she went on, “then Iraq, followed by Iran. If they unite for any purpose, the long term effects for us could be catastrophic. There has already been a meeting between bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, where he received a goodwill gift of several hundred Yemeni passports, many of them diplomatic. We’ll go into that at the next lecture.”
“Professor Cowan,” a young woman asked, “You didn’t answer the question. Have you ever met him?”
Emily paused before responding. “Ever heard of the term ‘plausible deniability’?” she asked laughingly. “One more question and we’ll call it a night.”
Paying careful a
ttention to the expressions around the room, she was satisfied by the end of the lecture that she had done well. Packing up her briefcase with the mounds of lecture notes and left over handouts, she closed the door and headed towards the office of James Weldon Jackson. “Hey there,” he said as she entered his book lined office, “You did good, girl. That ol’ fire of revolution has been lit.”
“Yeah, yeah. Right on. Power to the people and all the stuff you’re too young to remember, Weldon,” Emily answered with a grin. “How come you invited me to do this series of lectures anyway?”
“To tell you the truth Em, the college just won a real big award which puts us ahead of the criminal justice funding game. I want the Terrorism-Counter-terrorism program to be a Criminal Justice class, but Sociology and Psychology both feel it comes under their jurisdiction as well. This cuts our kids out as they tend to register late and find the class is full. As I see it, if I make it more attractive, more espionage or current affairs oriented, a greater number of law enforcement wannabes will register, confidence in the program will rise and our funding pockets will fatten. You’re a known commodity. They’re used to you after your lectures last year. They associate you with the forensics class and your “Women in Crime” guest lectures.
“Glad to hear it,” she replied, “Now when are you going to get the funds to start paying me?”
“Emily, thanks for the things you do for us and I truly wish we could pay you, but you know it’s not in the budget.”
“I’m joking. I know all about number crunching. This is a great place to learn. Your students deserve the best, the standards are high and I’m glad to help out. It’s good for my book sales as well. But what concerns me is that all this stuff is so new to them. What the hell do these kids know about world politics or the Middle East? Have they any idea what we’re up against here? I try to explain at every lecture that in other parts of the world, seeing soldiers with machine guns riding around in jeeps is not unusual. In the part of the world where these people are from, bad guys still ride horses and carry rifles.”
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