Terrorism and Islamic Religion

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Please see response attached, which is also presented below. I hope this helps and best of luck!

RESPONSE:

1. I am interested in knowing more about Islamic terrorist groups. Specifically, what are the main Islamic terrorist groups, what are they about, and how are they perceived by non-Islamic people?

Let's look at the last question first. The Islamic terrorist groups are perceived by non-Islamic people as violent and terrorists. They are viewed as killers, and perhaps the followers are believed to be brainwashed by their leaders, such as Osama Bin Laden, in order to get them to pursue the goal of the terrorist groups thinking that they are doing the right things according to God e.g., suicide bombers think they are going directly to heaven, etc.

Islamic terrorist groups have used combinations of ancient guerrilla warfare tactics and advanced technologies to carry out their goals. They have shown themselves to be practitioners of unconventional warfare by staging operations around the globe against high-visibility, high-value targets, using very small teams, producing dramatic results with relatively little expenditure, all without ever engaging in direct battlefield attacks against an opposing military force (see more detail at http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:iUmTXdr4AawJ:csstc.inel.gov/pressroom/reports/dartmouth.pdf+Islamic+terrorist+groups&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=ca).

The main goals of all Islamic Terrorists groups are very similar, if not the same:

1. Global goal: To advance the cause of radical Islam e.g. global domination of radical Islam
2. In the Islamic world, its task is to purify societies and governments according to a strict interpretation of the Qu'ran, or Koran.
3. In the non-Islamic world, its task is to compel governments there to withdraw their culture, influence, and military ties from the Islamic world. And except for the country that harbors its headquarters, no Islamic government supports its existence or its terrorist operations.

Now let's look at the following Islamic terrorist groups, which is not exhaustive:

1. Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda emerged out of Afghanistan in the late 1980s, which was the world's first international terrorist organization. It goal is to advance the cause of radical Islam. Its reach is global. In the Islamic world, its task is to purify societies and governments according to a strict interpretation of the Qu'ran, or Koran. In the non-Islamic world, its task is to compel governments there to withdraw their culture, influence, and military ties from the Islamic world. And except for the country that harbors its headquarters, no Islamic government supports its existence or its terrorist operations. It is a rogue network. http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/terrorist-network-pr.cfm

Osama Bin Laden, a 49 year-old Saudi ex-patriot, is the leader, determined to remove any non-Muslim penetration of the Islamic world. In particular, he believes American military forces in Saudi Arabia must be expelled and Israel must be destroyed. Once expelled, al Qaeda will work to ensure that all regimes become and remain true to strict Islamic principles. http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/terrorist-network-pr.cfm that. As mentioned, this terrorist international is called al Qaeda (Arabic for "the Base"). It has a dual structure as it acts as a base for other terrorist groups.

That is, Al Qaida is the central component of a network of Sunni Islamic extremist groups associated with Osama bin Laden, which functions as an umbrella organization, with branches in the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and North America. Al Qaida is committed to overthrowing secular governments in Islamic countries and using force to eliminate all Western influences in such countries. Bin Laden, and those within his network, believe that the only way these goals can be achieved is through violence and terrorist activities up to and including martyrdom. The Bin Laden network has been directly or indirectly associated with the 1998 bombings of two US embassies; the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole; and the 2001 World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp

Berry (2001) summarized Al Qaeda's more successful operations in America, which include:

· Feb. 23, 1993 -A truck bomb in the parking garage of the World Trade Center kills six, injures hundreds, and requires more than $20 million to repair the damage.
· Oct. 3 and 4, 1993- Al Qaeda-trained fighters claim to bring down two U.S. helicopters in Somalia and kill 18 U.S. rangers.
· June 25, 1996 - A truck bomb kills 19 U.S. servicemen in the Air Force's Khobar Towers housing complex in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. More than 500 suffered wounds.
· Aug. 7, 1998 - Truck bombs destroy the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, leaving 234 dead, including 12 Americans, and injuring more than 5,000.
· Oct. 5, 2000 - Suicide bombers in a boat blast a hole in the USS Cole as the ship took on fuel in Aden, Yemen, killing 17 sailors and wounding 39.
· Sept. 11, 2001 - Hijacked aircraft attack and destroy the twin towers and other buildings in the World Trade Center and severely damage the Pentagon with great loss of life. Early evidence points to al Qaeda. http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/terrorist-network-pr.cfm

2. Harakat ul-Mujahidin

Supported by Al Queda, which is the base for the support of other Islamic terrorist groups, such as the Harakat ul-Mujahidin, which operates out of the Pakistani controlled segment of Kashmir and which struggles to rid all of Kashmir of Indian "occupation." However, it is Al Queda that provides these fraternal groups with money, contacts, and trained recruits in their particular battles to advance strict Islam. Al Qaeda also has its own international network of cells under its command. It is this network that threatens world peace and, especially, the security of the United States. http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/terrorist-network-pr.cfm

3. Hezbollah

Also known as: Hizbullah, Hizbollah, Hezballah, Hezballah, Hizbu'llah, The Party of God, Islamic Jihad (Islamic Holy War), Islamic Jihad Organization, Islamic Resistance, Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine, Ansar al-Allah (Followers of God/Partisans of God/God's Helpers), Ansarollah (Followers of God/Partisans of God/God's Helpers), Ansar Allah (Followers of God/Partisans of God/God's Helpers), Al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah (Islamic Resistance), Organization of the Oppressed, Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization of Right Against Wrong and Followers of the Prophet Muhammed http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp#h20

Hezbollah is a Lebanese umbrella organization of radical Islamic Shiite groups and organizations. While, the US listed the group as a terrorist organisation, the government in Beirut declared it a national resistance movement. Its popularity with the Shia community - which makes up almost 40% of Lebanon's three million people - was confirmed in the 1992 parliamentary elections when Hezbollah led a successful campaign and won eight seats in parliament. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1908671.stm

Its main goals are similar and rooted in the main goals of all Islamic Terrorist groups:

· Opposes the West
· Seeks to create a Muslim Islamic fundamentalist state modeled on Iran
· Is a bitter foe of Israel e.g, to rid the world of Israel. http://www.cfr.org/publication/9155/#1
· Hizballah seeks to restore Islam to a position of supremacy in the political, social, and economic life of the Muslim world. The objectives of Hizballah, as derived from its February 16, 1985 political manifesto, ...