The Link Between Terrorism and Religion? (2)
June 2nd 2010 00:44
Terrorism is not new phenomenon; in fact its roots can be traced as far back as the first-century B.C.E when Jewish zealots began a program of murder to oust the Roman oppressors. Modern day terrorism is generally agreed to have begun during the French Revolution (Cronin 2002/3, p.34). What has changed leading into the twenty-first century is the emergence of the ‘jihad era’ (p.38), product of the Iranian Revolution of ’79 and defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan.
From the killing fields of the opium-state rose Osama bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda and soon to be avowed enemy of the West. What makes this wealthy Saudi different from other religious extremists is the organisation he has created, not a defined central entity but a nexus of cells operating from within target countries (Gunaratna 2007, [CD]). This web-like structure, coupled with support from states sympathetic to the jihad, is what makes Al-Qaeda so difficult to counter.
In a broadcast message on October 7 after the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden hints at the reasoning behind his jihad:
What America is tasting now is nothing compared to what we have been tasting for decades. For over eighty years our umma (Islamic world) has been tasting this humiliation and this degradation. Its sons are killed, its blood is shed, its holy places are violated, and it is ruled by other than which God has revealed... (Munson 2005, p.349)
Bin Laden’s focus in this message is on oppression of Muslims by Israel and the United States. Religious leader of Jemaah Islamiya and supporter of bin Laden, Abu Bakar Bashir, states in the following how Islamic extremists counter oppression from perceived enemies:
"The youth movement here must aspire to a martyrdom death. The young must be first at the front line - don't hide at the back. You must be at the front, die as martyrs and all your sins will be forgiven. This is how to achieve forgiveness" (source: news.com.au ‘Beat up infidel tourists’, posted 24/03/08).
In relation to the topic question, these messages are available for worldwide consumption. It is little wonder then that ordinary citizens of the West are beginning to think Islam desires their destruction, when the reality is that most fundamentalist Muslims are ‘not proponents of violence’ (Welch 1997, p.217).
In searching for other motivations behind Islamic extremist vitriol, Audrey Cronin offers three very pertinent explanations. First, these groups feel they are involved in a struggle of good vs. evil. In this case they (Islam) are good, the West and Israel are evil. Second, by entering into such violent conflict they are conforming to God’s will. Granted, there are passages in the Koran, and the Bible, that if taken out of context may seem to justify jihad. Third, they consider themselves beyond the constraints of secular values and laws and as such feel alienated from societal norms (Cronin 2002/03, p.41).
While this reasoning may to some degree explain jihadist motives, as argued, there are underlying elements at work here, foremost of which are political in nature. Bin Laden and Bashir’s target is not only the West, but their own societies, which they consider corrupt and bereft of Islamic ideals. They hope to achieve, by ‘making the threat of political violence a central concern in our lives’ (Millar 1995, p.62), not only to raise awareness of their jihadist cause, but make citizens think long and hard about who they vote in or out come election time. For an example close to home, while Howard’s support for the occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan may not have been the sole reason for his ousting, it certainly played a damaging role. The same applies to countries where extremists seek to establish Islamic states. It follows then that as citizens are bombarded by the media with political propaganda leading up to an election, and extremist rhetoric already establishing a link between terrorism and religion in the minds of citizens, it is reinforced by governments justifying expenditure.
The political motivations of extremists, in this case to establish hard-line fundamentalist Islamic states, are unrealistic. For instance, these hypothetical states once established still have to exist within a culturally diverse and globalised world. Founded on violence, they would be treated as pariahs, cut-off from international trade and monetary support. (Cont.)
From the killing fields of the opium-state rose Osama bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda and soon to be avowed enemy of the West. What makes this wealthy Saudi different from other religious extremists is the organisation he has created, not a defined central entity but a nexus of cells operating from within target countries (Gunaratna 2007, [CD]). This web-like structure, coupled with support from states sympathetic to the jihad, is what makes Al-Qaeda so difficult to counter.
What America is tasting now is nothing compared to what we have been tasting for decades. For over eighty years our umma (Islamic world) has been tasting this humiliation and this degradation. Its sons are killed, its blood is shed, its holy places are violated, and it is ruled by other than which God has revealed... (Munson 2005, p.349)
Bin Laden’s focus in this message is on oppression of Muslims by Israel and the United States. Religious leader of Jemaah Islamiya and supporter of bin Laden, Abu Bakar Bashir, states in the following how Islamic extremists counter oppression from perceived enemies:
"The youth movement here must aspire to a martyrdom death. The young must be first at the front line - don't hide at the back. You must be at the front, die as martyrs and all your sins will be forgiven. This is how to achieve forgiveness" (source: news.com.au ‘Beat up infidel tourists’, posted 24/03/08).
In searching for other motivations behind Islamic extremist vitriol, Audrey Cronin offers three very pertinent explanations. First, these groups feel they are involved in a struggle of good vs. evil. In this case they (Islam) are good, the West and Israel are evil. Second, by entering into such violent conflict they are conforming to God’s will. Granted, there are passages in the Koran, and the Bible, that if taken out of context may seem to justify jihad. Third, they consider themselves beyond the constraints of secular values and laws and as such feel alienated from societal norms (Cronin 2002/03, p.41).
While this reasoning may to some degree explain jihadist motives, as argued, there are underlying elements at work here, foremost of which are political in nature. Bin Laden and Bashir’s target is not only the West, but their own societies, which they consider corrupt and bereft of Islamic ideals. They hope to achieve, by ‘making the threat of political violence a central concern in our lives’ (Millar 1995, p.62), not only to raise awareness of their jihadist cause, but make citizens think long and hard about who they vote in or out come election time. For an example close to home, while Howard’s support for the occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan may not have been the sole reason for his ousting, it certainly played a damaging role. The same applies to countries where extremists seek to establish Islamic states. It follows then that as citizens are bombarded by the media with political propaganda leading up to an election, and extremist rhetoric already establishing a link between terrorism and religion in the minds of citizens, it is reinforced by governments justifying expenditure.
The political motivations of extremists, in this case to establish hard-line fundamentalist Islamic states, are unrealistic. For instance, these hypothetical states once established still have to exist within a culturally diverse and globalised world. Founded on violence, they would be treated as pariahs, cut-off from international trade and monetary support. (Cont.)
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