Al-Qaeda: The Hidden Enemy
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On September 11th 2001 the world was introduced to a new word - Al Qaeda. They seem to have sprung out of nowhere. Who are they and what do they want?
Al-Qaeda - the faceless threat
After the attacks on September 11th 2001 everything changed. When the Twin Towers crumbled in flames the name Osama Bin Laden and his network of militant Islamic fundamentalists known as al-Qaeda has filtered through into the collective consciousness of every country in the world. The London bombings on July 7th of this year have rekindled fear in our society, a fear that frequently merges into paranoia, thanks to the sensationalist nature of the British and American press; it is very difficult to watch any news report that doesn't feature Bush or Blair referring to the war that the West has declared on al-Qaeda. But what does this mean? Who are al-Qaeda and what do they want?
The fundamental principals
Taken from the Arabic for 'the foundation' 'or 'the base', al-Qaeda is the name given to an international campaign comprised of independent and collaborative groups that all claim to be striving towards the reduction of any outside influence on Islamic affairs. Interestingly the organisation rarely uses the name to refer to itself - the use of the name "al-Qaeda" dates to as recently as early 2001, when the American government decided to prosecute Osama bin Laden in his absence and had to use anti-Mafia laws that required the existence of a named criminal organisation. In the fundamental tenants of its ideology, al-Qaeda has placed itself in direct opposition to the western world in a conflict that has directly led to the recent terrorist acts throughout the globe.
The face of al-Qaeda
In order to understand al-Qaeda, the western media has tried to describe it as an organised network that has a structure and a chain of command, but this is not the case. There is no single leader of al-Qaeda, but we have personified the movement in the form of Osama bin Laden. Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to a wealthy family with close ties to the Saudi royal family, he is widely believed to have conceived of, incited and been instrumental in the attacks on 9/11 and is the "most wanted" man in the world with a reward for information leading to his capture of $50 million. While bin Laden is unquestionably a prominent figurehead representing al-Qaeda and was instrumental in its origins, the danger in presuming that he is the single leader has led to the rather simplistic idea that if he were captured, al-Qaeda would crumble. Al-Qaeda has become a term that actually represents a more general belief system, an ideology that is philosophical as well as political, and is held by a great many people within the far right of the Islamic world. Bin Laden is one of many likeminded individuals and the roots of their ideology go much deeper than many would like to admit.
East against West
Anti-Western sentiment by the Middle East in modern terms can actually be traced back to events that took place nearly a century ago, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. This power was one of the largest empires of all times, and, at its height included the Middle East, parts of North Africa, and much of southeastern Europe. When the Empire fell to the Allies the land in the Middle East was divided up by the victors into the countries that exist to this day. The humiliation and enforced nationalism put upon those in the Arab world by this act paved the way for deep resent for Western powers, a sentiment that grew deeper following the foundation of Israel in 1948. Seen by several groups in the Arab world as nothing more than military and political base for the United States to keep an eye on its oil reserves, Israel has become for them a symbol of the constant Western dominance and influence that they see as being a great threat to Islamic world. The Six Day War of 1967 led to further humiliation when Israel launched a pre-emptive war on its Arab neighbours, resulting in Israel controlling the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. Of course, this is a simplified account of a very complicated matter, but nonetheless it can be said that the seeds of Al-Qaeda were sown out of this chain of events. However, it was during the conflict with the Soviet Union that bin Laden could rise to prominence within the realm of global affairs.
Afghanistan - the birthplace of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda in modern terms evolved specifically from the Maktab al-Khadamat (MAK) -- a Mujahidin resistance organisation fighting against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Osama bin Laden was a founding member of the MAK, along with Palestinian militant Abdullah Yusuf Azzam. The role of the MAK was to channel funds from a variety of sources into training Mujahidin from around the world in guerrilla combat, and to transport these fighters to Afghanistan. Aided by Pakistani, Saudi and US governments, the Arab contingent in Afghanistan was initially quite small and not generally involved in the fighting, rather limiting its activities to logistics, housing, recruitment and financing the cause. Toward the end of the Soviet occupation, there was a desire amongst several prominent figures, notably bin Laden within the movement to expand their operations to include Islamic struggles in other parts of the world and hit non-military targets, thus moving the fight into the realm of global terrorism against the West. One of these organisations would eventually be known as al-Qaeda.
Their beliefs
Al-Qaeda's philosophical inspiration comes from the writings of Sayed Qutb, a prominent Muslim thinker, whose essays inspired most of the principal militant Islamic movements in the Middle East today. Though it adheres to no particular sect, in general its philosophy harks back to a more literal, traditional understanding of the Qur'an and its teachings, in that members are persuaded to give up their own lives for the promise of a paradise beyond. This technique was used a millennium ago by Hassan i Sabbah, a mystic, alchemist and master terrorist on whom bin Laden may well model himself. Hassan's Order of Assassins was made up of suicide killers with poisoned daggers who believed that their leader had the key to the gates of Heaven. According to statements broadcast by al-Qaeda on the internet and on satellite TV channels, the ultimate goal of al-Qaeda is to re-establish the dominance of Islam throughout the world, by working with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow secular or Western-supported regimes that are believed to interfere in the affairs of Islamic nations against the interests of Muslims. Besides 9/11, al-Qaeda has also taken responsibility for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, and the recent London bombings.
Is al-Qaeda real?
It has been established that al-Qaeda has no clear structure, nor is it clear how many members make up the organisation, whether it is millions scattered across the globe, or whether it is even a handful of rebels. In fact, it has been argued that al-Qaeda is so weakly linked together that it is hard to say it even exists apart from Osama bin Laden and a small clique of close associates. The lack of any significant numbers of convicted al-Qaeda members despite a large number of arrests on terrorism charges is often cited as a reason to doubt whether a widespread entity that meets the description of al-Qaeda exists at all. However, a useful distinction can be made between al-Qaeda and Islamic terrorists. The latter generally operate nationally within one country, whereas al-Qaeda is mostly involved in international terrorism. Certainly in popular culture we have come to understand the term as applying to any Islamic operation that plans the harm or death of innocent civilians in the name of their faith and putting the debate aside, what is more important is understanding that this movement is not about to fade away, and that perhaps a reappraisal of how such a deep-seated contempt for the western world can be diffused if indeed, it's not too late.
After the attacks on September 11th 2001 everything changed. When the Twin Towers crumbled in flames the name Osama Bin Laden and his network of militant Islamic fundamentalists known as al-Qaeda has filtered through into the collective consciousness of every country in the world. The London bombings on July 7th of this year have rekindled fear in our society, a fear that frequently merges into paranoia, thanks to the sensationalist nature of the British and American press; it is very difficult to watch any news report that doesn't feature Bush or Blair referring to the war that the West has declared on al-Qaeda. But what does this mean? Who are al-Qaeda and what do they want?
The fundamental principals
Taken from the Arabic for 'the foundation' 'or 'the base', al-Qaeda is the name given to an international campaign comprised of independent and collaborative groups that all claim to be striving towards the reduction of any outside influence on Islamic affairs. Interestingly the organisation rarely uses the name to refer to itself - the use of the name "al-Qaeda" dates to as recently as early 2001, when the American government decided to prosecute Osama bin Laden in his absence and had to use anti-Mafia laws that required the existence of a named criminal organisation. In the fundamental tenants of its ideology, al-Qaeda has placed itself in direct opposition to the western world in a conflict that has directly led to the recent terrorist acts throughout the globe.
The face of al-Qaeda
In order to understand al-Qaeda, the western media has tried to describe it as an organised network that has a structure and a chain of command, but this is not the case. There is no single leader of al-Qaeda, but we have personified the movement in the form of Osama bin Laden. Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to a wealthy family with close ties to the Saudi royal family, he is widely believed to have conceived of, incited and been instrumental in the attacks on 9/11 and is the "most wanted" man in the world with a reward for information leading to his capture of $50 million. While bin Laden is unquestionably a prominent figurehead representing al-Qaeda and was instrumental in its origins, the danger in presuming that he is the single leader has led to the rather simplistic idea that if he were captured, al-Qaeda would crumble. Al-Qaeda has become a term that actually represents a more general belief system, an ideology that is philosophical as well as political, and is held by a great many people within the far right of the Islamic world. Bin Laden is one of many likeminded individuals and the roots of their ideology go much deeper than many would like to admit.
East against West
Anti-Western sentiment by the Middle East in modern terms can actually be traced back to events that took place nearly a century ago, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. This power was one of the largest empires of all times, and, at its height included the Middle East, parts of North Africa, and much of southeastern Europe. When the Empire fell to the Allies the land in the Middle East was divided up by the victors into the countries that exist to this day. The humiliation and enforced nationalism put upon those in the Arab world by this act paved the way for deep resent for Western powers, a sentiment that grew deeper following the foundation of Israel in 1948. Seen by several groups in the Arab world as nothing more than military and political base for the United States to keep an eye on its oil reserves, Israel has become for them a symbol of the constant Western dominance and influence that they see as being a great threat to Islamic world. The Six Day War of 1967 led to further humiliation when Israel launched a pre-emptive war on its Arab neighbours, resulting in Israel controlling the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. Of course, this is a simplified account of a very complicated matter, but nonetheless it can be said that the seeds of Al-Qaeda were sown out of this chain of events. However, it was during the conflict with the Soviet Union that bin Laden could rise to prominence within the realm of global affairs.
Afghanistan - the birthplace of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda in modern terms evolved specifically from the Maktab al-Khadamat (MAK) -- a Mujahidin resistance organisation fighting against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Osama bin Laden was a founding member of the MAK, along with Palestinian militant Abdullah Yusuf Azzam. The role of the MAK was to channel funds from a variety of sources into training Mujahidin from around the world in guerrilla combat, and to transport these fighters to Afghanistan. Aided by Pakistani, Saudi and US governments, the Arab contingent in Afghanistan was initially quite small and not generally involved in the fighting, rather limiting its activities to logistics, housing, recruitment and financing the cause. Toward the end of the Soviet occupation, there was a desire amongst several prominent figures, notably bin Laden within the movement to expand their operations to include Islamic struggles in other parts of the world and hit non-military targets, thus moving the fight into the realm of global terrorism against the West. One of these organisations would eventually be known as al-Qaeda.
Their beliefs
Al-Qaeda's philosophical inspiration comes from the writings of Sayed Qutb, a prominent Muslim thinker, whose essays inspired most of the principal militant Islamic movements in the Middle East today. Though it adheres to no particular sect, in general its philosophy harks back to a more literal, traditional understanding of the Qur'an and its teachings, in that members are persuaded to give up their own lives for the promise of a paradise beyond. This technique was used a millennium ago by Hassan i Sabbah, a mystic, alchemist and master terrorist on whom bin Laden may well model himself. Hassan's Order of Assassins was made up of suicide killers with poisoned daggers who believed that their leader had the key to the gates of Heaven. According to statements broadcast by al-Qaeda on the internet and on satellite TV channels, the ultimate goal of al-Qaeda is to re-establish the dominance of Islam throughout the world, by working with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow secular or Western-supported regimes that are believed to interfere in the affairs of Islamic nations against the interests of Muslims. Besides 9/11, al-Qaeda has also taken responsibility for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, and the recent London bombings.
Is al-Qaeda real?
It has been established that al-Qaeda has no clear structure, nor is it clear how many members make up the organisation, whether it is millions scattered across the globe, or whether it is even a handful of rebels. In fact, it has been argued that al-Qaeda is so weakly linked together that it is hard to say it even exists apart from Osama bin Laden and a small clique of close associates. The lack of any significant numbers of convicted al-Qaeda members despite a large number of arrests on terrorism charges is often cited as a reason to doubt whether a widespread entity that meets the description of al-Qaeda exists at all. However, a useful distinction can be made between al-Qaeda and Islamic terrorists. The latter generally operate nationally within one country, whereas al-Qaeda is mostly involved in international terrorism. Certainly in popular culture we have come to understand the term as applying to any Islamic operation that plans the harm or death of innocent civilians in the name of their faith and putting the debate aside, what is more important is understanding that this movement is not about to fade away, and that perhaps a reappraisal of how such a deep-seated contempt for the western world can be diffused if indeed, it's not too late.
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