CRMJ 521 WEEK 4 Discussion

Chapter 6

Violence in the Name of the Faith

Religious Terrorism

Primary and Secondary Motives: The Idiosyncratic Quality of Religious Terrorism

· Understanding Jihad as a Primary Motive

· Greater Jihad: Struggling with oneself to do what is right.

· Lesser Jihad: The outward defense of Islam.

· The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion as a Secondary Motive

· Forgery written by Czarist secret police around 1895.

· Used repeatedly to scapegoat Jews.

Historical Cases

· Judeo-Christian Antiquity

· Bible references to violence in the name of the faith.

· Includes conquest and annihilation of enemies.

· Christian Crusades

· A series of Western Christian military campaigns.

· Marked by many atrocities against non-Christians.

· The Assassins

· Founded in 11th-century Persia to purify the faith.

· Adept at disguise, stealth, and surprise killings.

· A Secret Cult of Murder

· Thuggee cult in 13th to 19th century India.

· Ritually strangled and mutilated travelers.

· Modern Arab Nationalism and the Rise of Islamist Extremism

· A progression from secular phases of Arab nationalism.

· Movement has transcended most ethnic and cultural differences.

· Cult Case: Mysticism and Rebellion in Uganda

· Alice Lakwena’s Holy Spirit Mobile Force.

· Josef Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army.

State-Sponsored Religious Terrorism

· National Case: Iran

· Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Qods (Jerusalem) Force.

· Cases: Support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamists.

· Regional Case: Pakistan and India

· Hindu–Muslim conflict.

· Pakistan’s Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

· Cases: War in Jammu and Kashmir and Golden Temple massacre.

Dissident Religious Terrorism

· Regional Case: Religious Zealotry in the Middle East

· Convergence of claims by Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.

· Cases: Grand Mosque, Hebron Mosque, Rabin Assassination

· Movement Case: The International Mujahideen

· Islamist “holy warriors” sworn to defend the faith.

· Organization Case: The Al-Qa’ida Network

· A movement and loose network.

· Inspired by Osama bin Laden’s worldview.

· Belief that Islamist armed resistance is required.

· Nation-Building Case: The Rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

· Goal is to reestablish the Caliphate.

· Aggressive asymmetrical warfare

· Case: The Abu Sayyaf Group.

· National Case: Boko Haram in Nigeria

· Sectarian conflict in northeast Nigeria.

· Boko Haram’s opposition to Western influence.

· Transnational Case: The Algerian Jihadis

· Civil war in Algeria during 1990s.

· Violent Islamist uprising.

· Internecine Case: Sectarian Civil War in Iraq

· Sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims.

· Presence of Al-Qa’ida inspired Sunni Islamists.

· Backlash by Shi’a majority.

· Cult Case: Aum Shinrikyō

· Japan-based cult founded in 1987 by Shoko Asahara.

· At peak, 9,000 members in Japan and 40,000 worldwide.

· March, 1995 Tokyo subway sarin nerve gas attack.

· 5,000–6,000 people were injured.

The Future of Religious Terrorism

· Extremist religious propaganda cannot be prevented

· A new generation of Islamist extremists has been primed.

· Al-Qa’ida has become more than an organization; it evolved to become a symbol and ideology.

· ISIS has become a symbol and inspiration for resurgent violence by Islamist extremists

· The jihadi movement has become a globalized phenomenon

· Christian extremists continue to promote a religious motivation for the war on terrorism