RT Week 8-14

Radical Islamists theologians

Ibn Taymiyya (1263-1328) Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703-1792) Muhammad Rashid Rida (1865-1935) Hasan al-Banna (1906-1949) Sayyid Qutb (1903-1966) Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi (1903-1979)

Belgium Demographics

-25% of the population, and 50% of newborns are Muslim

Netherlands Demographics

-50% of all newborns are Muslim. -In a mere 15 years, more than 50% of population will be Muslim -This explains why Geert Wilders and his party have found such resonance in the Netherlands

Muslim Brotherhood plan for North America

-"The Process of settlement [of Islam in the US] is a "civilization-jihadist" process with all that the word means. The Ikhwan (Brothers) must understand that all their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western-civilization from within and "sabotaging" their miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all religions."

Germany Demographics

-"The fall in the [German] population can no longer be stopped. Its downward spiral is no longer reversible...It [Germany] will be a Muslim state by the year 2050." Germany Federal Statistics Office -There are currently 52 million Muslims in Europe. The German government said that number is expected to double in the next 20 years, to 104 million

Hezbollah Anti-Semitism

-(a Shiite group) states: "The struggle against the Jewish state, in which the Muslims are engaged, is a continuation of the old struggle of the Muslims against the Jews' conspiracy against Islam.

Hamas Anti-Semitism

-(a Sunni group) Charter states: -"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." -"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors." -"After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying." -"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him." (Quoting a hadith)

World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and Crusaders

-(also known as the International Islamic Front) is a kind of amorphous coalition of Islamic fundamentalist terror groups that are not really organized, but which sometimes assist each other in providing training, personnel, logistics, refuge, etc. -Although they all have different immediate goals (e.g. the overthrow of a specific secular government, or territorial desires), they have larger goals in common: -Elimination of secular governments -Restoration of the caliphate over Muslim lands -Establishment of a worldwide caliphate -Imposition of Sharia law -Destruction of the United States, Israel, and other nations hostile to Islam (read: not Islamic) -established in 1998 by Osama bin Laden, and first became known to the west when Al Qaeda issued its 1998 Declaration of Jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders (reproduced in The Theory and Practice of Islamic Terrorism, edited by Marvin Perry and Howard E. Negrin) -The 1998 Declaration of Jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders was signed by five people: -Sheik Osama bin Muhammad bin Laden -Ayman al-Zawahiri, - Commander of the Jihad group in Egypt -Abu Yasi Rifa'I Ahmad Taha - Egyptian Islamic Group -Sheikh Mir Hamza - Secretary of the Organization of Islamic ulema in Pakistan -Fazlur Rahman - Commander of the Jihad movement in Bangladesh

Hezbollah - The Party of God

-A Lebanese Shi'ite group founded in Lebanon in about 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon -Heavily sponsored by the governments of Iran & Syria -Promotes Islamic revolution, as occurred in Iran in 1979 -Responsible for numerous terrorist attacks to include: -1983 bombings of the US Embassy and Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon -Numerous kidnappings and some executions of Westerners (especially Americans) in Lebanon in the 1980s, and of Israelis continuing to the present time. -1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 -1992 bombing of Israeli Embassy in Argentina -1994 bombing of Jewish community center in Argentina -1996 Khobar Towers attack in Saudi Arabia -Rocket attacks on Israel, including: -Those that provoked the Israeli invasion in 2006 -Such attacks are launched from time to time. -The tremendous success of Marine Corps barracks suicide bombing in 1983 was the impetus for other radical Islamic groups to use suicide bombing as a tactic -Views its violence as "defensive jihad," countering the violence inflicted upon Muslim peoples by Israel and West -Is attempting to legitimize itself by becoming a political party within Lebanon. -Did not do as well as it had hoped in recent elections. -Is recognized as a terrorist organization by the US government and several others, but many, esp. European governments, do not consider it terrorist -Hezbollah controls Lebanon -Hezbollah is a subsidiary of Iran -Hezbollah is the actual power on the ground within Lebanon -American policy toward Lebanon is all screwed up -American taxpayers have given the Lebanese army nearly 1.5 billion in aid since 2006 -US said it will give another 120 million dollars in aid to Lebanese army

What are the six core characteristics of suicide terrorism

-A willingness to martyr oneself -A masterful act of deception (disguise to get access) -Inexpensive/cost effective (9/11 attacks cost $500,000 to mount, and caused more than $500 billion damage.) -Expectations of high lethality and great destruction -Powerful psychological effect (suicide bombers' love of death is deeply disturbing to westerners and causes great fear; dedication rallies supporters.) -No escape plan needed

Franchising Al Qaeda

-Al Qaeda has been the inspiration of many like minded Islamic fundamentalist terror groups. -Although these groups are located in various geographic regions and have some different immediate goals, they share many of the same grievances and goals of Al Qaeda. -Some of these groups pre-existed the creation of Al Qaeda (late 1980s, early 1990s), and some have been created more recently. -These groups are not under the direct command and control of Al Qaeda leadership, but work cooperatively toward the same goals.

Hamas - Zeal

-Also known as Islamic Resistance Movement and Harakt al-Muqaqama al Islamiya -An offshoot of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood -Founded in 1987 -Is a comprehensive movement, like Hezbollah upon which it is modeled, and provides social and political services as well as conducts terrorist acts. -Is currently the dominant political party in Gaza -Was engaged in something of a civil war with Fatah and other remnants of the PLO in Gaza. -Is engaged in a protracted terror campaign against Israel. -Began using the suicide bombing tactic in Israel in 1994 in response to Baruch Goldstein's attack at the Ibrahim Mosque in Hebron. -Has targeted such soft targets as busses, cafes, etc. -Is a Sunni based group -Hamas Charter: Article 8: "Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes. " -Goal: Liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea (elimination of the nation of Israel) Goal:The establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state (under Sharia) law) in the entire area traditionally considered to be Palestine. -Need to justify suicide somehow because in Islam you repeat the act for eternity so they thus classify it as a martyrdom operation -the Sunni resisted this for a little while at first until they realized the shia was making a lot of progress with that tactic

What are the sources of jihad authority

-As with most things in Islam, authority for Jihad is found in the Koran, Sunna, and hadith. -There are many references to Jihad in these authorities, and they have all been analyzed and picked apart by Islamic scholars, moderate, fundamentalist, and everything in between. -"I command by Allah to go and fight all of the people of the world until they confess there is no God but Allah, and I am his messenger, and to pray five times a day and to give alms. And if they do that, their blood will be spared from me." -Islamists cite the following facts as indication that a violent, more forceful and aggressive interpretation of Jihad was well established by Muhammad himself: -He led armies into battle 27 times, -He dispatched his military forces without him on 47 other occasions; -The phenomenal spread of Islam, by force, during his lifetime, -The continued rapid spread of Islam in the years after his death also indicates to Islamists that a more aggressive interpretation of Jihad was practiced in those days. -This is one of the reasons why Islamists today yearn to return to Islam as they believe it was practiced during the life of the Prophet. -Some modern day moderates insist that Greater Jihad (non-violent, internal struggle) is the only Jihad, or the only one with a solid theological foundation. -However, not only are the Koran and other Islamic holy writings clear about the violent nature of Jihad, but so were early radical Islamic scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah -And so are modern radical Islamic scholars

Sayyid Qutb

-Became an extremely influential member of the Muslim Brotherhood. -As a young man, he was a literary critic and was somewhat open to ideas and Western culture. -In the late 1940s and early 1950s he took a trip to the west, and in particular spent a semester at the University of Northern Colorado at Greely. He was horrified by Western decadence, and particularly by the sexual decadence of women in American society. He was also offended by racism. -This caused him to take an extreme turn toward fundamentalism and to begin writing prolifically. -Upon his return from America, he became convinced that his earlier disregard for religion was wrong, and that only by a return to "true" Islam would Egypt and the rest of the Islamic world find a way out of its current problems and return to the greatness of the Golden Age of Islam. -In 1954, Egyptian President Nasser cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood and Qutb was one of the many arrested. He spent the next ten years in prison, researching, thinking and writing prolifically. -He was released in 1964 and was arrested a few months later for plotting against the government. -He was executed (hung) by the Egyptian government in 1966. -Qutb joined the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1950s (upon his return from the United States) and became editor-in-chief of the Brothers' weekly Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin, and later head of the propaganda section, as well as an appointed member of the Working Committee and of the Guidance Council, the highest branch in the Brotherhood

Danger of losing control of Pakistan

-Because Pakistan has nuclear weapons. -If the Taliban gains control of Pakistan, it will have nukes. -We know that the Taliban and Al Qaeda, et. al., share similar ideology and goals and have worked cooperatively in the past. -If the Taliban gets nukes, Al Qaeda may have access to them -Osama bin Laden declared Jihad on America -Osama bin Laden explicitly stated that he was justified in seeking and using nuclear weapons. Other jihadist leaders will have a similar attitude.

Examples of Islamic anti-Semitism

-Blood libel -the notion that the Jews have a custom of kidnapping and slaughtering a non-Jewish child and extracting its blood to mix it with their matzot on Passover. -Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, a proven forgery, is believed to be authentic by many radical Muslims (and others, including, ironically, right wing extremists). It was created in 1902 by the Russian Tsar's secret police, and purportedly reveals a Jewish plot to take over the world. It is believed by radical Muslims all over the world, as well as adherents to Aum Shinrikyo and Christian Identity faiths. -Belief and conviction that the Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, engineered the 9/11 attacks and framed Muslims in an effort to inflame the Christian West against Muslims. -Mein Kampf is a best seller in the Middle East. -Adolph hitler's book is a best seller in the middle east -first thing a radical group must do is identify a broad enemy -Jews are referred to as: (Criminals, Descendants of apes and pigs, The scum of the human race, The rats of the world, Termites, Bacteria, Vampire, Userers, and *****-mongers) -This dehumanization and identification of a broad category of enemy is a classic tactic of religious terror groups. This is one of Hoffman's four core characteristics of religious terrorism. -Radical Muslim admiration for Hitler and the Nazi way of thinking. (e.g. Mufti of Jerusalem) -Rector of Al-Azhar University in Egypt, Shaykh Abd-al-Halim Mahmud, said, "Allah commands Muslims to fight the friends of Satan wherever they may be found. And among Satan's friends- indeed, his best friends in our age are the Jews." -Rector of Advanced Studies at Islamic University in Gaza said: "The Jews are the Jews...They do not have any moderates or advocates of peace. They are all liars. They must be butchered and killed....It is forbidden to have mercy in your hearts for the Jews in any place and in any land, make war on them anywhere that you find yourself. Any place that you meet them, kill them." -Holocaust Denial - A large number of radical Muslims deny the fact of the Holocaust. (Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has publicly called for and promised the obliteration of Israel, has dismissed the holocaust as a Zionist myth. He also hosted a conference in 2006 in which the reality of the Holocaust was debated.) Why would the Jews fabricate the Holocaust? To defraud the West of billions of $ in reparations and other payments To purchase world support for the creation of Israel To demoralizeAryans and the West so that the Jews could more easily take over the world. The latest anti-Semitic strategy, used to delegitimize the state of Israel as well as Jewish claims to the Temple Mount - Temple Denial!

Mir Aimal Kasi

-Born in Quetta, Baluchistan, Pakistan in 1964 (same province or state that produced Ramzi Yousef) -Came to U.S. in 1989 - Worked as a courier driver and in that capacity frequently drove by the entrance of CIA HQ -Kasi's roommate in VA later told police how Kasi would get angry watching CNN reports of attacks on Muslims. In particular, Kasi would later cite the US attacks on Iraq (Gulf War), Israeli killings of Palestinians, and CIA involvement in Muslim countries. -Kasi told the roommate that he wanted to do "something big," with possible targets of the White House, the Israeli Embassy and the CIA. -Purchased AK-47, and on 1/25/93 opened fire at the entrance to CIA HQ, killing 2 and wounding 3. -Fled to Pakistan -Was arrested and returned to US in 1997, tried for capital murder, convicted, sentenced to death (Not charged with terrorism.) -Motive for shootings: "I was real angry with the policy of the U.S. government in the Middle East, particularly toward the Palestinian people." -Only stopped firing because "there wasn't anybody else left to shoot," and he only shot male passengers because "it would be against [his] religion to shoot females." (Thus religion not only inspired him, but controlled the way in which he carried out his attack.) -Two days prior to his execution, 4 US oil executives and their taxi driver were killed in Karachi, Pakistan, allegedly in revenge for the conviction/impending execution of Kasi -Was executed in VA on 11/14/02 -Kasi's body was repatriated to Pakistan, his funeral was attended by the entire civil hierarchy of Baluchistan, the local Pakistan Army Corps Commander and the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Ashraf Jahangir Qazi.

Richard Reid "The Shoe Bomber"

-British born (from a Visa Waiver Program country) -Attempted to ignite bomb hidden in shoe on 12/22/01 while onboard transatlantic flight to U.S. -Flight attendant smelled sulfur, alerted passengers, who "neutralized" Reid before he could light the fuse. -Charged with 183 counts of attempted murder and many other offenses. -Convicted. After sentencing began, yelled at judge, swearing his allegiance to Allah, Muhammad, and Osama bin Laden.

Osama Bin Laden

-Collaborated with Azaam; provided money and organization to widely distribute Azaam's message of global jihad -After Azaam's assassination in 1989, bin Laden took over his organization, the Afghan Services Bureau, & morphed it into AQ -Became convinced of God's favor for cause of Islamists after Mujahideen defeat more numerous and better equipped Soviets -Iraq invades Kuwait; Saudi's feel vulnerable to Sadam's aggression. OBL offers to use his Mujahideen to defend Arabia; Saudi Royal family rejects offer in favor of U.S. intervention; OBL sees this as their inviting the Crusaders back into Muslim Holy Lands; OBL denounces Saudi Royal family, and commits AQ to jihad against West wherever vulnerable (Global jihad)

Perry and Negrin on suicide bombing as a strategic tactic

-Extremely deadly -Inexpensive -Readily available (no shortage of recruits) -Difficult to defend against -Sends an effective message to friend and foe alike. -Radicalizes the masses -Increases recruitment -Demonstrates the inability of the government to prevent it, and robs the government of satisfaction of capture and punishment, which leads to decreased morale.

Canada Demographics

-Fertility rate = 1.6 -Islam is the fastest growing religion in Canada -Between 2001 and 2006 the overall population of Canada increased by 1.6 million people. 1.2 million were immigrants, many from Islamic countries.

United States Demographics

-Fertility rate of American citizens = 1.6 -Fertility rate including that of IAs =2.11 -Muslim population in 1970 = 100,000 -Muslim population in 2008 = 9,000,000 (an increase by a factor of 90 in just 38 years.) -Chicago 2005 - meeting re Muslim evangelization in America, "through journalism, politics, education, and more." (What does "and more" mean?) "We must prepare ourselves for the reality that in 30 years there will be more than 50 million Muslims living in America." Islamic Strategy Conference in Chicago

WIF grievances 1998 Declaration of jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders

-First two paragraphs invoke God and quote extensively from the Koran and other Islamic texts, to include a quote from Muhammad: "I have been sent with a sword in my hands so that only God may be worshiped, God who placed my livelihood under the shadow of my spear and who condemns those who disobey my orders to servility and humiliation." -Next three paragraphs list the following three grievances: -The occupation of Muslim holy lands, especially Saudi Arabia, by Western, especially American military forces; -U.S. and Western aggression toward Iraq; -Jewish occupation of Palestine, murder of Muslims there, and U.S. support for the Jewish state, Israel.

Martyrs, Demons, & Sacrificial Victims

-In this climactic and apocalyptic struggle, religiously motivated terrorists see themselves as Martyrs. ("Shaheed"; Paul Hill) -They see their enemy as demons (broadly defined category of enemies (Hoffman)) -They see innocents who die in the cross fire as sacrificial victims, whose lives have been sacrificed for the greater good. -Their enemies see a mirror image, with themselves as the good guys, the terrorists as the bad guys, and innocent victims as just that.

Lone Wolf Terrorism and Freelancers

-Increasingly, terrorist acts are being carried out by extremely small groups, lone wolves with their own cause, or freelancers who subscribe to an ideology but are not formally part of any group or network. -Extremely small group - Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and Michael and Lori Fortier; The Charlie Hebdo terrorists; Paris Attacks; Brussels Attacks; San Bernardino Lone wolf - Major Nidal Malik Hasan - Ft. Hood Terrorist - acted on his own based on general guidance from AaA; Omar Mateen - Orlando Nightclub Attack -Freelancers -- Many, many examples of freelancers who subscribe to an ideology/cause, but operate independently.

Muslim brotherhood

-Founded in Egypt in 1928 -By Hassan al-Banna -Has spread to many other countries, especially in the Middle East and the Maghreb (North Africa) -Has spawned numerous Islamic radical terror groups -Is a Sunni based group -Is not overtly a religious terror group, but works behind the scenes to advance Islamist goals (ejection of western powers from Muslim lands, reestablishment of the caliphate, establishment of a worldwide caliphate; uses religious justification for its violent acts (terrorism)) -The MB includes all Muslim men, anywhere, and as originally formulated, did not overtly engage in politics, but did engage in social work and in Jihad. In Egypt, the Jihad was first directed against the British, and next against what the MB viewed as an apostate secular Egyptian government. -After the overthrow of Mubarak, the MB became overtly political, holding 50% of the seats in the legislature and the Presidency -The Muslim Brotherhood has since spread all over the world as a social group, political movement, and a Jihadist group. -It provoked attacks on the governments of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and elsewhere, all of which were brutally repressed. -But the MB marches on. In the recent past, the MB has been involved in the Arab Spring and has gained ascendancy in several countries. -After the first Intifada in Palestine in 1989, Hamas broke off of the MB, but subscribes to same beliefs -There are approximately 70 additional offshoot terrorist organizations that can trace roots to the MB -Hamas and MB did not have falling out Hamas was just more focused on Palestine The MB is active worldwide. In 11/01, a detailed 14 page document written in Arabic was found in a Villa in Switzerland. -It outlined a 100 year plan for radical Islam to infiltrate and dominate the west and "establish an Islamic government on Earth." -This document is known as "The Project." -The Project was conceived of and written by members of the MB -some of the goals in the project are outright jihad while some are stealth jihad -The MB is not unusual for outlining a plan to create a world Islamic caliphate but, rather for the fact that it includes methods other than violence to implement a cultural jihad.

France Demographics

-French population = 1.8 fertility rate -Fertility rate of Muslims in France = 8.1 -30% of those under 20 years old are Muslim -By 2027, 20% of the population of France will be Muslim

History of the caliphate

-From the death of the Prophet in 632 AD, there has been simmering dispute over the caliphate, who the proper caliph is (the original source of the split between Shias and Sunnis), where it should be headquartered (Mecca, Medina, Baghdad, Cairo, Istanbul, elsewhere) -There have been various families and clans who have controlled the caliphate over the centuries. -One thing that all radical Islamists agree on is that there should be a caliph and a caliphate, and that the immediate goal is to unite all Muslim people under one Sharia controlled government. The long term goal is to impose Sharia and the Islamic way of life in a worldwide caliphate.

Qutb's influence on Egyptian Islamic Jihad and Al Qaeda

-His influence on Al Qaeda was felt through his writing, his followers and especially through his brother, Muhammad Qutb, who moved to Saudi Arabia following his release from prison in Egypt and became a professor of Islamic Studies and edited, published and promoted his brother Sayyid's work -One of Muhammad Qutb's students and later an ardent follower was Ayman al-Zawahiri, who went on to become the leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and later a mentor of Osama bin Laden and a leading member of al-Qaeda. -Zawahiri was first introduced to Qutb by his uncle and maternal family patriarch, Mafouz Azzam, who was very close to Qutb throughout his life

Jews and Muslims

-Historically, although discriminated against in Muslim culture, Jews fared better there than they did in the West where anti-Semitism was rampant. -Jews, along with Christians, were considered to be "People of the Book." Because the People of the Book recognize the God of Abraham as the one and only god, as do Muslims, and they practice revealed faiths based on divine ordinances, tolerance and autonomy is accorded to them in societies governed by traditional Sharia law. -Muslims did not teach that Jews were endowed with Satanic qualities as was done in the West -Allah is same God as the one that Christians and Jews worship -There are, however, passages in the Koran and other Islamic writings that are interpreted by some to denigrate Jews and provide a foundation for Muslims to embrace the worst elements of European anti-Semitism

Yemen's Houthis

-Houthis rebels: makes them sound like a localized tribal rebellion group but this is far form the case -they are very radical - shiite, call themselves Ansar Allah which means Supporters of God -closely allied with Iran -4th year of civil war in Yemen with three sides fighting each other

Grievances of Al Qaeda and its franchises

-Humiliation and injustice inflicted upon Muslims -They believe that Western contact and modernization caused the end of the Golden Age of Islam -Dismemberment of the Ottoman empire after Word War I resulted in: -the end of the Caliphate (1924/Attaturk) -Establishment of many artificial and secular nation states in the Middle East, ruled by puppets of the West, who are apostate Muslims -Historic theft of Muslim lands -Andalusia (Spain) -Establishment of Israel and dispossession of Palestinians -Repeated humiliating military defeat (sound thrashings) at the hands of Israel and other western powers -1948 (War of Independence), 1956 (Suez Campaign), 1967 (6 Day War), 1973 (Yom Kippur War), 1991 (Gulf War), 2001-02 (Afgh.), 2003-2011 (Iraq) -Radical Islamists believe that Western contact with traditional Muslim lands and peoples has had the following negative effects: -Western godless ways have weakened Islamic culture and faith: -Music and other media (too sensual and depraved; Qutb) -Women in society (Radicals believe that women have no equal rights, no right to do anything except stay home, take care of their families, and raise children) -Politics - democracy is incompatible with Islam -Secular Law - contrary to Sharia Law -Sex - premarital, homosexual, explicit representation in media -Western powers have stolen natural resources that belong to the Muslim people (Oil.) Stolen? @ $59 to $67 per barrel as of 3/27/19.

The Projects

-In 11/01, a detailed 14 page document written in Arabic was found in a Villa in Switzerland. -It outlined a 100 year plan for radical Islam to infiltrate and dominate the west and "establish an Islamic government on Earth." -This document is known as "The Project." -The Project was conceived of and written by members of the MB -some of the goals in the project are outright jihad while some are stealth jihad -The MB is not unusual for outlining a plan to create a world Islamic caliphate but, rather for the fact that it includes methods other than violence to implement a cultural jihad. -involve Muslims in dmeocratically elected instutitions -hide extremism and pretend to be moderate -align with progressive organizations that share similar goals -create autonomous security forces for Muslims -Make Palestinian cause a global wedge issue --want global islamic domination -insight hatred by Muslims against Jews -activly create jihad terror cells within Palestine -collect funds to support jihad

United Kingdom Demographics

-In the last 30 years, Muslim population has increased from 82,000 to 2.5 million -There are over 1,000 mosques in the UK, many of them located in former churches

1979

-Iranian Revolution/Theocracy/Hostage Crisis -A theocratic caliphate was possible in the modern world -Muslim world did not have to be victim of western meddling -Seige of the Grand Mosque in Mecca -Salafists use doctrine of takfir to declare/wage jihad on Muslims -Saudi royal family yields to Islamists, and in exhange for no jihad against the Kingdom, it would commit petrodollars to global jihad -Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan -U.S. and Saudi backing assist mujahideen defeat super power -Abdullah Azzam/OBL found AQ to export jihad to the world, the goal of which is the victory of Islam and the word of Allah across the earth.

Demographic Jihad

-Is a type of non-violent Jihad in which radical Islamists will legally and illegally immigrate to various places and establish communities that will grow by: -Continued immigration; and -Conversion of the native population; and Reproduction

Islamic State

-Is large, with a formalized command and control structure. -Has robust: Military branch - much less in 2018-19 than previously and Financial resources and capabilities - less than previous -Public relations branch with a strong emphasis on the use of social media to spread its message and propaganda -Became so large and well developed that one must question whether it was still a terrorist group (which by definition is a sub-state actor), or a de facto nation state. -ISIS had an army, a govenrment, social services, and education so was it a nation state? It was not recognized by world governments though

Homegrown jihad

-Is violent jihad carried out by legal residents of the country in which they carry out the attacks. It may become more common as the world becomes more diverse -Liberty City Seven (Sears Tower Plot) -Lackawana Six -New York Four (James Cromitie, et al.) -Carlos Bledsoe, aka Abdulhakim Muhammad (LR, Ark. recruiting station) -Major Nidal Malik Hassan and the Fort Hood shootings (The Pentagon and Obama administration called this one "workplace violence" for years after the attack) -Times Square Bomber (related to South Park?) -Numerous sting operations -Paris Attacks - November 2015 -San Bernardino Attacks - December 2015 -Orlando Nightclub Attack -June 12, 2016 -Countless others

Demographics

-Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world -Recently, the Pope acknowledged that for the first time in history, the number of adherents to Islam has surpassed the number of Catholics. -In order to maintain a culture, the fertility rate per family must be 2.11. -Current fertility rates of European countries: (France 1.8, England 1.6, Greece 1.3, Germany 1.3, Italy 1.2, Spain 1.1, European Union 1.38) -Population of Europe is increasing -Since 1990, 90 % of the overall population increase is due to Muslim immigration

Ibn Taymiyya

-Islam requires state power -the government must apply Sharia Law -Muslims have a duty to conduct "jihad" against non-Muslims, Muslims who avoid the duty of jihad or who otherwise stray, and apostate governments

Islam and Suicide Terrorism

-Islamic radicals see bombers who intentionally die in attacks on the enemy not as suicide terrorists, but as martyrs, or "shahid." -The Koran expressly forbids suicide. Traditional Islamic belief is that a Muslim who commits suicide will experience repetition of that suicide in perpetuity. -For this reason, radical Islamists play semantics and differentiate suicide - the intentional taking of one's own life - from martyrdom, in which the perpetrator's death is required for the attack's success and is thus justified and accepted. -Radical Islamists do not see suicide bombers as we do in the west. They see them not as some kind of crazed, irrational person who should be committed, but rather as a martyr (Shahid) who is willing to sacrifice all in furtherance of their faith. Radical Islamists want to die for their cause. -Conclusion: "Suicide terror attacks are rational acts undertaken as part of a deliberately calculated and orchestrated campaign to undermine confidence in government and leadership, crush popular morale, and spread fear and intimidation." (Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism, p.168) -Perspective

What are the benefits to using suicide bombing as a tactic

-It frequently achieves the objective (1983 Beirut) -It is cost effective -It generates fantastic media coverage (huge factor) -Suicide bomber is "the ultimate smart bomb," a human missile relentlessly homing in on its target but with flexibility in timing and access (can adapt to last second changes). -It terrifies enemies and rallies supporters. -Among rival terrorist groups, it conveys a seriousness of purpose that is appealing to supporters and potential supporters. (LTTE/Hamas)

What is suicide terrorism

-It is a violent terrorist act in which the perpetrator(s) know that it is highly likely that they will die can tend to be contagious. -Studies of the suicide terrorism originating in Gaza confirm "clusters" or spates of suicide bombings. Once one happens, others follow. -Why? Because of the very positive way in which the population and terror leaders react. -Celebrations of the Shaheed to honor his purported marriage in paradise. Parades, receptions, parties. -Publication of Martyrdom notices, like wedding announcements, in the newspaper. -Monetary rewards for the family

Why is Islamic Anti-Semitism dangerous

-It serves as a rallying cry for Islamic jihadists and fundamentalists hostile to the core values of Western tradition. -This Nazi-like demonology of Jews openly calls for and justifies genocide. In other words, it justifies in the minds of Islamic terrorists lethal violence against Jews. -Compare with Rabbi Kahane's view of the Arabs -(Hoffman - "broad categories of enemies) -(Stern - first thing is to identify an enemy) -There are signs that Americans and other westerners (infidels) are becoming the object of the same hatred that is now directed at the Jews

Suicide terrorism and sex

-Many young Muslim men in certain parts of the world feel humiliated not only by the geopolitical situation, but also by their own personal situation. -Refugee camps in Gaza are filled with young men who are poor with no prospects of financial success and thus no prospects of marriage. -Their religion strongly discourages sex outside of marriage, sometimes under penalty of death. Their pent up virility needs an outlet. -Martyrdom thus becomes a solution to all of the frustrations they face, religious (paradise), geopolitical (strike against the west), economic (rewards for family), personal (marriage in paradise), and sexual (BEVs). -The Shaheed is promised 72 black eyed virgins upon reaching paradise through martyrdom -Islamic teaching: -Makes clear that ALL faithful get 72 BEVs, not just martyrs. -Is not clear that this entails sex with any or all of them, but terror leaders encourage, and shaheeds believe, that it does. -16 year old Hamas youth leader: "I know my life is poor compared to Europe and America, but I have something awaiting me that makes all my suffering worthwhile ...Most boys can't stop thinking about the virgins." (Stern 55) -IDF prevented suicide bomber from blowing himself up and discovered his genitals wrapped in toilet paper to protect them "for later use in paradise." (Stern 55) Lotsa luck with that! -A respected Egyptian journalist, Hasanain Kurum, wrote that the late author and reporter Muhammad Galal Al-Kushk caused a scandal when he wrote that "the men in paradise have sexual relations not only...with the 'black-eyed' but also with the serving boys," and that "a believer's penis is eternally erect." ("If your erection lasts more than 4 hours, call a doctor.") -My question is, "How does he know those things?" -In any case, it is clear that sex is a significant component of the psychology of terrorism, and particularly suicide terrorism.

Examples of Lone Wolf Terrorism and Freelancers

-Michael F. Griffin who killed David Gunn -Baruch Goldstein -James Kopp who killed in Dr. Barnett Slepian -Paul Hill who killed John Britton -Yigal Amir who killed Yizak Rabin -Scott Roeder who killed George Tiller -Abdulhakim Muhammad aka Carlos Bledsoe the Little Rock Killer -Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan the Fort Hood attacker -The Underwear Bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab -Faisasl Shahzad Times Square attacker -Mohamed Osman Mohamud who attacked Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland Oregon -Muhammad Hussein/Antonio Martinez who attacked Military recruitment center -Alton Alexander Nolen aka Jah'Keem Yisrael a Muslim production who beheaded one coworker and tried to behead another -Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez the Chattanooga, TN attacker -San Bernadine Shooter -Pulse Nightclub shooter Omar mateen -Ahmad Khan Rahimi who committed 2 bombings in NJ -Ohio State University Knife attack Abdul Razak Ali Artan -London Attack Adrian Russell Ajao

Cosmic Struggle

-Most religious terrorist groups and actors believe that they are engaged in a cosmic struggle. What is a cosmic struggle? -A sense of good vs. evil -Us (the good) vs. everyone else (the evil) -God is on our side. We cannot lose this battle, no matter how bad it looks, because God is on our side. If we do lose this battle, it is God's will, but we WILL win the war for sure. -Titanic struggle on behalf of God (and good) and with his support. -Apocalyptic visions - End times, end of the world

Qutb and Bin Laden

-Osama Bin Laden was also acquainted with Sayyid's brother, Muhammad Qutb. -A close college friend of bin Laden's, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, told Wright, that bin Laden regularly attended weekly public lectures by Muhammad Qutb, at King Abdulaziz University, and that he and bin Laden both "read Sayyid Qutb. He (Qutb) was the one who most affected our generation."

Abdullah Azzam

-Palestinian, family fled West Bank, studied in Syria & Egypt, taught in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia -Member of Muslim Brotherhood, studied al-Banna & Qutb -Published Defense of Muslim Lands and Martyrs: the Building Blocks of Nations, both of which assert the supremacy of Islam, the humiliation by the west, the personal obligation of every Muslim to wage jihad, dying in the effort if necessary, on Islam's oppressors, and to create a caliphate -Received approval, and not a single objection, to this fatwa, from over 100 Muslim scholars in Mecca (clerical sanction) -Jihad is an Islamic cause which concerns all Muslims -Afghan jihad became global, joined by Muslims from everywhere

Empowerment

-People who are humiliated and alienated (Hoffman 4) feel powerless. -They see terrorism (religiously motivated political violence) as a way to assert power, or empower themselves, against an enemy (broadly defined category of enemy) (Hoffman 2) that is much stronger than themselves. (Asymmetrical warfare) -They justify their violent actions by interpreting their religion as requiring them (sacramental or divine duty) (Hoffman 1) to wage jihad, and by seeking clerical sanction (Hoffman 3) prior to engage in such action -Thus terrorism, a classic example of asymmetrical warfare, is a means for marginalized, humiliated, alienated, and otherwise powerless people to assert power. -They use the tactic of terrorism to: -Injure and demoralize the enemy -Make a clear political statement -Rally their supporters

What reward does a suicide terrorist receive in islam suicide terrorism

-Personal rewards from Allah: -No pain for his injuries -Absolution for bad deeds -A seat in Paradise -Saved from the torture of the grave -Saved from the fear of the Day of Judgment -Marries 72 black eyed virgins -He becomes an advocate for 70 of his relatives to reach paradise. -He earns a crown of glory whose precious stone is better than all this world and everything in it. (Hoffman) -Other rewards: -Respect and veneration from the entire Umma -Monetary rewards for family

Goals of Al Qaeda and its franchises

-Restoration of the Golden Age of Islam -Ejection of the Infidel from Muslim lands -Elimination of Israel and all Jews -Elimination of American and other Western presence -Restoration of the Caliphate -Establishment of a worldwide Caliphate (worldwide Islamic domination in preparation for the end times.) -Elimination of democracy (incompatible with Islam) -Imposition of Sharia Law, everywhere -Return to the practice of a pure form of Islam, as it was practiced during and immediately after the life of the Mohammed. (Salafism)

Islamic anti-semitic thought

-Sayyid Qutb and other Radical Islamic thinkers have gone back to the days of the Prophet and allege that the Jews of Mecca opposed Mohammed and told lies about Allah. -They believe that Jews are the "eternal" enemies of Allah and of Islam, and that they are a satanic, diabolical force, locked in a lethal struggle with Islam. -Qutb said "the struggle between Islam and the Jews continues in force and will thus continue because the Jews will be satisfied only with the destruction of [Islam]." -Muslim Brotherhood has popularized the idea that Jews are the first and most dangerous of the "four horsemen of the apocalypse."

Apocalyptic Expectations

-Serious religiously motivated terrorists see the Apocalypse/End Times as very near and cause to engage in desperate action because time is running short. -Jihadists (Especially ISIS/Dabiq) -Army of God -Covenant, Sword, Arm of the Lord -Aum Shinrikyo/Shoko Asahara -Sometimes the leaders who spout this stuff actually believe it. Sometimes, they are simply trying to motivate their troops. -Jim Jones and the People's Temple -Shoko Asahara and Aum Shinrikyo

Political unrest and religious extremism

-Some analysts argue that when things fall apart politically, members of a society will turn to religion for a sense of order and justice. -Others argue that religious people who take their views to an extreme, and act out by voicing their grievances through violence against the established order, destabilize society politically, and thus are the cause of things falling apart. -Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Camaraderie/Male Bonding

-Some analysts posit that membership in terrorist groups is a form of male bonding, psychologically similar to membership in -Gangs -Fraternities -Social and service organizations (Knights of Columbus, Freemasons, Elks, Lions, Moose, Eagles, Great White Buffalos, etc.) -Young men can receive the following benefits from belonging to such a group: -Psychological benefits: (Mentoring, Substitutes for lost or absent fathers and older brothers, A sense of purpose, Feeling of belonging to a group or team, Feeling of belonging to something greater than themselves) -Material benefits (Money, Weapons, Training)

Tactics of Al Qaeda and its franchises

-Sometimes they conflict over who should be attacked first: -Classic Al Qaeda thinking is that global jihad should first be carried out against "the far enemy," as they are the source of all problems (US and other western powers.) This was always Osama bin Laden's opinion prior to his death. -Some franchisees (as well as Ayman al Zawahiri, prior to the merger of Egyptian Islamic Jihad with AQ), believe that the initial targets should be "the near enemy" (the secular regimes ruling Muslim countries, which the radicals consider apostate.) -Is it mere coincidence that it was only after Zawahiri took over AQ after OBL's death that the "Arab Spring" toppled secular gvts? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Might warrant further exploration -Conventional bombing -Improvised explosive devices -Suicide bombing -Attacks with conventional arms -Attacks on sites affiliated with the West -Creative attacks (Trucks driving through crowds (Nice, Berlin, NYC) -Asymmetrical attacks (i.e. not army vs. army) -9/11 use of hijacked planes as missiles -Bojinka -London and Madrid -Efforts to obtain Weapons of Mass Destruction -Osama bin Laden's own words -Biological weapons labs in Chechnya

Political motive of suicide terrorism

-Suicide bombers accept their mission like a soldier who accepts a suicide mission in an ordinary war. -They kill themselves in order to advance the common good. The rate of suicide bombing is frequently an upward trajectory, gathering pace and attracting volunteers as time goes on.

Grievances of terrorists

-Terror groups, by definition, have grievances. -Terror groups, in general, share alienation as a grievance. -Members of such groups feel powerless to effect change through the established political process, and thus alienated from the society in which they live. -Thus, they resort to the only tactic that they see as likely to achieve the desired political change. -Religious terror groups, amazingly enough, have religious grievances. -These religious grievances cross over and become political grievances, and thus we have the convergence of religion and politics, which, when taken to its extreme, results in religiously motivated terrorism.

Islamic Fundamentalist grievances

-The Crusades -Western influence leading to end of the Golden Age of Islam -Dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire -Subjugation of Muslim lands by Western imperialist powers -Elimination of the Caliphate -Establishment of apostate Muslim governments -Establishment of the State of Israel in Palestine -Continued support for Israel against its Muslim neighbors -The humiliation of losing several wars to Israel -"Theft" of natural resources (oil) of Muslim nations -Continued meddling in the affairs of Muslim nations (Iran, Iraq) (never any mention the assistance the US provided in ejecting the Soviet forces from Afghanistan)

Disturbances by the Muslim Brotherhood

-The French Intifada (riots in slums in France that were largely populated by Muslims.) 2005 -The violent demonstrations in various cities following the publication of Danish cartoons. -The demonstrations against stupid movie -the Danish cartoons published months before the brotherhood stirred up violence in Europe These are in furtherance of one of the points in the Project: "Inflaming violence and keeping Muslims living in the west in a jihad frame of mind."

Reasons for Islamic anti-Semitism

-The advent of Zionism in the late 19th century -Creation of the state of Israel on "inviolable" Muslim land -Israel's repeated humiliating defeats of Arab Armies -Israel's ongoing conflict with "Palestinians" -Israel is perceived as a Western colony in Middle East and an affront to Muslim dignity -Israel is a threat to Islamic identity, by showing Muslims how to easily and successfully assimilate into Western culture.

Women in Islam

-The founder and CEO of Bridges TV told police that they would find his wife's beheaded body at his place of business. He has been charged with second degree murder. -The couple, who have two children age 4 and 6, were estranged. Aasiya filed for divorce on February 6 and had the court initiate a protection order which barred her husband from entering their home. According to Aasiya's divorce lawyer, Corey Hogan of the firm Hogan Willig, there had been domestic violence in the past. -On Feb. 6, she filed for divorce and obtained an order of protection, barring him from their home in Orchard Park. A week later, she lay dead in their television offices — stabbed and decapitated. Muzzammil was charged with her murder. -Muzzammil Hassan launched Bridges TV in 2004, wanting to portray Muslim's in a more positive light. The network slogan is "Connecting People Through Understanding." The English-language broadcasts have received the endorsement of prominent American Muslims, including boxing great Muhammad Ali. - The abuse, according to police reports, ranged from restrictive control to outbursts of violence, including a black eye and fat lip. -At various times, Aasiya accused her husband of physically preventing her from calling the police, abandoning her vehicle in Clarence so she couldn't flee and pouring water on her to keep her from sleeping. -A nationwide debate has begun among Muslim leaders and women's advocates about what role religion and culture may have played in this awful killing. Some argued that this was a classic honor killing. Others claim that it was just another case of domestic violence. That debate continues. -While it's clear that Aasiya sought some protection from police and confided in some close friends about the abuse, it seems that publicly she kept up the illusion of a stable marriage. (Not at all uncommon in troubled marriages.) -The problem for Aasiya may have been that, by outing her abuser, she also would have destroyed the reputation of her husband and business partner and threatened her dream of a vibrant Bridges TV cable network dedicated to American Muslims.

Three Primary Grievances of WIF

-The ongoing "occupation" of Saudi Arabia and other Muslim Holy Lands. (Particularly irksome to bin Laden was the presence of US military forces in Saudi Arabia.) -The US conflict with Iraq (The Gulf War and sanctions that followed; the devastation that this has inflicted upon the Iraqi people; the annihilation and humiliation that the Americans are inflicting on the Iraqis and their Muslim neighbors.) -These actions by the United States serve as a distraction from the continuing occupation of Jerusalem, and "murder" of Muslims by Israel. -The Declaration calls upon all Muslims who want rewards and to comply with the will of Allah to "kill Americans and seize their money wherever and whenever they find them. We also call on the religious scholars, their leaders, their youth, and their soldiers, to launch the raid on the soldiers of Satan, the Americans, and whichever devil's supporters are allied with them, to rout those behind them so that they will not forget it." -This is an invocation to Muslims that it is their "divine duty" to wage this "defensive" jihad. -Radical Islamists believe that jihad is the de facto, if not de jure, sixth pillar of Islam. -The conclusion of the 1998 Declaration of Jihad against Jews and Crusaders quotes from two passages in the Koran to provide clerical sanction for the violence that the Declaration encourages

Qutb prison works

-The period of his imprisonment (1954-1964) saw the composition of his two most important works: a commentary of the Qur'an Fi Zilal al-Qur'an (In the Shade of the Qur'an), and a manifesto of political Islam called Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq (Milestones). -advocate a restructuring of society by means of an Islamic transformation in which God's sovereignty over all the world would be established through the imposition of Sharia law -These works represent the final form of Qutb's thought, encompassing his radically anti-secular and anti-Western claims based on his interpretations of the Qur'an, Islamic history, and the social and political problems of Egypt. The school of thought he inspired has become known as Qutbism.

Islamic Theological Justification for Suicide terrorism

-The quest for all Muslims in their earthly life is to secure a place in heaven through total surrender to God. -Four essential motivations justify suicide attacks or "martyrdom operations." -Seeking martyrdom -Hurting the enemy -Encouraging Muslims -Weakening the spirit of the enemy. -In support of suicide terrorism, no less authority than the Grand Ayatollah Khomeini once said that he knew of no command "more binding to the Muslim than the command to sacrifice life and property to defend and bolster Islam." -"Suicide bombings in occupied Palestine represent one of the highest forms of jihad in the Name of Allah...[t]o call these operations suicide attacks would be a mistake and misleading. These are examples of heroic sacrifice, as utterly outside the bounds of suicide as the acts of martyrs. A suicide takes his life...But what we are talking about is killing yourself for your religion and your people.A suicide is someone tired of himself and tired of Allah, but a mujahid is imbued with faith in Allah's grace and generosity." -Many radical Islamist religious authorities cite Sura 2, verses 190-191 as religious sanction of suicide bombing: "Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you...And slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the place when they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter."

What types of terror groups engage in suicide terror attacks

-Various types, but it is a tactic that is most commonly used by religiously motivated terror groups for two reasons: -Recruits are convinced that they will receive reward from God in the next life; and -Religious extremists are more sure of a steady flow of recruits than are other types of terrorists, and therefore can risk losing personnel in these types of attacks.

Russia Demographics

-There are 23 million Muslims in Russia today - 1 out of 5 -In a few short years, 40% of the Russian army will be Muslim

The Doctrine of Abrogation

-There are many Surahs in the Koran that advocate peace and harmony among peoples. It is these Surahs that lead to descriptions of Islam as a religion of peace. These Surahs clearly conflict with other Surahs. -How to deconflict these Suras? How, then, to explain the violence espoused by radical Islamists? -Radicals invoke the Doctrine of Abrogation, which is based on Surah 2:106, which says: -"None of our revelations do We cause to be abrogated or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah has power over all things?" Surah 2:106 -Revelation in the Koran is considered "progressive." When there is an contradiction between surahs, more recent surahs cancel out or "abrogate" older revelations. -Drinking alcohol was initially allowed at any time, then allowed at any time except during prayer, and finally banned at all times. -The direction that the faithful were supposed to face during prayer was initially toward Jerusalem. It was subsequently changed to toward Mecca. -Surah 2:109 appears to be the model of tolerance and says: Quite a number of the people of the Book wish that they could turn you (people) back to infidelity after you have believed...but forgive and overlook. -Surah 9:5, which was revealed after Surah 2:109 says: So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush. -Additionally, the Surah are not written in the Koran in chronological order, or the order in which the revelations were given to the Prophet. - In other words, Surah toward the end of the Koran may predate Surah toward the beginning of the Koran, and thus be abrogated by them. -Only extremely well trained Islamic scholars know the order in which the revelations were given.

"Soft," Cultural, Stealth, or Legal Jihad

-There are some Islamists who believe that in addition to violent jihad, another effective strategy that should be used to spread Islam all over the world, and especially the west, is "soft," cultural, stealth, or legal jihad. -These types of Jihad involve Muslim groups and organizations using the tools of liberal western democracy (freedom of religion, freedom of expression, legislative representation, access to the courts, and law suits) to spread Islam in a non-violent but persistent manner. -CAIR's lawsuit on behalf of the flying Imams -Insistence on women only gym hours by female Muslim students at Harvard University Insistence on the provision of feet washing stations at certain public facilities -Pressure on Viacom to censor South Park's parody of Mohammed -"Bridges" -Repeated petitions to get school boards to close public schools on Muslim holy days.

Why are Islamists anti-semitic

-There is a perception in much of the Middle East that the West created Israel out of guilt over the attempted genocide of the Jews during World War II. (This may be at least partially accurate.) -Many Arabs, particularly adversely affected Palestinians, have the sense that they are "paying" for the sins of the West. -Two justifications for Islamic hatred of the Jews, are the same as those used by Hitler. -Self defense against the threat they pose to humanity -Fighting for the Glory of God.

What do family members of the suicide bombers support suicide terrorism

-They receive respect from the umma. -They may receive monetary compensation -Most importantly, they have an advocate in Paradise that will help them achieve that goal. -Saudi Arabia pays for a Shahid's family to travel to Mecca for the haj.

Lone Wolf and Homegrown terminology

-They tend to minimize the connection between the violent acts and radical Islam or Christianity, when the connection is direct and absolute. -The fact that there are no known concrete connections between a violent attacker and a organized terror group does not mean that the attack is any less motivated by religion. -We are at war with an ideology called radical Islam, and with all adherents to that ideology, whether they are a member of a group or acting on their own. -by calling it these other names it diminishes the religious aspects of these attacks

What is the caliphate

-Ultimately, the caliphate is single, global Islamic state, ruled by Sharia law. -Between now and then, Islamists would settle for a government, ruled by Sharia, that governs all Islamic lands (interpreted very broadly). -The caliph, or leader, of that government would have both political and religious authority. (He would have absolute authority in everything.) -Why a "restoration" of the caliphate? Was there ever a caliphate? Yes, there was. From the time of the Prophet until 1924 when Attaturk, the founder of modern Turkey, abolished the caliphate (earning him everlasting enmity from jihadis).

Indoctrination is key

-Walter Liqueur says it is key to recruitment of suicide bombers and that it is much easier for religious group to accomplish this rather than secular terror groups -analysts who argue that Islamic suicide bombers are driven by despair and lack of hope are frequently mistaken. -Due to the religious nature of their act (jihad, self sacrifice, rewards in the next life) they are driven by hope. It is a joyous experience and occasion.

Divine Duty/Fighting for the Rule of God

-When people are humiliated and powerless, and believe that the system is broken, they frequently turn to religion for answers and leadership. -The religions that they turn to are sometimes extreme, the type that promise, or at least give hope, of taking some type of action (violence) that will effect a change for the betterment of society. -Paul Hill - had to take action because the government was degenerate -Michael Bray - saw government laws allowing abortion and homosexuality as clear signs of government degeneracy -Abdulhakim Muhammad - described his attack on the army recruiting station in Little Rock as an "act, for the sake of God, for the sake of Allah, the Lord of all the world..." -Baruch Goldstein - "Israelis are soon going to have to choose between a Jewish state and a democratic one." -Thus, religious extremists who become terrorists are not some type of insane, crazed maniacs, as is sometimes believed by westerners. -They are rational actors, who are living their faith. -Although one may not agree with their interpretation of their faith, or their actions in furtherance of it, one must recognize that their faith is what drives them to do what they do, and that in that sense their actions are completely rational.

Examples of cultural jihad approach in the US

-Women only gym hours at Harvard University (2007)(in response to vehement demands by female Muslim students) -Opening prayer of Iowa legislature in 2008 in which an Imam called on Allah to "give us victory over those who disbelieve." -Muslim taxi drivers refuse to give rides to those carrying alcohol, and to people with dogs (even service dogs). -First Islamic public school (a charter school) in New York, funded by tax dollars -American colleges designating prayer rooms for Muslims only (rather than shared in an interfaith arrangement) -Not the issue a couple years back at CUA re crucifixes

Cells

-small groups of operatives within a terrorist organization. -Each cell has a leader. -The leader is usually in communication with others in the group's chain of command. (Sometimes they are not, and this is called "leaderless resistance" (Army of God is a prime example of leaderless resistance.)) -Thus regular members cannot give up the identity of anybody outside of their particular cell.

Jihad

-a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād is a noun meaning "struggle." Jihad appears frequently in the Qur'an and is commonly used as an idiomatic expression, such as "striving in the way of Allah (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)." -Compare: Mein Kampf = My Struggle -A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid, the plural is mujahedeen. 1) It can simply mean striving to live a moral and virtuous life, spreading; internal struggle for greater faith (Greater Jihad) 2) In modern times it more commonly means the use of physical force and violence to spread and defend Islam as well as to fight injustice and oppression, among other things; open warfare and violence aimed at expanding the Islamic state (Lesser Jihad) -Moderates within the Islamic community tend to define Jihad as a "struggle within oneself" to be a better, more Godly person, who lives according to the rules handed down by the prophet Muhammad. -Islamic Fundamentalists tend to use the second, violent meaning of Jihad, which is the use of force and violence to spread and defend Islam. (Fundamentalists consider moderates to be jahiliyya (ignorant), apostate, and worthy of being the targets of Jihad as unbelievers. "Doctrine of Takfir.") -Most Islamic and western scholars agree that Lesser Jihad (violent Jihad), the only type of warfare permitted under Sharia Law, is the primary interpretation of Jihad -existed as a concept and as a reality since the days of Muhammed

Hasan al-Banna

-an Egyptian, was profoundly influenced by the British occupation of Egypt and the general collapse of the Islamic world during the post WWI era -He stood for the following: -Muslims must return to true Islam and transform themselves into true believers; and -Muslims must make their society into a true Islamic state. -Jihad against unbelievers is a duty, especially those occupying Islamic territory. -After reclaiming Islamic territory, believers will conduct jihad against the rest of the world -Western secularism has damaged Islam and must be overcome -Jihad is a social duty that God has delegated to Muslims so that they would become an "army of salvation" to rescue humanity and lead them all together on one path. -known for founding the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 -killed, presumably by the Egyptian security Services, just weeks after a member of the Muslim Brotherhood assassinated the Prime Minister of Egypt

Ordinary People and Death Work

-analyzed seven Palestinian suicide bombers arrested before they could carry out attacks. The following findings were made: -Ranged in age from 16 to 28 -Average number of kids in family was 10 -None were married -Economic background of family was better than the typical Palestinian -Mothers were homemakers with whom they were close -Father was authority figure whom they respected and feared -Their social identity as Palestinians was one of being dispossessed, oppressed, humiliated, alienated -Experienced years of training re Israeli culpability, from a very young age (Early indoctrination and brainwashing is a known characteristic of Hamas.) -All felt spiritually uplifted upon deciding to become a martyr. -Revenge was sometimes a motive (Against father, ex-wife, Jews, loss of a lover) -Days before their mission they were isolated from the outside world and engaged in reflection -Confided their plans to nobody. -Video-recorded their last will and testament, thus locking them in.

Ayman al Zawahiri

-commonly regarded as the number 2 man in Al Qaeda, but he was always the number 1 spiritual thinker. -Now he is the head of Al Qaeda Core -young Ayman al-Zawahiri heard again and again from his beloved uncle Mahfouz about the purity of Qutb's character and the torment he had endured in prison." Zawahiri paid homage to Qutb in his work Knights under the Prophet's Banner.

The Taliban

-from the Arabic word for student, "taleb" -are fundamentalist Sunni Muslims, mostly from Afghanistan's Pashtun tribes. -dominates large swaths of Afghanistan and a large part of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) -Seeks to establish a puritanical caliphate that neither recognizes nor tolerates forms of Islam divergent from their own. -Scorns democracy or any secular or pluralistic political process as an offense against Islam. -The Taliban's Islam, a close kin of Saudi Arabian Wahhabism, is far more perversion than interpretation. Some commentators argue that the Taliban's version of Sharia, is historically inaccurate, contradictory, self-serving and fundamentally deviant from prevailing interpretations of Islamic law and practice. -The Taliban does not believe in a deliberative political process, least of all in democracy. Ahmed Rashid, the Pakistani reporter and Central Asia correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review and Britain's Daily Telegraph, interviewed Taliban Mullah Wakil on the matter before 2001, when the Taliban still ruled most of Afghanistan. Wakil was a close confidant of Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader sometimes referred to by his Arabic title, Amir ul-Momineen, or "Commander of the Faithful." -Wakil said: "Decisions are based on the advice of the Amir ul- Momineen. For us consultation is not necessary. We believe that this is in line with the Sharia. We abide by the Amir's view even if he alone takes this view. There will not be a head of state. Instead there will be an Amir al- Momineen. Mullah Omar will be the highest authority and the government will not be able to implement any decision to which he does not agree. General elections are incompatible with Sharia and therefore we reject them." --when you have people that subscribe to this type of belief then how can you be successful on nation building? Exporting democracy? Having democratic elections- they don't want them they think that they are contrary to their elections

Palestinian Suicide tactics

-have worked hard to create a social and political acceptance of the use of suicide bombing as a tactic. -Veneration of "martyrs" (esp. among Shia) -Raises families of "martyrs" to a highly respected status -Families of Martyrs receive $3,000 to $5,000 (subsequently increased to $25,000 by Sadam Hussein). -Huge parades honoring "martyrs." -Children see "martyrs" as role models. -In 2002 opinion poll, 70% of Palestinians supported suicide attacks on Israel.

Quito's criticisms of the US

-its materialism, -individual freedom, -economic system, -racism, -brutal boxing matches, -"poor" haircuts (?), -triviality, -restrictions on divorce, -enthusiasm for sports, -"animal-like" mixing of the sexes (which went on even in churches) -lack of support for the Palestinian struggle. -In an article published in Egypt after his travels, he noted with disapproval the sexuality of Americans: -critical of jazz music -impression of America and Americans was drawn from his short stay in Washington DC, and a much longer one while doing graduate work at the Colorado State College of Education -Qutb concluded that major aspects of American life were primitive and "shocking," a people who were "numb to faith in religion, faith in art, and faith in spiritual values altogether." -His experience in the U.S. is believed to have formed in part the impetus for his rejection of Western values and his move towards radicalism upon returning to Egypt.

Views on Radical Islam

-republicans say "Islam hates us" and "patrol muslim neighborhoods" -democrats say don't profile Islam is a religion of peace and muslim americans have made enormous positive contributions to society and that republican ideas are dangerous -muslim community says nothing and provides sympathy and shelter to Islamic terrorists -makes the case that as currently constituted Islam is NOT a religion of peace and is in desperate need of reformation

Compartmentalization

-the concept of keeping information "compartmentalized" in order to prevent its disclosure, intentional or inadvertent, to the enemy. -Both terrorist and counterterrorism organizations employ the concept of compartmentalization to protect information, and to protect personnel. -Terrorist groups compartmentalize information so that if one or more of their operatives get arrested/captured, they will not possess any more information than necessary in order to do their job. (Most importantly, they are kept ignorant of the broader membership and leadership of the organization.) -Counterterrorism agencies "compartmentalize" in order to prevent the intentional or accidental disclosure of investigations to the enemy. -prior to 9/11 the code was need to know - if information was classified you didn't get access to that info unless you had need to know -one of the criticism's the 9/11 report occurred was that there was too much compartmentalization - not enough sharing (had FBI known what CIA knew then you could have taken steps to prevent 9/11)

Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi (1903-1979)

-was a Sunni Pakistani journalist, theologian, Muslim Revivalist Leader and political philosopher, and a major 20th century Islamist thinker. -a prominent political figure in his home country (India/Pakistan). -the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, the Islamic revivalist party. 1) Islam must be revived in order to resist occupying foreigners. 2) Islam is just as threatened by the Hindu majority in India, as it is by the Christians of the West. 3) Jihad is absolutely essential to Islam, and sooner or later there will be open warfare between believers and infidels. 4) Only in Islam will Muslims find the solutions to their problems. 5) Modernity and liberalism are jahiliyya (ignorance) and must be replaced with the Muslim system of life. (anti-modernist) 6) Everything is under the control of God, and the state (government) is his representative on earth. This thought heralds the development of totalitarian Islamic regimes. (e.g. Taliban, Iran, Sudan) 7) The West is bankrupt, morally rotting, and his political party, Jama'at-i-Islami (JI), will be the vanguard or the revolution of Muslims throughout the world. -Mawdudi and Qutb sort of fed off of each other, and together with Hassan al-Banna, had a profound impact on the development of modern radical Islamic thought during the 20th century

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab

1) Believers should think for themselves and are under no obligation to follow anybody except God and Muhammad 2) God alone is lord. No one else can make law. Sharia is the only law. 3) Muslims have a duty to make Jihad against anybody who tries to make or implement any law other than Sharia Law. 4) God alone is lord. Nobody else should be revered, worshipped or placed in high esteem (thus condemning Sufis and Shiites as unbelievers and subject to Jihad) -some religions in the Christian faith ascribe to the idea that you listen to God and that's it - Evangelicals -Shites and Sufis do revere people other than God and Muhammad and that makes them unbelievers according to Wahabbism - this is the doctrine of takfir at work

Muhammad Rashid Rida

1) Modernizers are false renewers and heretics, especially the Turks. 2) Liberation of women and other reforms are destroying the fabric of Islamic society (Rida was one of the first anti-modernizers.) 3) Just as Taymiyya condemned the converted Mongols in the 1200s as heretics and unbelievers, Rida condemned modern secular governments as being contrary to Islam.

Goals of Radical islamists

1) Restoration of the Caliphate (worldwide) 2) Imposition of Sharia law 3) Destruction and elimination of all religions other than Islam. 4) Destruction and conversion of the West, especially the United States. 5) Destruction and elimination of Israel and all Jews.

Two principles of the Muslim Brotherhood

1) Taqiyya - concealing or disguising one's beliefs, convictions, ideas or opinions at a time of imminent danger to save oneself from physical and/or mental harm (interpreted to authorize deceit or lies to advance the cause of Islam.) 2) Da'wa - the call. Inviting non-Muslims to accept the truth of Islam (Worked so effectively on Archbishop of Canterbury that he said, "The adoption of certain aspects of Sharia law in the United Kingdom seems unavoidable.")

Qutb's propositions

1) The utter lordship of God and his sole authority to make law. (Sharia law is required in all truly Islamic lands) 2) "Jahiliyya" or ignorance. All so-called Muslims who did not follow Islamic law were in a state of ignorance and thus unbelievers who could & should be fought and killed (hand in glove w/ takfir) 3) Essentialist vision of the world. People don't change and what the Koran said about Jews and Christians is as true today as it was then. This way of thinking enabled the development of conspiracy theories that underlie the Jihadist view of the west, Christians, Jews and other nonbelievers. 4) Jihad -- both intellectual and armed, must be waged by all true Muslims to eliminate the worship of anyone or anything other than Allah. Jihad could and should be directed against both non-believers as well as Muslims who refused to recognize the absolute lordship of Allah (those in a state of jahiliyya (ignorance)). -According to this concept of jihad, Qutb advocated violence against "apostate" leaders of Islamic countries.

The goals of jihad

1) To defend Islam from attack, insult, or injustice from infidels or apostate Muslims. 2) To defend Islamic peoples from attack, insult, or injustice from infidels or apostate Muslims. 3) To spread Islam all over the world. The word "defend" as in "defensive Jihad" is used in an extremely liberal sense