Karim Ben Khelifa for TIME SPAIN Farid Itaiben prays at the mosque where his brother, killed in the Madrid bombings, preached

GENERATION JIHAD     The Enemy Within
	Rootless and restive, young Muslims in Europe are increasingly turning to religious extremism. An inside look at the threat from homegrown militants
	By BILL POWELL

Posted Sunday, Oct. 23, 2005; 10.53BST

The last time Myriam Cherif saw her son Peter was in May of 2004. She quietly wept as the two of them stood at the elevator on the fifth floor of the gritty public-housing project where they lived just north of Paris. Myriam, 48, was born in Tunisia, moved to France when she was 8 and became a French citizen. Peter's father, who died when the boy was 14, was a Roman Catholic from the French Antilles in the Caribbean. But Peter, 23, took a different path. In 2003 he converted to Islam and became a devout Muslim, after years of worshipping little more than video games and French rap stars. He took to wearing loose trousers and a long tunic instead of blue jeans. Then, one day in spring last year, the headphones of a digital recorder playing Koranic prayersjammed into his ears, Peter told his mother he was heading to Syria to study Arabic and the Koran. At first, Peter e-mailed his mother every couple of days, sending her snapshots and news of his studies in Damascus. Then in July, he told her he was headed for a “spiritual retreat” and would be out of touch for a while. She heard nothing until last December, when she received a brief phone call from a French government official who told her that Peter had been captured by U.S. soldiers in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

Today Peter, one of five French citizens in American hands, is being held at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, U.S. military officials in Iraq say. More than a year since she last heard from her son, Myriam is still trying to understand how, in the streets and cafés of Paris, Peter and other young Muslims like him were lured to give up their lives in the West to pursue jihad. “They saw aggressive, violent images on the Internet, and asked questions about why Muslims were suffering abroad while European countries were doing nothing,” she says. “It's like they set off a bomb in their heads.”

If we had work at home, believe me, we’d get out of Europe. We’re here simply to make a living.

The July 7 suicide bombings in London provided a deadly reminder to European governments of the chilling reality they confront: the adherents of the most radical forms of Islam are found not just on the Pakistan-Afghan border or the violent streets of Iraq. Instead, in Europe, the enemy is within, made up of young men born and raised in working-class neighborhoods throughout Britain, the banlieues of Paris, and the gritty industrial towns of the Netherlands and Belgium. Most Muslims in Europe, of course, are not radicals, and deplore the violence committed in Islam's name. But with disturbing frequency, deeply alienated young Muslims across the Continent, men like Peter Cherif, are finding spiritual and political homes in the most radical, anti-Western strains of Islam — becoming homegrown jihadis, determined, apparently, to bring the fight to the countries in which they were raised. Listen to the videotape purportedly made by Mohammed Sidique Khan, one of the London bombers. Khan denounces Europe's “democratically elected governments” for carrying out “atrocities” against Muslims. “We are at war and I am a soldier,” he warns. “Now you too will taste the reality of this situation.” A blood-curdling threat — issued in his distinctive Yorkshire accent.

Continued ...

Tough On The Top [Oct. 15, 2005] Police say Islamist terrorists are targeting Netherlands' ruling eltite TIME.com: Generation Jihad [Oct. 3, 2005] Rootless and restive, young Muslims in Europe are increasingly turning to religious extremism. An inside look at the threat of homegrown militants London Terror [Aug. 1, 2005] Four more bomb attempts on London transport rattle the already anxious capital, while the search for those responsible takes on global dimensions Becoming A Bomber [Aug. 1, 2005] Investigators in Pakistan explore possible radicalizing influences Hate Around The Coner [July 25, 2005] Investigators blame the attacks on four homegrown suicide bombers — and look for global links to al-Qaeda In Both Sorrow and Anger [July 25, 2005] British Muslims start to talk about the London bombs — and the radicalism that produced them The Hardest Count [July 25, 2005] How do you indentify the victims of a suicide bomber? 7 Days Later [July 14, 2005] Scenes from Britain after the suicide attacks TIMEeurope.com Series Of Explosions In London [July 7, 2005] Dozens die as terrorists hit Britain's capital in the crowded rush hour TIME.com Back to Work [July 8, 2005] TIME's staffers give first-person accounts of their morning journey as Londoners return to their commute the day after a deadly attack Photoessay Rush Hour Terror [July 18, 2005] After a strike in the heart of London, suspicion again falls on Islamic radicals. Inside the hunt for the bombers 3 Lessons from London [July 18, 2005] As investigators unravel the plot, here's what the attacks reveal about how al-Qaeda operates today — and why the bombings may be a sign of things to come Photoessay A New Blitz [July 7, 2005] Four explosions in London rip apart a bus and shut down the entire transport system Photoessay Eyewitness [July 8, 2005] Personal Cameras and cellphones record the terror of the day Photoessay London Carnage [July 8, 2005] Dozens killed by rush-hour terror strikes PhotoessayLondon Mourning [July 8, 2005] Shock and sadness follows a wave of terror "The Whole World Is Crying" [Sep. 20, 2004] After the Beslan school slaughter, the Kremlin's handling of the siege comes under fire. Putin backs an inquiry and promises to crack down on the terrorists. What went wrong — and what's coming next Caught Up In A Circle Of Hate [July 26, 2004] With violence against Jews and Muslims on the rise, France struggles to stop the wave of racism Search all issues of TIME Magazine Indicates premium content