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The Threat of Islamic Terrorism

 

 

 

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990's and

the cold war over, the international community seemed to be on the threshold

of an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. Instead, a new series of

problems was created, like ethnic conflicts, weapons proliferation,

environmental problems, population growth, drug trafficking, and terrorism.

Terrorism, as defined by Title 22 of the United States code, section

2656f(d), is the "pre-meditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated

against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents,

usually intended to influence and audience." Islamic terrorism is a serious

problem for the United States because of the threat to national security,

the safety of innocent civilians, and the foundations of democratic

societies throughout the world.

 

 

 

Most of the Islamic world view the West, especially the United

States, as the foremost corrupting influence on the Islamic world today.

The Hizballah have taken this further by labeling the Unites States as "the

Great Satan."(22) This growing animosity the Islamic nations feel toward

the Western world has been continually demonstrated by the increase in

international terrorism. However, Muslims do not view their actions as acts

of terrorism, but self defense and their religious duty. The Islamic

radical movements main success or failure has been their ability to gain

legitimacy from the general public or from the greater part of it in each

Muslim country.(14) During the past two decades, they have had enormous

success with their ability to present themselves to the Arab and Muslim

world as the true bearers of Islam. They appeal to the lower class due to

the shared resentment of wealthy westerners while the middle class and

intellectuals are drawn toward these radical groups in order to expel

imported ideologies and forms of government(*). Radical Islamic

organizations have declared a holly war , Jihad, in order to bring the Arab

world together and take their place as a world power. In order to

accomplish these goals, these Islamic radicals have mainly used terrorism as

their main instrument of persuasion.

 

 

 

The biggest and most active terrorist organizations are those

which are state funded. These organizations act as both an overt and covert

way of spreading the sponsor countries ideologies. The U.S. Secretary of

State has designated seven governments as state sponsors of terrorism: Cuba,

Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.(13) These governments

support international terrorism either by engaging in terrorist activity

themselves or by providing arms, training, safe haven, diplomatic

facilities, financial backing, logistic and/or support to terrorists.(13)

 

 

 

Iran is one of the most active state sponsors of terrorism,

involving themselves in the planning and execution of terrorist acts by its

own agents and by surrogates such as the Hizballah. Tehran conducted 13

assassinations in 1997, the majority of which were carried out in northern

Iraq against the regime's main opposition groups. An example occurred in

January 1997, when Iranian agents tried to attack the Baghdad headquarters

of Mujahedin-e Khalq using a supermortar. Despite sanctions and foreign

political pressure, Iran continues to provide support in the form of

training, money, and weapons to a variety of terrorist groups, such as

Hizballah, HAMAS, and the PIJ.(13)

 

Sudan is another large supporter of terrorist organizations.

The Sudanese Government supports terrorists by providing paramilitary

training, indoctrinization, money, travel documents, safe passage, and

refuge. They also condone many of the objectionable activities of Iran,

such as funneling assistance to terrorist and radical Islamic groups

operating in and transiting through Sudan.(13) Since Sudan was placed on the

United States' list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1993, the Sudanese

Government still harbors members of the most violent international

terrorists and radical Islamic groups.(13)

 

 

 

The countries of the middle east have found terrorism beneficial

for many reasons. First, terrorism is an inexpensive alternative to

fighting a war, while still spreading their ideology and advancing their

political agenda. However, defending against terrorism is very expensive;

the United States spends approximately five billion dollars annually to

guard against terrorism.(11) Random terrorist acts cause a great amount of

psychological damage to the target area. Even though terrorism kills

relatively few people, the random nature by which innocent civilian are

killed evokes a deep fear and insecurity upon the population. This form of

terrorism was successfully used to target tourism and the economy of Egypt

in 1997. Publicity is another benefit of terrorism. By involving acts

which are designed to attract maximum publicity, terrorism can bring the

smallest group to the forefront of attention.(22) All this is done while

exposing the terrorist to minimal risk when compared to war.

 

 

 

By secretly funding terrorist organization, the patron state

avoids the possibility of defeat and does not appear to be the aggressor.

Modern technology has now made terrorism an efficient, convenient, and

general discrete weapon for attacking state interests in the international

realm. Furthermore, terrorism causes fear, unrest and hysteria among

civilians of target countries which is the ideal setting to launch

propaganda. Through propaganda patron states are able to organize revolts,

coups, and even civil war.

 

 

 

Throughout history terrorism has only been successful in

prolonging conflicts, as in Ireland. However, technology is constantly

changing the nature of life-threatening hostilities by delivering more

sophisticated devices that cause greater damage. No longer are terrorists

restrained to simple car bombs and explosives; now nuclear, biological, and

chemical weapons are becoming more readily available. The terrorist attack

in Tokyo that injured 5,000 people is an example of this kind of terrorism.

The latest threat is the cyber terrorist, who can corrupt a governments

computer system, steal money, and/or classified information while never

leaving his house. Changing methods and techniques that

terrorists employ today make threat of attack worse than ever. First,

terrorists operate at an international level, no longer concentrating on a

particular region or a country. The dawn of the modern age of terrorism

dates back to September 5, 1972, when the Palestinian terrorists attacked

the Israeli Olympic team in Munich(*). Following this, there has been a

period of hijacking of commercial airlines, which culminated in the

destruction of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

 

 

 

Another new aspect of terrorism is the growing possibility of

terrorists making use of weapons of mass destruction-nuclear, biological and

chemical. Also, the governments have to think seriously about the threat of

chemical weapons and biological toxins. Both these types of weapons are easy

to manufacture but have horrifying after-effects on the civilian population.

The Sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway in 1995 by Aum Shinrikyo, the

apocalyptic Japanese sect, showed that the threat of chemical terrorism is

now a reality(*).

 

 

 

For many years, it had been thought that weapons of mass

destruction did not serve the purpose of terrorists, and it was not mass

murder they wanted. But in the modern age of terrorism, one sees a wider

use of powerful explosives that attack mostly the civilian population, and

availability is the only thing that prevents the use of larger weapons. This

trend towards larger attacks is represented by a 25-year low in

international terrorism in 1996, with reported incidents down from a peak of

665 in 1987 to 296 in 1996, there was a drastic rise in the number of

casualties (311 people killed and 2,652 wounded)(16).

 

 

 

The third aspect of terrorism that is new is cyber terror. It

has become very easy to penetrate the telecommunications and computer

systems of nations and also private organizations, and enter new computer

codes that cause the system to shutdown or which make it accessible only to

the intruder. Terrorists use computers, cellular phones, and encryption

software to evade detection and they also have sophisticated means of

forging passports and valuable documents. Similarly, they could even

introduce "morphed" images and messages into a country's radio and

television network, and spread lies that could incite violence. Technology

advancement has made it possible to carry powerful explosive devices in a

purse and explode these at the right place, at the right time.

 

 

 

Another recent trend in terrorism is suicide bombing. Suicide

bombings have emerged as a tactic used particularly by radical Islamic

terrorists. Even though Islam prohibits suicide, these suicide bombers

believe that death in a holy struggle assures them a faithful place in

heaven; thus, by committing this act of war, they feel they are guaranteed

to go to heaven. This method of terrorism is almost impossible to defend

against, that is why the terrorists must be prevented, not deterred.

 

 

 

Many radical Islamic terrorist organizations have developed in

recent years, but the biggest organizations are the Islamic Jihad, Hamas,

Al-Gama'a ai-Islamiyyah, and the Hizballah. These organizations all seek the

elimination of western and Jewish influence, and will not hesitate to do

anything to prevent this.

 

 

 

The Islamic Jihad Group , in Egypt, has been active since the

late 70's, and currently includes two factions. The goal of these factions

is to overthrow the Egyptian government and replace it with an Islamic

state. To accomplish this, the Jihad operates in small underground cells

and attacks high level government officials. Their most notorious acts of

terrorism have been the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat, the

1993 attempted assassination of Prime Minister Atef Sedky and the 1993 car

bombing of the World Trade Center(19).

 

Al-Gama'a ai-Islamiyyah (The Islamic Group, IG) evolved from a

phenomenon of Islamic prisoners in Egypt. After being released from prison

in 1971, they began forming militant groups that operated separately but

were loosely organized. These groups target police officers, liberal

intellectuals, Coptic Christians, and tourism in order to hurt the economy

and rid Egypt of Western influence. The IG's most recent attack was

November 17, 1997, when 58 tourists were killed; this severely impacted

Egyptian tourism for several months.(4)

 

 

 

Hamas is the Arab acronym for, "The Islamic Resistance

Movement," and means courage and bravery(3). This organization has evolved

from the Muslim Brotherhood and was active in the early stages of Intifada,

operating in the Gaza strip and the West bank. The main objective of the

Hamas is a "Holly War" for the liberation of Palestine and the establishment

of an Islamic Palestine. A variety of non-governmental charitable

organizations in the Gulf States, four central charity funds throughout the

world, and Iran have enabled Hamas to become the second most powerful

terrorist organization(3). During Intifada, Hamas claimed responsibility

for 43 attacks that killed 46 Palestinians, and is believed to be

responsible for another 40 deaths.(3)

 

 

 

Hizballah (Party of God) is an extremist political-religious

movement based in Lebanon. The movement was created and sponsored by Iran

in July 1982, initially as a form of resistance to the Israeli presence in

Southern Lebanon. Hizballah followers are radical Shi'ite which adhere to

Khomeinistic ideology.(5) The principle goals established by Khomeinism are

the equality of all Lebanon's citizens, complete American and French

withdrawal from Lebanon, the complete destruction of Israel, and the

establishment of Islamic rule over Jerusalem(5). The Hizballah has tried to

accomplish these goals through the use of terrorism, of which 704 attacks

were committed from 1991 - 1995.(5) The scope and nature of Hizballah's

terrorist campaign reflect its close dependency on Iranian support for both

the ideological and financial levers. Iran donates fast amounts of money to

Hizballah, which among other things funds the movement's health and

education services(22). The funds received from Iran in the 1980's totaled

$60-$80 million a year.

 

 

 

Because of the recent terrorist attacks at the World Trade

Center and foreign embassies in Africa, the United States is aware of the

danger that terrorism presents. Being a politically correct country, no

United States official has specifically named the radical Islamic groups as

our primary enemy. However, the Islamic groups are the only terrorists that

specifically target Americans. The United States now has an official three

part counter terrorism policy that has so far proven to be effective.

 

 

 

First, the US will make no concession to terrorists and strike

no deals. If the US were to give in to terrorists' demands, it would

inspire every other terrorist to commit violent crimes. An example of this

plan is the hostage situation in Peru, where 72 hostages were taken and four

months later a successful rescue took place. The second US policy is that

all terrorist will be held accountable for their crimes in a court of law.

In recent years many international terrorists have been convicted and sent

to prison. The third, and most important policy is to isolate and apply

pressure on states that sponsor and support terrorism and force them to

change their behavior. UN sanctions and the use of military force are now

actively used to force host countries to change their views on terrorism.

 

 

 

Radical Islamic terrorist organizations have the ability and

desire to threaten the United states. Sanctions and diplomatic bargaining

will not solve the problem of Islamic terrorism, yet military force will

only make the problem worse. There will be no resolution to this problem in

the near future, meanwhile the gap between the Western world and the Arab

nations will continue to grow. Without constant monitoring a careful

planning, this could soon turn into WW III.

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

 

 

1. al-Thawriyyah, Fatah al-Qiyadah. Fatah - Revolutionary Council.

Available: http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.ctm?orgid=2. March 22,

1999

 

 

 

2. Coordinator for Counterterrorism of the State department. Fact Sheet:

Usama bin Ladin. Http://www.state.gov/www/regions/africa. March 22, 1999

 

 

 

3. Al-Islamiyya, Harakat. HAMAS(Islamic Resistance Movement).

Http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.ctm?ogid=13 March 22, 1999

 

 

 

4. Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya( The Islamic Group, IG). International

Counterterrorism website. Available:

Http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.ctm?ogid=12 March 22, 1999

 

 

 

5. Information division. Israel foreign Ministry - Jerusalem. Hizballah .

Available:

 

Http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.ctm?ogid=15 March 22, 1999

 

 

 

6. US State Department. "Armed Islamic Group." Patterns of Global Terrorism.

Available: Http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.ctm?ogid=7 March 22, 1999

 

 

 

7. Erlich, Dr. Reuven. The Beginning of an Internal Dispute in Iran and

Lebanon over the fate of Hizballah in the wake of the implementation of

Resolution 425. ICT Research Fellow. Available:

http://www.ict.org.il/articles/articledet.ctm?articleid=20 March 22, 1999

 

 

 

8. State Department. Anti-US Attacks, 1997. Available:

http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/1997Report/ March 22, 1999

 

 

 

9. State Department. Casualties of Anti-US Attacks 1992-1997. Available:

http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/1997Report/ March 22, 1999

 

 

 

10. Albright, Madeleine K. "Interview on ABC-TV 'This Week'with Cokie

Roberts and George Will." State Department. August 23, 1998. Available:

http://secretary.state.gov/www/statements/1998/980823.htm March 22, 1999

 

 

 

11. Wilcox Jr., Philip C. "International Terrorism" September 12, 1996.

Available: http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism

 

 

 

12. "State-Sponsored Terrorism." Available:

Http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/st_terror/State_t.htm. March 22, 1999

 

 

 

13. State Department. "Over of State-Sponsored Terrorism" Available:

http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/1997Report/ . March 22, 1999.

 

 

 

14. Paz, Reuven. "Is There an 'Islamic Terrorism.'" September 7, 1998.

Available: Http://www.ict.org.il/articles/isl_terr.htm. March 22, 1999.

 

 

 

15. Schweitzer, Yoram. "Resonding to Terrorism-the American Dilemma."

September 2, 1998. Available:

Http://www.ict.org.il/articles/articledet.ctm?articleid=44. March 22, 1999.

 

 

 

16. "1997 Global Terrorism." Available:

http://www.state.gov/www/global/terroeism/1997report/. March 22, 1999.

 

 

 

17. "Electronic Sources: MLA Style of Citation." Available:

http://www.uvm.edu/~xli/reterence/mla.html. March 22, 1999.

 

 

 

18. "1997 Global Terrorism-definitions." Available:

http://www.state.gov/www/global/terroeism/1997report/. March 22, 1999.

 

 

 

19. "Jihad Group." Available:

Http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.ctm?ogid=18.

 

March 22, 1999

 

 

 

20. Sinha, P.B. "Pakistan-The Chief Patron-Promoter of Islamic Militancy and

Terrorism." Available: http://www.idsa-india.org/an-oct-5.html. March 22,

1999.

 

 

 

21. Sinha, P.B. "Threat of Islamic Terrorism Egypt." Available:

http://www.idsa-india.org/an-nov8-6.html. March 22, 1999.

 

 

 

22. Rajeswari, P.R. "U.S. Policy on Terrorism." Available:

http://www.idsa-india.org/an-nov8-7.html. March 22, 1999

 

Hare Krishna, Hare Bol,

 

I know that this post has been read, and I beg you to please give me some links that will be able to help me.

 

Your servant

Sai Ram, Hare Krishn, Hare Bol,

 

I am looking for something that I have yet to find, and I dare say the internet may not be the place to find it. First, a bit about myself --

 

I live in El Paso, Texas (the middle of nowhere!) Am a devotee of Lord Krishna and Sai Baba of Shirdi (I do attend ISKCON when I am in Houston). I am 32 years old, divorced, have earned my degrees, and run a not-for-profit foundation, and am a writer and artest. Anyway...

 

I have been looking all over for a place that will help me find a wife who is a devotee. Yet, I've had no luck. All the sites either want money, or don't seem to work at all.

 

So, I am not looking for much, just someone in West Texas or the Southern part of New Mexico (or someone who is willing to relocate) who is between the ages of 25 and 34. Not much, can anyone help?

 

Your humble servant,

 

Steven