Introduction
Terrorism refers to the systematic use of violence to cause terror among civilians with the purpose of asserting demands and forcing the government to give in to those demands. Individuals involved in terror activity are called terrorists. Terrorists execute terror actions by different means such as bombing, hijacking, kidnapping, and assassination. Based on execution style, terrorism has been classified into different types including state terrorism, bioterrorism, Eco terrorism, cyber terrorism, nuclear terrorism, anarchist terrorism, religious terrorism, nationalist terrorism and narcoterrorism. All of these types of terrorism are perpetrated using some specific methods of violence to convey a message. Terrorist attacks can take place anytime anywhere in the world which works effectively in inducing fear and uncertainty among general public. The purpose of this paper is to identify the issue of religious terrorism and discuss in detail what religious terrorism is and its history, modern day religious terrorism, creation of mujahedeen and Al-Qaeda, the causes and the solutions.
Religious Terrorism –What is?
Religious terrorism refers to the terrorism perpetrated in the name of religion. Religious terrorism is a very dangerous activity because of the fanaticism involved with the practice and the willingness of the fanatics to immolate themselves in pursuit of their objective. All the religious terrorists justify their violent action by taking the cause of religion. Abu Bakr Ba'asyir, the leader of Jamaah Islamiyah in Indonesia, the group which executed many bombings including the one occurred in the Bali nightclub said ""The aim of jihad is to look for blessing from Allah." After the train bombing took place in Madrid, Spain, the perpetrators announced, ""We choose death as a path to life while you chose life that is a path to death." There are many examples like this which indicate that religious terrorists act in the name of divine God and seek purification of their souls through their violent actions. (James W. Jones)
History of Religious Terrorism
Over several centuries, all the great religions of the world have fanatics misusing religion to cause destruction and terror among people, be that Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus or Sikh. Terrorism in the name of religion has long been in place in the human history. There are examples galore of religious extremists engaging in violence to convey their religious propaganda. The form of religious terrorism can be varied, communal, nihilistic, genocidal or revolutionary. It can be carried out by lone wolves, governments, dissident movements or clandestine cells. There are a lot of debates, based on political perspective, whether the perpetrators of religious violence should be categorized as terrorists or religious freedom fighters.
During the medieval period in 1095, the Roman Catholic Church carried out about nine invasions on disunited Muslims referred as Saracens in order to confiscate the holy lands. Christian knights and soldiers partook in these operations lured by the promise of glory, booty and land. But the most important rationale was the spiritual promise made by Pope Urban II that fighting and sacrificing life in the name of God would guarantee martyrdom and a place in heaven. A pious knight who would help in the liberation of the holy lands would earn salvation from all his sins. This belief was apparent in the war cry of those crusades Deus lo volt! (God wills it!). The Roman Catholic Church not only ambushed Muslims lands, they also assailed Jews and other religious beliefs condemned as heresies. During the brutal Albigensian Crusade in southern France when many honest and pious Catholics were also murdered in the attacks and concerns were raised, the pope's agent Arnaud Amaury replied, “Kill them all; God will know his own!” (Sagepub, p 134)
In Persia there was a group called 'the Order of Assassins' founded by Al-Sabbah, a religious head of the Ismaili sect of Islam, in 11th century. He advocated the radical version of Islamic tenets and founded the group to demonstrate his interpretation of the faith. They used to consume hashish before going on a violent mission. Their influence was noticeable in the cities of Persia, Syria, and modern Iraq. The Assassins annihilated scores of people including Sunni Muslims and Christians. They believed that killing and sacrificing were good things done in the name of God ensuring paradise for them after death.
Modern Day Global Issue of Religious Terrorism
Lately, religious terrorism has become a global issue with frequent terror attacks taking place all over the world, the most recent one is the Boston Marathon bomb attack where the terrorists detonated two bombs back to back killing three and injuring scores of others. There are a slew of religious terrorist groups in operation all over the world, the most infamous and prolific of all being the Islamic terrorist groups, namely Lashkar-e-Taiba, al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and so on.
In recent years almost all the terrors attacks that have taken place in the world are caused by Islamic terrorists. There have been a large number of terror incidents that claimed innumerable innocent lives over the last one decade, all of which have been carried out by Muslim fundamentalists. In the attack on Twin Towers in New York in September 2001, the number of casualties crossed over 3,000. A year after that in 2002 a natural gas truck filled with explosives was detonated in front of Ghriba Synagogue, killing about 20 and injuring over 30 people. In the same year another massive bomb blast left many dead and many others mutilated in the Bali bombing in Indonesia. The financial hub of India, Mumbai has been under a lot of terror attacks in recent times. In 2003 two car bombs were detonated in August killing about 50 people and seven explosions in passenger trains claimed lives of more than 200 people in 2006. In 2008, Mumbai witnessed an ingenious terror attack in the form of 10 armed terrorists entering the city from the sea port and firing into the crowd indiscriminately and exploding bombs. Tourist spot, five start hotels and a Jewish center were all their targets for inflicting maximum casualties. Needless to say, all these attacks were carried out by Muslim terrorist organizations. Hence the word religious terrorism has now turned out to be broadly associated with the Muslim religion.
There are a lot of debates over the fairness and unfairness of relating terrorism with Muslim religion. Religious terrorism is an age old concept which didn't originate from Islamic faith, but in the current scenario of almost all the terror attacks being triggered by the Muslim terrorists, this is undeniable that the current practice of religious terrorism is essentially a concerted handiwork of Islamic fundamentalists, a group of radicals who misinterpreting the verses of the Holy Qur’an regard unjustified killings of innocent people a religious duty. The word mujahedeen has frequently come into our ears over any news of terror attack.
Birth of Mujahedeens
Islamic fighters or jihadi are called mujahedeen who have vowed to protect the faith of Islam. They are fundamentalists who abide by the radical version of Muslim tenets. The decade long Soviet war in Afghanistan lasting from 1979 till 1989 gave birth to several ethnic rebel groups of Afghanistan who started collectively calling themselves as mujahedeen. These Afghan Arabs spread the modern jihadi ideology across the Muslim community. The reasons for Muslim radicals participating in jihad are plentiful. Some of them believe that Islam is repressed by the West while others simply join jihad by reacting to the threats coming from a foreign nation, such as the Israeli occupation of Gaza, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. occupation of Iraq. There are many others who join mujahedeen groups to extend support to their Muslim brothers. All the mujahedeen brothers are unified by a set of basic values. They all believe that one must sacrifice himself for the cause of faith. They all live, fight and die by religious beliefs. They believe that the trials and tribulation suffered in this world will be awarded in heaven and that the acceptance death while defending the holy cause of faith against the unfaithful is martyrdom. The most dreadful and ruthless mujahedeens comprise the terrorist group of Al Qaeda.
Creation of Al Qaeda
The most aggressive pan-Islamic revolutionary organization of modern day is Al Qaeda founded by Osama Bin Laden, the notorious terrorist of all time. Al Qaeda's mission is to integrate all the Muslims of the world in a holy war. Dr. Abdullah Azzam, a Palestinian who was one of the leading activists of the anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan was the first mentor of Bin Laden. Born into a rich Saudi family, Laden inherited over $300 million worth property from his father. When Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviets in 1979, Bin Laden like thousand other non-Afghans helped in the jihad by aiding financially and recruiting Arab militants to combat the Soviet army in Afghanistan. Bin Laden organized a training camp for the militants in 1986 which later evolved into the infamous Al Qaeda group in 1988. He was infuriated when King Fahd of Saudi Arabia allowed the American troops, with their rock music and Christian and Jewish army, carry on the Persian Gulf War from Saudi soil in 1991. (Sagepub, p 149)
Owing to the government pressure Bin Laden moved the base of Al Qaeda operation first from Afghanistan to Saudi and then Saudi to Sudan. It was in Sudan that the network of Al Qaeda grew strong. Their purpose was to launch and wage a holy war against the infidels of the west and those of other countries which were a threat to the Muslim world. Any un-Islamic regimes that they considered posing a threat to their Muslim brothers were targets of their terror attacks. Bin Laden and all the other Islamic terrorist groups look at the US as an arch enemy of Islam. In their perspective, the United States is involved in anti-Islam activity by providing its support to Israel, Russia, India and the Philippines, stationing its troops in the sacred Muslim terrains of the Gulf and Iraq, and by its occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda has proved to be an inspiration for many Islamic fundamentalist groups in many countries. When Al Qaeda moved its base to Afghanistan, its reputation as a militant training center drew in new militants and led to the creation of new militant groups such as Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and Laskar Jihad in Indonesia. (Sagepub, p 150) Al-Qaeda extensively supports the formation of new militant groups by providing training and sending its own group members to help in their movement.
Causes of Religious Terrorism
In the event of a plenitude of terror attacks perpetrated in the name of religion all around the world, one question always surfaces again and again. What causes religious terrorism? Should religion be accountable as the prime cause of terrorism or does terrorism emerge under the programmed way of brainwashing and coaching provided by some fanatical religious leaders to pious god-fearing and god-loving impressionable minds who easily coming under their influence commit atrocity in the name of religion? We often hear of mullahs being alleged of instilling fanaticism and brainwashing young men with radical views to instigate them into joining terrorism. Religious leaders delude the bigot believers into fulfilling their religious duty by committing crimes against innocent civilians with the promise of heaven after death and remission of sin, just as the Pope of Roman Catholic Church did when he provoked soldiers and knight to partake in Christian crusades against non-Christians in the 11th century.
Extreme poverty is another reason that triggers religious terrorism. Terrorist groups allure financially deprived people into joining their cause in exchange of money. In Mumbai terror attack in 2008, the lone survivor called Ajmal Kasab who was recently hanged in 2012 was persuaded into terrorism by a leader of a terrorist group. Before joining the political wing of Lashkar-e-Taiba, he was a petty thief hailing from a very poor family. His father was alleged to have received a hefty amount of money in lieu of Kasab joining the militants, though his father denied the allegation completely saying "I don't sell my sons."
There are some who become terrorists in order to express their grievances. Mujahedeens were born because of their grievances towards Western influences in causing the decline of Islamic states. They misinterpret the Quran verses and align the ideology with their fundamental beliefs to justify their actions. They believe that waging jihad is fair to uproot foreign power from sacred Islamic territories. They are also opposed to the United States giving support to Israel.
Political reasons also drive one to become a terrorist. Many of the holy lands are sacred to more than one religion such as Jerusalem which is considered a holy spot by people of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. For Jews, Jerusalem is the base where Judaism started, for Christians, it is a place where Jesus Christ was born and for Muslims, it is the third most holy spot after Mecca and Medina in Islam. There have been a lot of religious wars waged over the claim of this place, which has resulted in friction between Muslims with Christians and Jews for years. This friction has surfaced again and again in the form of religious terrorism.
Commercial reasons also drive a terrorist movement. Commercial reasons are in most cases not responsible for starting a terrorist group but often help it grow and sustain its activities. For example, some of the private companies or nations help terrorists as they buy weapons from them and they profit out of it. As some of the big terrorist foundations of the current world are very well funded and can afford high-tech weapons. Some companies sell more weapons to terrorist organizations rather than to fair market. Countries like Iraq, Sudan, and North Korea actually help the terrorists/extremists by supplying weapons.
Social injustice is another big cause of religious terrorism. In some countries or some parts of world certain religious ideas are not given full freedom and importance as others. This over a period of time causes a social dissatisfaction among the deprived section of the society. This common discontent binds those people together in the name of religion. For example, Uighur separatists (Chinese Muslims) feel they are oppressed in China and they should exercise terrorist activities to acquire equal rights. Similarly if I have to pick one incident from history Zionists (British Jews) employed terrorist tactics to bomb Britain during the 1930s as they felt they were marginalized by the Christians in the society.
Religious beliefs are also a very big reason for religious terrorism. In recent years we have seen almost all terrorist activities are initiated by Islamic fundamentalist groups. The reason seems to stem back to the religious beliefs of Islam. Democracy is deemed un-Islamic by the ideologues of Muslim terrorist groups. This religious belief that a Caliphate (Khalifa) will rule the whole world drives a lot of Muslims into joining terrorist groups and rebelling against any non-Islamic nation.
Solutions to Reduce Religious Terrorism
In the current world, majority of the terrorist groups are Muslims. Few fundamentalists use some of the religious views out of Quran and misinterpret it to support their causes. These religious interpretations attract many youths to join forces. However, in all cases those interpretations are not what the Quran actually implies. It is time for the Muslim religious leaders to tell Islam world what actually Quran tells us to do. Is it the wish of Allah to kill other people? It is certainly not and that message has to come from within the Islamic world to create a more effective and congenial environment for proper guidance of the youth and common mass. It will act as an opposing force against the terrorist leaders. This organic way of addressing the issue will remove the cause from its very root.
Violence is a sign of frustration with the system and response to terrorism by an act of terrorism is not going to solve the problem of terrorism. Terrorists commit acts of violence in order to convey a message. A close inspection of the roots of the birth of Mujahedeen and Al-Qaeda will reveal that it all started with an invasion of Muslim state by foreign states. When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the US provided multitudes of weapons, spending millions of dollars, to the mujahedeen of Afghanistan in order to help them drive the Soviets out of their country. But when the Soviets left Afghanistan, the US didn't try to cull out the weapons from the citizenry or improve the ravaged condition of Afghanistan by helping the warring nation to come back to normal life. It was definitely not a responsibility of the US to restore normalcy in Afghanistan but by not doing that they left high tech weapons in the hands of few fundamentalists in a nation stricken by poverty and deprivation. This created an internal war in Afghanistan with few people ruling the roost with the help of those hi-tech weapons left behind by US soldiers. In next few decades those fundamentalists turned so powerful that now their terror acts have gone beyond their nation’s boundary and helped Al Qaeda in the expansion of its network. Now after 20 years US need to send and station troops in many countries just to control those groups. However, looking back we can say that it all started in 1980s. After Soviet soldiers were forced out of Afghanistan, if the US could have helped the nation get back to normal life by building schools, creating jobs and giving foods then this small act of goodwill would have reduced the chances of terrorism and who knows we might have never encountered Al-Qaeda or Mujahedeen.
In order to solve the problem of terrorism, we need to delve deep and remove the problem out of its roots. Noxious terrorist networks including Al-Qaeda all have mushroomed out of discontent. The Middle East is tired of invasion, occupation and having their lives ransacked by western powers. They have a lot of grievances against the US and the countries supporting the political stance of the US. If we allow these aggrieved people chance to be heard, their grievances known by granting them a representation in the decision making process, terrorism might come to a stop.
Militants often refer to Chechnya, Kashmir and Palestine as examples of western repression of Muslims. In each of these cases, the combination of political, historical and economic factors have contributed to the sustenance of conflicts. (Jason Burke) We should look into these political and economic factors to curb terrorism. If we cannot restore the trust of estranged terrorist groups, at least we should make efforts to stop the growth of future radicals. We should focus on developing programs to help in the fruition of a civic society. There are many groups that work for the welfare of people, from literacy to human rights and these groups should be supported in their endeavors. This approach would show our goodwill to the Islamic world and may change their hearts for us.
Conclusion
Terrorism is an act of violence made in order to convey demands and force the authority to pay heed to those demands. The most prevalent type of terrorism that has existed in the world from time immemorial is religious terrorism. The modern day religious terrorism is mostly perpetrated by Islam based terrorist organizations with Al-Qaeda being the most notorious of all. The birth of mujahedeen and Al-Qaeda besides religious ideologies was triggered by the continual invasions of Muslim states by western countries. In order to solve the problem of modern day religious terrorism, we should take into account all the factors contributing to its rising and make efforts to remove the problem from its roots.
Works Cited
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