crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Center ]]
(also known as '''Islamic terrorism''' or '''Jihadist terrorism''') is Terrorism - an act of violence targeting Non-combatant s - done by a person or group identifiably Islam ic, and/or to further the cause of Islamism as determined by the acts' perpetrators and supporters.
According to statistics gathered by the National Counterterrorism Center of the United States, Islamic extremism was responsible for approximately 57% of terrorist fatalities and 61% of woundings worldwide in 2004 and early 2005, where a terrorist perpetrator could be specified. http://wits.nctc.gov/reports/crot2006nctcannexfinal.pdf Report on Terrorist Incidents 2006
Extremist acts have included Airline Hijacking , Beheading , Kidnapping , Assassination , Roadside Bombing , Suicide Bombing , and occasionally Rape . Captured Iraqi Terrorist Ramzi Hashem Abed: Zarqawi Participated in the Plot to Assassinate Baqer Al-Hakim. We Bombed Jalal Talabani's Headquarters, the Turkish Embassy, and the Red Cross, Took Drugs, Raped University Students Who "Collaborated with the Americans" http://www.hrw.org/reports98/afghan/Afrepor0-04.htm#P195_40896
One of the most notable Islamist terrorist campaigns was the 9/11 Attack on the United States. Less prominent Islamist attacks have occurred in France, Russia and China. France was the focus of terrorism in the mid 1990s from the Algerian Civil War . Russia faced terrorist attacks stemming from its involvement in Chechnya . In 1997 the Chinese government set up the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to combat radical Islamic movements in Central Asia."Contemporary Islamic Terrorism", http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/2607.cfm
Islamist terrorist activity is usually referred to as Jihad (struggle). Threats, including death threats, are often issued as Fatwa s, (Islamic legal judgments). Both Muslims and non-Muslims have been among the targets and victims. Threats against Muslims are often issued as Takfir (a declaration that someone or some thing considered Muslim is in fact an unbeliever). This is an implicit death threat as the punishment for Apostasy In Islam is death, under traditional interpretations of Sharia law.
The controversies surrounding the subject include: whether the motivation of the terrorists or alleged terrorists is self-defense or offensive expansion, national self-determination or Islamic supremacy; what targets of the terrorists or alleged terrorists are noncombatants; whether Islam condones, or sometime condones terrorism; whether some attacks are Islamist terrorism, or only terrorist acts done by Muslims; how much support there is in the Muslim world for what kinds of Islamic terrorism; whether the Arab-Israeli Conflict is the root of Islamic terrorism, or simply one cause."Speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council",http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page9948.asp
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Al-Qaeda is a worldwide pan-Islamic terrorist network headed by Osama Bin Laden and is most famous for orchestrating the September 11, 2001 Attacks against the United States . It
now operates in more than 60 countries. Its stated aim is the use of , 2004 .Langhorne, R. (2006), "The Essentials of Global Politics", Hodder Arnold
See Also: Fatah al-Islam
and the United States . Lebanese authorities have accused the organization of being involved in the February 13 , 2007 bombing of two Minibus es that killed three people, and injured more than 20 others, in Ain Alaq , Lebanon, and identified four of its members as having confessed to the bombing.
Hamas , ("zeal" in Arabic and an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya), began support for attacks on military and civilian targets in Israel at the beginning of the Intifada in 1987. As the Muslim Brotherhood organization for Palestine its leadership was made up of "intellectuals from the devout middle class,... respectable religious clerics, doctors, chemists, engineers, and teachers.p.154, ''Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam'' by Gilles Kepel (2002)
The 1988 charter of and his Likud party on May 29, 1996."''Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam'' by Gilles Kepel, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, (2002), p.331
Hamas justifies these attacks as necessary in fighting the Israeli Occupation of Palestinian territory, and as responses to Israeli attacks on Palestinian targets. The wider movement also serves as a charity organization and provides services to Palestinians.Humphreys, R. (2005), "Between Memory and Desire: The Middle East in a Troubled Age", University of California Press
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by the European Union , Canada , the United States , Israel , the United Nations Commission On Human Rights and Human Rights Watch . Opponents of this view claim that Israel is not a legitimate state because of the conditions of its establishment after World War II .
See Also: Hezbollah
Hezbollah is a Shi'a militia, political party, and social services provider based in Lebanon . The United States has accused it of being responsible for the 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing of French and U.S. peacekeeping troops, and the April 1983 U.S. Embassy Bombing in Beirut . Hezbollah denies any connection to the bombings.
Throughout most of the Arab and Muslim worlds Hezbollah is regarded as a legitimate resistance movement. {Link without Title} The Lebanese government also recognized it as a legitimate resistance against occupation of Lebanese land by Israel.
2 The United States, Canada , Israel and The Netherlands regard Hezbollah as a " Terrorist " organization, while the United Kingdom and Australia consider only Hezbollah's external security organization to be a terrorist organization.
Hezbollah is thought to have inspired Al Qaeda with the idea of similtaneous terror attacks.
See Also: Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad is an Islamist group based in the Syrian capital, Damascus. A Shiite terrorist organisation with strong ties to Iran, Islamic Jihad aims to create a fundamentalist Islamic state in Lebanon. In the Western world, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is the organization usually meant by the term "Islamic Jihad", due to the widespread media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This organization is led by Sheikh Abdullah Ramadan.
Some of these groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, have limited their acts to localized regions of the Middle East, while others, notably Al-Qaeda, have an international scope for their terrorist activities.
See Also: Suicide attack
An increasingly popular tactic used by terrorists is suicide bombing.http://www.tkb.org/documents/Downloads/2006-MIPT-Terrorism-Annual.pdf. This tactic is used against civilians, soldiers, and government officials of the regimes the terrorists oppose. The use of suicide bombers is seen by many Muslims as contradictory to Islam's teachings; however, groups who support its use often refer to such attacks as " for their actions.http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/031121.htm "Shi'i theology glorifies the act of "self martyrdom" against overwhelming odds, claiming to provide the "martyr" with a direct path to heaven. What is more, the shuhada' (martyrs) see themselves as continuing Husayn's tradition of "self martyrdom." The following Hizb`allah fighter echoes these sentiments." In addition to suicide bombings, several groups have also utilized remote car bombings as well as timed explosions in public or government buildings.
The hijacking of passenger vehicles such as cars, buses, and planes has also become a hallmark of Islamist terrorism, Islamist extremists key in hijackings - SMR Online 5 April 2007. Retrieved 10 May, 2007. particularly as a result of the simultaneous hijacking of the four passenger jets utilized in the September 11th terrorist attacks as well as the hijacking of a Belgian airlines jet during the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre .
Along with bombings and hijackings, Islamist terrorists have made extensive use of highly-publicised kidnappings and executions, often circulating videos of the acts for use as propaganda. Notable Foreign Victims include Nick Berg , Daniel Pearl , Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr. , Eugene Armstrong , Jack Hensley , Kim Sun-il , Kenneth Bigley , Shosei Koda , Fabrizio Quattrocchi , Margaret Hassan . One Iraqi victim was Seif Adnan Kanaan . The most frequent form of execution by these groups has been decapitations, often committed while shouting the Islamic chant, " Allahu Akbar " (Arabic for God is greatest). While some targets are military, or seen as supporting the anti-Islamist forces, victims are also as varied as the Red Cross the Iraqi education ministry [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6153316.stm and diplomats[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4724323.stm].
To what extent Islamist terrorists are motivated by religious belief is disputed.
Robert Pape, author of the book '''', has argued that at least terrorists utilizing suicide-homicide attacks -- a particularly effective[For example, according to Pape, from 1980 to 2003 suicide attacks amounted to only 3% of all terrorist attacks, but accounted for 48% of total deaths due to terrorism - this excluding 9/11 attacks, from Pape, ''Dying to Win,'' (2005), p.28 form of terrorist attack -- are driven by nationalism, not Islam. They ]
Critics of Pape's theory argue it explains some but not all suicide bombings. It does not account for the lack of suicide bombings in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in Israel for nearly 30 years after the occupation began, for the targeting of native, non-combatant Shia by jihadi bombers in Iraq, the prominence of British-born Pakistanis in bombings in London, or of North Africans, and especially Moroccans, in the second wave of al-Qaeda attackers. Suicide Terrorism in the Middle East: Origins and Response
Some supporters of Palestinian Political Violence have claimed that citizens of Israel are legitimate military targets because Jewish adolescents are required by law to serve in the country's military.
Another author, forensic psychiatrist and former foreign service officer Marc Sageman, made an "intensive study of biographical data on 172 participants in the jihad," in his book Understanding Terror Networks . He concluded "social networks", the "tight bonds of family and friendship" rather than behavioral disorders "poverty, trauma, madness, [or] ignorance" inspired alienated young Muslims to join the jihad" and kill.[http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14036.html Understanding Terror Networks,
Marc Sageman.]
See Also: Neofascism and religion#Islam
Tenets of Islamist terrorism have been summarized by one counterterrorist as being:
- A belief that Muslims have deviated from true Islam and must return to “pure Islam” as originally practiced during the time of the Prophet.
- The path to “pure Islam” is only through a literal and strict interpretation of the Quran and Hadith, along with implementation of the Prophet’s commands.
- Muslims should interpret the original sources individually without being bound to follow the interpretations of Islamic scholars.
- That any interpretation of the Quran from a historical, contextual perspective is a corruption, and that the majority of Islamic history and the classical jurisprudential tradition is mere sophistry.[http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/07spring/eikmeier.htm Qutbism, An Ideology of
Islamic-Fascism by Dale C. Eikmeier] accessed July 17, 2007
Transnational Islamist ideology, specifically of the militant Islamists, assert a Western polities and society are actively anti-Islamic, or as it is sometimes described, waging a War On Islam . Islamists often identify what they see as a historical struggle between Christianity and Islam, dating back as far as the Crusades , among other historical conflicts between practitioners of the two respective religions. Osama Bin Laden , for example, almost invariably describes his enemy as aggressive and his call for action against them as defensive. Defensive Jihad differs from offensive jihad in being " Fard al-ayn," or a personal obligation of all Muslim, rather than " Fard al-kifaya", a communal obligation, which if some Muslims perform it is not required from others. Hence, framing a fight as defensive has the advantage both of appearing to be a victim rather than aggressor, and of giving your struggle the very highest religious priority for all good Muslims.
Many of the violent Islamist groups use the name of Jihad to fight against Christians and Jews. An example is Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda, which is also known as 'International Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders'. Most militant Islamists oppose Israel's policies, and often its existence.
In addition, Islamist Jihadis, scholars, and leaders opposed Western society for what they see as Immoral Secularism . Islamists have claimed that such unrestricted free speech has led to the proliferation of Pornography , Immorality , Secularism , Homosexuality , Feminism , and many other ideas that Islamists often oppose. Although bin Laden almost always emphasized the alleged oppression of Muslims by America and Jews when talking about them in his messages, in his "Letter to America" he answered the question, "What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?," with
We call you to be a people of manners, principles, honour, and purity; to reject the immoral acts of fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling's, and trading with interest ... You separate religion from your policies, ... You are the nation that permits Usury, which has been forbidden by all the religions ... You are a nation that permits the production, trading and usage of intoxicants ... You are a nation that permits acts of immorality ... You are a nation that permits gambling in its all forms. ... You use women to serve passengers, visitors, and strangers to increase your profit margins. You then rant that you support the liberation of women. ... Full text: bin Laden's 'letter to America' accessed may 24, 2007
See Also: Criticism of the Qur'an#War and violence
The role played by the Qur'an , Islam's sacred text, in opposing attacks on civilians or in encouraging them is hotly disputed.
Examples of verses from the Quran which have been quoted to justify attacks on civilians include
Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.
The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;
But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. The Jews call 'Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!
(These were provided by Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar as an explanation for his (unsuccessful) attempt to kill civilians.) the Daily tar Heel- Mohammad Reza Teheri-azar letter Meditation II and III
Justification for terrorism against other Muslims by militant Islamists, in particular against Muslim regimes they consider non-Islamic, is often based on the contention that the targets are , Special Dispatch Series - No. 1188, June 20, 2006 Osama Bin Laden , for example, maintains that any Muslim who helps "infidels over Muslims" is no longer a Muslim,
... the believer ... should boycott the goods of America and her allies, and he should be very wary that he does not support falsehood, for helping the infidels over Muslims -- even with a single word is clear unbelief, as the religious scholars have decreed.''Message to the World'' p.202, from 53-minute audiotape that "was circulated on various websites." dated Feb. 14, 2003. "Among a Band of Knights." ]
and that Taliban Afghanistan (no longer in existence "is the only Islamic country" in the world.''Messages to the World,'' Verso, 2006, p.143, from Interview published in ''Al-Quds Al-Arabi'' in London November 12, 2001 (originally published in Pakistani daily, ''Ausaf,'' November 7), shortly before the Northern Alliance entry into Kabul. Islamic law traditionally designates death as the penalty for apostasy (converting) from Islam.
See Also: Apostasy in Islam
Opinions within the Muslim community vary as to the grounds on which an individual may be declared to have apostatized. The most common view among Muslim scholars is that a declaration of Takfir (designation of a Muslim as an apostate) can only be made by an established religious authority. Mainstream Muslim scholars usually oppose recourse to ''takfir'', except in rare instances. ''Takfir'' was used as justification for the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat .
Criticism of Islamic terrorism on Islamic grounds has been made by anti-terrorist Muslims such as Abdal-Hakim Murad:
Certainly, neither bin-Laden nor his principal associate, Ayman al-Zawahiri, are graduates of Islamic universities. And so their proclamations ignore 14 centuries of Muslim scholarship, and instead take the form of lists of anti-American grievances and of Koranic quotations referring to early Muslim wars against Arab idolaters. These are followed by the conclusion that all Americans, civilian and military, are to be wiped off the face of the Earth. All this amounts to an odd and extreme violation of the normal methods of Islamic scholarship. Had the authors of such fatwas followed the norms of their religion, they would have had to acknowledge that no school of mainstream Islam allows the targeting of civilians. An insurrectionist who kills non-combatants is guilty of baghy, “armed aggression,” a capital offense in Islamic law. Abdal-Hakim Murad, Bin Laden’s Violence is a Heresy Against Islam
One counter-terrorism scholar, Dale C. Eikmeier, points out the "questionable religious credentials" of many Islamist theorists, or "Qutbists," which can be a "means to discredit them and their message":
With the exception of Abul Ala Maududi and Abdullah Azzam, none of Qutbism’s main theoreticians trained at Islam’s recognized centers of learning. Although a devout Muslim, Hassan al Banna was a teacher and community activist. Sayyid Qutb was a literary critic. Muhammad Abd al-Salam Faraj was an electrician. Ayman al-Zawahiri is a physician. Osama bin Laden trained to be a businessman.[http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/07spring/eikmeier.htm Qutbism: An Ideology of
Islamic-Fascism DALE C. EIKMEIER] From ''Parameters'', Spring 2007, pp. 85-98.
Yemeni Judge Hamoud Al-Hitar has also attacked the Islamic intellectual basis of terrorism using hujjat or proof "in theological dialogues that challenge and then correct the wayward beliefs" of terrorists or would-be terrorists. http://www.yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=799&p=community&a=2 Peter Willems, “The Dialogue Committee is Known Internationally,” ''Yemen Times'', 16 December 2004 to 19 December 2004
Some see a distinct difference between actions such as the September 11th attacks on the US, which most denounce, and actions such as Hezbollah's rocket attacks in response to Israeli incursions into Lebanon, which many support and don't even regard as terrorism but recognize as Defensive Jihad which means legitimate Resistance Movement . Statement of purpose Hizbullah: Views and Concepts
In parliamentary election of January 2006, 57% of Palestinians voted for Hamas ,6 which is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, United States, Canada, and the European Union and responsible for a number of attacks against Israeli civilians. However, most Palestinians regard Hamas as a resistance movement whose attacks on Israel are a result of the Israeli Occupation of Palestinian territories, and a response to the continuing development of Israeli Settlements . In addition, observers are divided over whether the election results represent support for the organization's militia tactics, support for the organization's social programs, or dissatisfaction with the previous government which was widely seen as corrupt and incompetent. A public opinion survey released following the election, indicated that nearly three quarters of Palestinians believe that Hamas should change its policy regarding the destruction of Israel and 84% of Palestinians support a peace agreement with Israel. Among Hamas voters, 73% of respondents supported a peace agreement with Israel. However, Hamas has ruled out removing the clause in its constitution which demands the destruction of Israel.7
The Free Muslims Coalition Free Muslims Coalition rallied against terror, stating that they wanted to send "a message to radical Muslims and supporters of terrorism that we reject them and that we will defeat them."
, emergency services surround the wreckage of the number 30 bus in Tavistock Square.]]
Fred Halliday , a British academic specialist on the Middle East, argues that most Muslims consider these acts to be egregious violations of Islam's laws.Halliday, Fred: ''Islam and the Myth of Confrontation: Religion and Politics in the Middle East'' (New York: I.B. Tauris, 2003), 107
Tower Two that remained standing after an Islamist terrorist attack orchestrated by Al-Qaeda .]]
- 4 September 1972 - Munich Olympic Massacre .
- 18 April 1983 - April 1983 U.S. Embassy Bombing in Beirut , Lebanon . 63 killed.
- 26 February 1993 - World Trade Center Bombing . 6 killed.
- 24 December 1994 - Air France Flight 8969 hijacking in Algiers by 3 members of Armed Islamic Group and another terrorist. 7 killed including 4 hijackers.
- 25 June 1996 - Khobar Towers Bombing , 20 killed, 372 wounded.
- 7 August 1998 - 1998 United States Embassy Bombings in Tanzania and Kenya. 224 dead. 4000+ injured.
- 11 September 2001 - September 11, 2001 Attacks 4 planes Hijacked and crashed into World Trade Center and The Pentagon by 19 hijackers. Nearly 3000 dead.13
- 13 December 2001 - Suicide attack on India's parliament in New Delhi. Aimed at eliminating the top leadership of India and causing anarchy in the country. Allegedly done by Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist organizations, Jaish-E-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba.
- 3 March 2002 - Suicide Bomb attack on a Passover Seder in a Hotel in Netanya, Israel . 29 dead, 133 injured
- 9 March 2002 - Café suicide bombing in Jerusalem; 11 killed, 54 injured.
- 7 May 2002 - Bombing in al-Arbaa, Algeria. 49 dead, 117 injured.
- 24 September 2002 - Machine Gun attack on Hindu temple in Ahmedabad , India. 31 dead, 86 injured.1415
- 12 October 2002 - Bombing In Bali Nightclub . 202 killed, 300 injured.
- 16 May 2004 - Casablanca Attacks - 4 simultaneous attacks in Casablanca killing 33 civilians (mostly Moroccans) carried by Salafaia Jihadia .
- 11 March 2004 - Multiple Bombings on trains near Madrid, Spain. 191 killed, 1460 injured. (alleged link to Al-Qaeda)
- 3 September 2004 Approximately 344 civilians including 186 children, are killed during the Beslan School Hostage Crisis .
name="last_casualty">16 {Link without Title}
- 4 February 2005 - Muslim militants attacked the Christian community in Demsa, Nigeria, killing 36 people, destroying property and displacing an additional 3000 people.
- 7 July 2005 - Multiple Bombings In London Underground . 53 killed by four suicide bombers. Nearly 700 injured.
- 23 July 2005 - Bomb Attacks At Sharm El-Sheikh , an Egyptian resort city, at least 64 people killed.
- , November 13 , 2005
- 7 March 2006 - 2006 Varanasi Bombings . An attack attributed to Lashkar-e-Toiba by Uttar Pradesh government officials, over 28 killed and over 100 injured, in a series of attacks in the Sankath Mochan Hanuman temple and Cantonment Railway Station in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi . Hindustan Times - Terror strikes Varanasi; 28 killed, no claim yet Uttar Pradesh government officials.
- Abu Sayyaf , Philippines
- Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade , Gaza Strip and West Bank
- Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya , Egypt (also known as The Islamic Group )
- Al-Qaeda , worldwide
- Ansar Al-Islam , Iraq
- Armed Islamic Group (GIA), Algeria
- Army Of Ansar Al-Sunna , Iraq
- AZF , France
- East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), China
- Egyptian Islamic Jihad , Egypt
- Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya , Egypt
- Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front (IBDA-C), Turkey
- Hamas , Gaza Strip and West Bank
- Harkat-ul-Mujahideen al-Alami, Pakistan
- Hezbollah , Lebanon
- Islamic Movement Of Central Asia , Central Asia
- Islamic Movement Of Uzbekistan , Uzbekistan
- Jaish-e-Mohammed , Pakistan and Kashmir
- Jemaah Islamiyah , Indonesia
- Lashkar-e-Toiba , Pakistan and Kashmir
- Lashkar I Jhangvi , Pakistan
- Moro Islamic Liberation Front , Philippines
- Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group , Morocco and Europe
- Palestinian Islamic Jihad , Gaza Strip and West Bank
- Tawhid And Jihad (Al-Qaeda in the Land between the Two Rivers ( Iraq )), Iraq
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