Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (or Al Qaida) means "the
base."
Al-Qaeda has been described as many
different things, and it includes a "federation" of different Islamist
groups, all dedicated to mayhem against the West, Christians, Jews and Muslim regimes that do not conform to its ideas.
It may have only a few thousand members, but seems to have many supporters and sympathizers, some of whom may be
inspired to terrorist deeds by Al-Qaeda
"fatwas" (judgments
or religious rulings). Al-Qaeda became a household word in the United States following the terror attacks of September
11, 2001.
Al-Qaeda is a shadowy terrorist
network organized by Osama Bin Laden
as detailed below, and probably consists of cells of terrorists and support groups that provide financial aid,
publicity, shelter and recruiting facilities for Al Qaeda. The Al-Qaeda political philosophy is radical Islamism - the
doctrine that governments must be forced to conform to Islamic law as they conceive it to be. It is unlikely that all
Islamists are affiliated with Al Qaeda, though it is probable that most such groups cooperate. Groups such as the
Lebanese 'Hezbollah, Palestinian
Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are suspected of affiliations with Al Qaeda, but
there is a lack of evidence supporting those suspicions. Al-Qaeda believe in Jihad (Holy War) to remove Western
influences from Muslim areas, especially Saudi Arabia and Palestine, and reestablishment of the Caliphate (Khalifa)
which will then wage Jihad against the remainder of the non-Muslim world with the aim of conquering it. The activist
ideology of Islamism is based on the writings of Sayyid Qutb, Sayed Abul
Ala Mawdudi and to some extent by Jamal al-Din al-Afghani. Osama Bin Laden has added some twists, emphasis and further
radicalization of his own. (for a history of the rise of Islam and
a brief overview of Islamism click here). Islamism is not orthodox Islam as generally practiced, but Al-Qaeda and
Osama Bin Ladin have won a great deal of admiration throughout the Middle East because they are perceived as heroes who
stand up to the West.
Al-Qaeda groups may
cooperate with other Muslim fundamentalists and draw followers from them, but it is is not ideologically close to the
Wahhabi
of Saudi Arabia or the Shi'ite Islamist regime in Iran, nor is there evidence of organizational links, though
many Al-Qaeda activists were recruited from Saudi Arabia. Wahhabis are intimately connected with support for the Saudi
regime and do not believe in overthrowing governments, unlike Al-Qaeda. Nor is there evidence, despite some claims by
Laurie Mylroie and other analysts, that Saddam Hussein of Iraq had a central role in encouraging Al-Qaeda terror, though
Iraq may have sheltered and trained some Al-Qaeda terrorists, and may have used Ansar al-Islam, a terrorist group,
against the Kurds.
Al-Qaeda was founded about 1988 or 1989 by
the Saudi Arabian militant Osama bin Laden (or Usama bin Laden or bin Ladin). Prior to the fall of 2001,
Al-Qaeda was based in of Afghanistan and sheltered by the Taleban regime there. Following the terror attacks it
initiated against the USA on September 11, 2001, and the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in October of 2001, Al-Qaeda
has gone further underground. Leaders are currently (April, 2004) believed to hiding in a region of Afghanistan along
the Pakistani border. Relatively large scale military operations have failed to dislodge them or capture or kill the
leaders, and Al-Qaeda has struck at targets in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Spain and elsewhere since 2001. Bin Laden uses an
extensive international network to maintain a loose connection between Muslim extremists in diverse countries. Working
through high-tech means, such as faxes, satellite telephones, and the internet, he is in touch with an unknown number of
followers (estimated at about 1,500) all over the world.
The organization's main immediate goal is the
overthrow of what it sees as the corrupt and heretical governments of
Muslim states, and their replacement with the rule
of Sha'aria (Islamic law). Al-Qaeda is intensely anti-Western, and views the United States in particular as the
prime enemy of Islam. Bin Laden has issued several "fatwas" calling upon Muslims to take up
arms against the United States. He, or stand-ins for him, continue to release videotaped messages threatening or calling
for attacks against the United States, Western regimes, Israel and Muslim regimes that do not subscribe to his dogmas.
They attempts to radicalize existing Islamic groups and create Islamic groups where none exist. They advocate
destruction of the United States, which is seen as the chief obstacle to reform in Muslim societies. They support
Muslim fighters in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Chechnya, Eritrea, Kosova, Pakistan, Somalia, Tajikistan and Yemen.
Synonyms and alternate spellings:
Further Information: See History of Islam and the Arabs Islam
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