Understanding Jihadism

Understanding Jihadism

Theory

Islam Ancient religion of 1.5 billion people Diversity of beliefs, practices, and politics Modernists, traditionalists and orthodox (80-85%?) Islamism (salafi Islam, fundamentalism) (15-20%?) Islam must have political power and a state Response to European colonialism No unanimity about democracy Jihadism (salafi jihadi) (<1%?) Extremist version of Islamism No gradual implementation or political process Only violence can recreate an Islamic state called the Caliphate Global jihadism al-qa ida and affiliated groups The main enemy is the United States, not our local rulers

Basic ideology of jihadism Specific views of jihad, tawhid, the Islamic state and da wa; Believe that only they are the true believers (the saved sect); all others are merely Muslims ; Hostile unbelievers control the world and desire the destruction of Islam; Therefore war against them and their puppets is justified; An Islamic state is necessary not only to implement Islamic law correctly, it will also wage eternal war with the unbelievers.

Contrasting definitions of tawhid Islam 1. There is only one God 2. He has no partners: this means that only he has the right to be worshiped 3. Anyone who worships another god is sinning and after death, he will be judged by God. Jihadism 1. There is only one God 2. He has no partners: this means that only he has the right to be worshiped and to make laws, that is, only God has sovereignty 3. Anyone who claims to have sovereignty or who makes laws is making himself into a god and must be killed.

Contrasting definitions of jihad Islam (evolution over time) 1. Struggle and war 2. The internal and external jihad 3. Jihad as an individual duty and communal duty 4. Today: jihad is an internal struggle and defensive (just) war 5. Jihad is a matter of state Jihadism (only one definition) 1. Jihad is fighting 2. The internal jihad is a Sufi fraud 3. Jihad has become an individual duty for all Muslims 4. Today: jihad is individual duty; tomorrow: jihad will be a communal duty 5. Jihad is a matter for each individual

Contrasting views of an Islamic state Islam 1. There are many correct forms of governance, but laws in a Muslim country should be inspired by Islam 2. When say that want Islam to inspire laws, they generally mean they want laws that are moral. 3. Public and family law should be Islamically inspired, but private life and the form of governance are separate issues. 4. The Caliphate for most Muslims was a form of government from a specific time period, one that cannot return. Jihadism 1. The only correct form of governance is the Caliphate, led by a Caliph and ruled by shari a. 2. When they say shari a, they mean one specific version of Islamic law should be the only law of the land. 3. This version of shari a will control both public and private life, will create a Caliph who is not elected and who will rule for life, and leaves no room for a legislature. 4. The land controlled by this version of shari a is the Caliphate, which unites all Islamic lands and whose only foreign policy is eternal jihad.

Contrasting views of da wa Islam 1. This was the original call to Islam that Muhammad gave to the ignorant Arabs 2. Today it means to engage in missionary work to unbelievers for some 3. For others, it simply means to live a pious life and hope that unbelievers will ask how to become a Muslim. Jihadism 1. This was the original call to Islam, which must be given anew, since all Muslims have become ignorant 2. Today it means convincing other Muslims to become jihadis and to join in the jihad against the apostate rulers, the occupiers and the unbelieving world

Jihadism s war with other Muslims Ideological: da wa aimed at converting other Muslims to jihadism or to supporting their struggles Jihadism is the only authentic Islam Participation in our jihad is necessary for salvation Our jihad is defensive (an individual duty) Political: creating a Caliphate Controlling territory and implementing Islamic law (promoting virtue and preventing vice) No Muslim state has any legitimacy and therefore can be fought Military: fighting Muslims who actively oppose jihadism or who actively support the unbelievers Liberal and secular Muslims Apostates such as Sufis, Shi a, Ahmadis or political leaders

Jihadism s war with non-muslims: strategies Prioritizing enemies: The near enemy (occupiers and apostates) then the far enemy (all other unbelievers) The greater unbelief (the eternal enemy) then the lesser unbelief (apostates and all other unbelievers) War plans (following the sira): Mecca (da wa, peace, the vanguard of true believers) Hijra (migration to safety and securing land) Medina (creating an Islamic state, jihad for defense and offense, conquering and winning allies) Mecca

Practice

Jihadism s founders Muhammad ibn Abd al-wahhab Hasan al-banna Sayyid Qutb

al-jihad/egyptian Islamic Jihad: Killing the apostate ruler

Gama a al-islamiyya: From attacking tourists (support for the apostate leader) to attacking the greater unbelief

al-qa`ida: From the US as occupier to the US as the greater unbelief"

Jihadist war with the US, part one Why attack the US? The US as the greater unbelief (the eternal enemy) Strike a stunning blow to the US to: Convince US to leave all Islamic lands (see Beirut, Somalia) Convince all other Muslims to join al-qa ida s war with the US and the apostate puppets Without the support of the US, its apostate puppets would fall to the energized jihadist movement

Jihadist war with the US, part two Objectives post-9/11 Uniting the community against the US Inciting the diaspora to jihad Training the next generation of jihadis Getting the US out of Islamic lands Creating the Caliphate Strategies post 9/11 IO strategy: the importance of the media Economic strategy: the oil weapon Military strategy: attrition, guerrilla warfare and multiple battlefields ( Management of Savagery ) The continuing need for a base

Models for jihadism Zarqawi War plans Attack the near enemy The heretics (Shi a) Americans in Iraq Regional enemies The Caliphate Create the Caliphate immediately Can be any territory under his control Bin Ladin War plans Attack greater unbelief Americans anywhere American allies The Caliphate Recognize an Islamist state as the Caliphate Or overthrow M.E. regimes, replace with jihadist states

Afghanistan and Iraq Afghanistan Usama bin Ladin s bay a The issue of Northern Pakistan The problem of Pakistan s nuclear weapons Iraq Insurgency and sectarian violence al-qa ida s hopes and fears The Islamic Amirate of Iraq

Afghanistan

Iraq

Iraq (2)

Iraq (3)