Ribat: The Truth Behind “Muslim Enclaves”
In Islamic history, the ribat referred to the chains of jihadi fortresses erected along and dedicated to raiding the borders of non-Muslims. Why does this history lesson matter? Because in many respects, the Muslim enclaves and "no-go" zones that proliferate throughout the West function as embryonic ribats: hotbeds of radicalization and jihadi activities targeting their immediate infidel neighbors-that is, their European host societies.
If Islam continues to grow in the West, and if Western peoples continue
to retreat (in a myriad of ways), it is only a matter of time before the West's
many Muslim enclaves evolve into their most natural forms: ribats dedicated to
waging full-blown jihad on their infidel neighbors-a scenario that makes the
fall of the Islamic State's last ribat in Syria pale in significance.