Unveiling Al Qaeda: Origins, Ideology, and Goals

INTRODUCTION

Every human being on earth has the right and freedom to found or be part of a group, an association, or a sect. The joining of such a group may be due to one's wiliness to be among people with similar beliefs, lifestyles, etc. as theirs. Various groups and organizations are founded on a religious basis, social basis, race, gender, and a whole lot of other relevant foundations. This is due to man’s inbuilt need of identification. These organizations may be formed for different reasons like the promotion of the organization’s beliefs, the need for the protection of members of the group, the aim of promoting the survival of tradition or culture, etc.

However, in carrying out their various reasons for being formed into an organization, some of these groups go to any length to accomplish it, not caring if these methods are detrimental to the public or even their members. Some resort to violent means and some even have these violent methods as the founding principles of the group. These groups may operate municipally as in just linked to a given country despite their origin, or may operate on the International level and thus cause International insurgency and disunity. Some of these groups have been tagged or Proscribed as terrorist groups either by a state or groups of states or a recognized International body like the Supranatural body known as the United Nations. One of these groups will be the focus of this thesis.

In trying to understand the meaning of the Terrorist group we must understand the two keywords, “Terrorism” and “group”. It should be noted that the word terrorism has no outright meaning as it is defined or proscribed differently in different legal systems in line with the logic of the relationship between Law and Language with states that are word truly means the context in which it is being used by the user. However, understanding terrorist acts may help in understanding the word terrorism. Since 1994, the United Nations General Assembly condemned terrorist acts using the following political description of terrorism:

'Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them.'

In view of this, Terrorism may be said to mean, the use of intentional violence, generally against civilians, for political purposes. The word Group may be said to be a number of people linked or related with a common identity. Terrorist is gotten from the word terrorism as means a person who carries out Terrorism. Put together, a Terrorist Group means a group or an organization whose activities have been proscribed to be acts of terrorism by a given government.

Different Terrorist groups exist in different countries and for different reasons and with different or similar origins and backgrounds. Some of these groups are subordinates of a larger group or may have some sort of affiliation with a larger group either for survival or expanded operation on a global scale. These groups include: Committee for Charity and Solidarity with Palestine, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, All Tripura Tiger Force, Ansar Al-Islam, and so many others. The focus on this thesis will be solely on the Terrorist Group known as Al Qaeda.

AL QAEDA 

Before September 11, 2001, the world knew little of Al Qaeda or its founder, Osama bin Laden. But the roots of the militant Islamist network, whose name is Arabic for “The Base,” date back to the late 1970s and the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Since declaring a holy war on the United States, Jews, and their allies, al Qaeda has been found responsible for nearly 3,000 deaths on 9/11 and numerous other deadly attacks around the world

Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة‎ al-Qāʿidah, , meaning 'The Base', 'The Foundation' or 'The Database', alternatively spelled al-Qaida and al-Qa'ida) is a militant Sunni Islamist multi-national organization founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, and several other Arab volunteers during the Soviet–Afghan War. Al-Qaeda operates as a network of Islamic extremists and Salafist jihadists. The organization has been designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, India, and various other countries. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on non-military and military targets in various countries, including the 1998 United States embassy bombings, the September 11 attacks, and the 2002 Bali bombings.

The global terror network has been linked to radical groups across the Middle East and beyond.

HISTORY, ORIGIN, AND THE EMERGENCE OF AL QAEDA

The origins of al-Qaeda can be traced to the Soviet War in Afghanistan (December 1979 – February 1989). The United States viewed the conflict in Afghanistan in terms of the Cold War, with Marxists on one side and the native Afghan mujahideen on the other. This view led to a CIA program called Operation Cyclone, which channeled funds through Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency to the Afghan Mujahideen. The US government provided substantial financial support to the Afghan Islamic militants. Aid to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an Afghan mujahideen leader and founder of the Hezb-e Islami, amounted to more than $600 million. In addition to American aid, Hekmatyar was the recipient of Saudi aid. In the early 1990s, after the US had withdrawn support, Hekmatyar 'worked closely' with bin Laden. At the same time, a growing number of Arab mujahideen joined the jihad against the Afghan Marxist regime, which was facilitated by international Muslim organizations, particularly the Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK). In 1984, MAK was established in Peshawar, Pakistan, by bin Laden and Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, a Palestinian Islamic scholar, and member of the Muslim Brotherhood. MAK organized guest houses in Peshawar, near the Afghan border, and gathered supplies for the construction of paramilitary training camps to prepare foreign recruits for the Afghan war front. MAK was funded by the Saudi government as well as by individual Muslims including Saudi businessmen. Bin Laden also became a major financier of the mujahideen, spending his own money and using his connections to influence public opinion about the war.

From 1986, MAK began to set up a network of recruiting offices in the US, the hub of which was the Al Kifah Refugee Center at the Farouq Mosque on Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue. Among notable figures at the Brooklyn Center were 'double agent' Ali Mohamed, whom FBI special agent Jack Cloonan called 'bin Laden's first trainer', and 'Blind Sheikh' Omar Abdel-Rahman, a leading recruiter of mujahideen for Afghanistan. Azzam and bin Laden began to establish camps in Afghanistan in 1987. MAK and foreign mujahideen volunteers, or 'Afghan Arabs', did not play a major role in the war. While over 250,000 Afghan mujahideen fought the Soviets and the communist Afghan government, it is estimated that were never more than 2,000 foreign mujahideen on the field at any one time. Nonetheless, foreign mujahideen volunteers came from 43 countries, and the total number that participated in the Afghan movement between 1982 and 1992 is reported to have been 35,000. Bin Laden played a central role in organizing training camps for foreign Muslim volunteers.

The Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989. Mohammad Najibullah's Communist Afghan government lasted for three more years before it was overrun by elements of the mujahideen.

Toward the end of the Soviet military mission in Afghanistan, some foreign mujahideen wanted to expand their operations to include Islamist struggles in other parts of the world, such as Palestine and Kashmir. A number of overlapping and interrelated organizations were formed, to further those aspirations. One of these was the organization that would eventually be called al-Qaeda. Research suggests that al-Qaeda was formed on August 11, 1988, when a meeting between leaders of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Abdullah Azzam, and bin Laden took place. An agreement was reached to link bin Laden's money with the expertise of the Islamic Jihad organization and take up the jihadist cause elsewhere after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan.

Notes indicate al-Qaeda was a formal group by August 20, 1988. A list of requirements for membership itemized the following: listening ability, good manners, obedience, and making a pledge (bayat ) to follow one's superiors. In his memoir, bin Laden's former bodyguard, Nasser al-Bahri, gives the only publicly available description of the ritual of giving bayat when he swore his allegiance to the al-Qaeda chief. According to Wright, the group's real name was not used in public pronouncements because 'its existence was still a closely held secret. '

In light of all these, it can be noted and said that Al Qaeda came to be due to the Soviet War in Afghanistan (December 1979 – February 1989). The aftermath of this war was the trigger event that led to the emergence and creation of Al Qaeda.

IDEOLOGY, GOALS, AND ACCOMPLISHMENT(S) OF AL QAEDA

IDEOLOGY

The radical Islamist movement developed during the Islamic revival and the rise of the Islamist movement after the Iranian revolution. Some have argued that the writings of Islamic author and thinker Sayyid Qutb inspired the al-Qaeda organization. In the 1950s and 1960s, Qutb preached that because of the lack of Sharia law, the Muslim world was no longer Muslim, and had reverted to the pre-Islamic ignorance known as jahiliyyah. To restore Islam, Qutb argued that a vanguard of righteous Muslims was needed in order to establish 'true Islamic states', implement sharia, and rid the Muslim world of any non-Muslim influences. In Qutb's view, the enemies of Islam included 'world Jewry', which 'plotted conspiracies' and opposed Islam.

Qutb also influenced bin Laden's mentor, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Zawahiri's uncle and maternal family patriarch, Mahfouz Azzam, was Qutb's student, protégé, personal lawyer, and executor of his estate. Azzam was one of the last people to see Qutb alive before his execution. Zawahiri paid homage to Qutb in his work Knights under the Prophet's Banner. Qutb's argued that many Muslims were not true Muslims. Some Muslims, Qutb argued, were apostates. These alleged apostates included leaders of Muslim countries since they failed to enforce Sharia law. The Afghan jihad against the pro-Soviet government further developed the Salafist Jihadist movement which inspired Al-Qaeda.

What better way to know the Ideology of an organization, than to look at the attitude of the organization towards some vital issues and points. The focus will be on four main points which are Enemies, Use of violence, Minority, and Use of media.

ENEMIES

Al Qaeda places a strong emphasis on ridding any trace of Western influence from Muslim lands. In view of this, the main enemy of Al Qaeda is the United States of America and any of its allies, military or civilian. In the words of its leader in 1998, when ordering a Fatwa against the United States, Osama Bin Laden said,

“The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies, civilians and military; is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty Allah, ‘and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together,’ and ‘fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah. ”

He also stated in 1997 thus;

“We have declared jihad against the US because in our religion it is our duty to make jihad so that God's word is the one exalted to the heights and so that we drive the Americans away from all Muslim countries. ”

In practice, Since the 1990s, Al Qaeda has mainly targeted the West, which it accuses of propping up corrupt Arab regimes. According to Al Qaeda, a caliphate cannot be established until Western forces are defeated and expelled from Muslim countries.

MINORITIES

Al Qaeda denounces Shiites, Christians, and virtually any group that doesn’t share their worldview. But the groups’ leaders have emphasized that attacking these groups is not the highest priority. In Zawahiri’s 2005 letter to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, he stated thus;

“People of discernment and knowledge among Muslims know the extent of danger to Islam of the 12’er school of Shi’ism. It is a religious school based on excess and falsehood whose function is to accuse the companions of Muhammad of heresy [in] a campaign against Islam, in order to free the way for a group of those who call for a dialogue in the name of the hidden Mahdi who is in control of existence and infallible in what he does. Their prior history in cooperating with the enemies of Islam is consistent with their current reality of connivance with the Crusaders. As for the sectarian and chauvinistic factor, it is secondary in importance to outside aggression and is much weaker than it. ”

In practice, Al Qaeda, which is dominated by Sunni Muslims, is vehemently anti-Shiite. But its leaders have emphasized that sectarian warfare is less of a priority than fighting the West.

USE OF VIOLENCE

Al Qaeda has carried out attacks against Muslim and non-Muslim civilians. But the group focuses on high-profile attacks against Western targets, fearing that sectarian attacks could alienate potential Muslim allies. In Zawahiri’s 2005 letter to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, he also stated that ;

“Among the things which the feelings of the Muslim populace who love and support you will never find palatable…are the scenes of slaughtering the hostages. Many of your Muslim admirers amongst the common folk are wondering about your attacks on the Shia. The sharpness of these questioning increases when the attacks are on one of their mosques...My opinion is that this matter won't be acceptable to the Muslim populace however much you have tried to explain it, and aversion to this will continue. ”

In a statement by Osama bin Laden in 2001,

“We treat others like they treat us…those who kill our women and our innocent, we kill their women and innocent.”

In practice, Al Qaeda has focused on spectacular attacks to provoke world attention. It has justified killing civilians as retribution for attacks by Western forces. Al Qaeda has little tolerance for Shiites and other minorities outside its narrow worldview. But the group has acknowledged that mass sectarian killings and excessive brutality detract from its goal of attacking the West and alienating potential followers. In 2005, Al Qaeda leaders warned Zarqawi against carrying out sectarian attacks that could provoke a backlash among fellow Sunnis.

USE OF MEDIA

In a 2014 issue of Al Qaeda’s Inspire magazine, it was stated thus ;

“As our responsibility to the Muslim Ummah in general and Muslims living in America in particular, Inspire Magazine humbly presents to you a simple improvised home recipe of a car bomb. And the good news is… you can prepare it in the kitchen of your mom too. ”

In practice, Al Qaeda’s English language magazine, known as “Inspire”, was started in 2010 by Anwar al Awlaki, an American jihadist killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011. New issues of the magazine continued to be published after his death. The magazine has focused primarily on providing instructions on carrying out attacks against Western targets. But it has not articulated a broader political or military strategy. On the internet, al Qaeda has primarily relied on conventional media — including older mechanisms, such as jihadist forums and websites — to propagate its message.

Al-Qaeda members believe in a conviction that a Christian–Jewish alliance is conspiring to destroy Islam. As Salafist jihadists, members of al-Qaeda believe that the killing of non-combatants is religiously sanctioned. This belief ignores the aspects of religious scripture which forbid the murder of non-combatants and internecine fighting. Al-Qaeda also opposes what it regards as man-made laws, and wants to replace them with a strict form of Sharia law.

CONCLUSION 

Al Qaeda is a notorious terrorist group that emerged in the late 1970s during the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Its origins can be traced back to the radical Islamist movement influenced by figures like Sayyid Qutb. Al Qaeda operates as a militant Sunni Islamist organization with the goal of establishing 'true Islamic states' and eliminating Western influence from Muslim lands.

The ideology of Al Qaeda centers around the idea of jihad against the United States and its allies, whom they perceive as enemies. The group promotes the use of violence, especially against Western targets, and has been responsible for numerous deadly attacks worldwide, including the 9/11 attacks in the United States. They have also expressed animosity towards minority groups, particularly Shiites, and have denounced any group that does not share their extremist worldview.

While Al Qaeda's primary focus has been on high-profile attacks against the West, the group has recognized the need to avoid excessive brutality and sectarian violence that could alienate potential supporters. They have used various media channels, such as magazines like Inspire, to disseminate their extremist ideology and attract followers.

Al Qaeda's emergence and activities have had a profound impact on global security, leading to increased counterterrorism efforts by governments and international organizations. The group's actions have caused significant loss of life and have instilled fear and insecurity in societies around the world.

In order to effectively combat the threat posed by terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, it is crucial for countries and international bodies to collaborate on intelligence sharing, preventive measures, and counterterrorism strategies. Efforts must also be made to address the underlying factors that contribute to the radicalization and recruitment of individuals by such groups, including socio-economic disparities, political grievances, and ideological extremism.

Ultimately, eradicating terrorism requires a comprehensive approach that includes not only military and security measures but also socio-economic development, promotion of democratic values, and fostering international cooperation. Only through such collective efforts can we hope to create a world where the ideologies and actions of groups like Al Qaeda are no longer a threat to global peace and stability.