Global Islamic terrorism

 

Introduction

  • Terrorism is the “the unlawful use of or threatened use of force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives.”
  • Islamic terrorism (also Islamist terrorism or radical Islamic terrorism) refers to terrorist acts with religious motivations carried out by fundamentalist militant Islamists and Islamic extremists
  • Incidents and fatalities from Islamic terrorism have been concentrated in eight Muslim-majority countries (Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Syria)

 

Evolution of Islamic Terrorism

  • 1968-1979: The dawn of Modern International Terrorism
    • The colonial era, failed post-colonial attempts at state formation, and the creation of Israel engendered a series of Marxist and anti-Western transformations and movements throughout the Arab and Islamic world.
    • The growth of these nationalist and revolutionary movements, along with their view that terrorism could be effective in reaching political goals, generated the first phase of modern international terrorism
    • In the late 1960s Palestinian secular movements such as Al Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) began to target civilians outside the immediate arena of conflict
    • These Palestinian groups became a model for numerous secular militants, and offered lessons for subsequent ethnic and religious movements.
  • 1979-1991: The Afghan Jihad and state sponsors of terrorism
    • The year 1979 was a turning point in international terrorism. Throughout the Arab world and the West, the Iranian Islamic revolution sparked fears of a wave of revolutionary Shia Islam
    • Meanwhile, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the subsequent anti-Soviet mujahedeen war, lasting from 1979 to 1989, stimulated the rise and expansion of terrorist groups
    • Key radical groups that were under the influence include Hezbollah, Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS)
  • 1991-2001: The Globalisation of Terror
    • The disintegration of post-Cold War states, and the Cold War legacy of a world awash in advanced conventional weapons and know-how, assisted the proliferation of terrorism worldwide
    • Vacuums of stability created by conflict and absence of governance in areas such as the Balkans, Afghanistan, Colombia, and certain African countries offered ready made areas for terrorist training and recruitment activity, while smuggling and drug trafficking routes are often exploited by terrorists to support operations worldwide
    • Key groups in operation during this time include Al-Qaeda (The Base), Jaish-e-Mohammed (Army of Mohammed), Lashkar-i-Taiba (LT)

Causes of Global Islamic Terrorism

  • Qutbism
    • Qutbism is named after Egyptian Islamist theoretician Sayyid Qutb, who wrote the manifesto
    • The tenets of Qutbism are as follows:
      • A belief that Muslims have deviated from true Islam and must return to “pure Islam” as originally practiced during the time of Muhammad
      • The need for violent jihad as well as preaching to bring back sharia law and spread Islam
  • Martyrdom/Istishhad
    • The “vocabulary of martyrdom and sacrifice”, videotaped pre-confession of faith by attackers have become part of “Islamic cultural consciousness”, “instantly recognizable”
  • War against Islam
    • A tenant of Qutbism and other militant Islamists is that Western policies and society are not just un-Islamic or exploitive, but actively anti-Islamic, or as it is sometimes described, waging a “war against Islam”
  • Economic motivation
    • Following the 9/11 attack many commentators “noted the poverty of Afghanistan and concluded that herein lay the problem”
      • blaming, at least in part, a lack of a “higher priority to health, education, and economic development” funding by richer ones”; “stagnant economies and a paucity of jobs” in poorer countries
  • Western foreign policy
    • According to a graph by U.S. State Department, terrorist attacks escalated worldwide following the United States’ 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and 2003 invasion of Iraq
    • Many believe that groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS which are reacting to aggression by non-Muslim (especially US) powers, and that religious beliefs are overstated if not irrelevant in their motivation.

 

Islamic terrorism in India

  • Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Al Badr & Hizbul Mujahideen are militant groups seeking accession of Kashmir to Pakistan from India
  • The Lashkar leadership describes Indian and Israel regimes as the main enemies of Islam and Pakistan
  • Lashkar-e-Toiba, along with Jaish-e-Mohammed, another militant group active in Kashmir are on the United States’ foreign terrorist organizations list, and are also designated as terrorist groups by the United Kingdom, India, Australia and Pakistan
  • Some major bomb blasts and attacks in India were perpetrated by Islamic militants from Pakistan, e.g., the 2008 Mumbai attacks and 2001 Indian Parliament attack

 

What has been the impact of Islamic Terrorism?

  • Human rights violations
    • It has threatened the dignity and security of human beings by endangering or taking innocent lives
    • It has created an environment that has destroyed the freedom from fear of the people, jeopardising fundamental freedoms as well
  • Challenge to Governance setup
    • It has had an adverse effect on the establishment of the rule of law, undermining pluralistic civil society
    • It has caused the destruction of democratic bases of society, while destabilising legitimately constituted Government across the globe
  • Cross over impacts
    • It has resulted in drug trafficking, and illegal transfer of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons as well
    • Also, it is linked to the consequent commission of serious crimes such as murder, extortion, kidnapping, robbery etc.
  • Socio-economic impacts
    • It has jeopardised the state relations in many cases, including cooperation for development
  • Threat to national security
    • At the outset, it threatens the territorial integrity and security of states
    • It constitutes a grave violation of the purpose and principles of the United Nations, and is a threat to International peace and security

 

Countering the threat

  • Information exchange
    • Effective information sharing between law enforcement, judicial and intelligence authorities in the member states is crucial to fight terrorism, track foreign fighters and tackle organised crime
    • The following measures can be taken in this perspective
      • a framework for interoperability between country’s information system that help manage borders, security and migration
      • the passenger name record directive, regulating the transfer and processing of personal data provided by air passengers
  • Cutting off terrorist financing
    • Stronger anti-money laundering rules need to be put in place
    • These rules make it difficult to hide illegal funds under layers of fictitious companies, and strengthen checks on risky third countries
    • They also boost the role of financial supervision authorities, and improve access to and exchanges of information
  • Prevention of radicalisation
    • Radicalisation is not a new phenomenon, but it has become a more serious threat in recent years
    • Online communication technologies have made it easier for terrorists to communicate across borders and have amplified terrorist propaganda and the spread of extremism
    • Hence, competent authorities in the country should issue removal orders to service providers requiring them to remove terrorist content