I have made reference to Al Qaeda numerous times over the past several months. My assumption has been that because the term is used so frequently in the media and in political speeches, people must know what it means. The reality is that some people don’t have a clue what is meant by Al Qaeda. Maybe it’s time to take a look at the term and break it down so it can be understood.
The difficulty in doing that is that Al Qaeda is a fluid, constantly moving organization, changing its face as rapidly as is required to avoid elimination. But at the base, there is a clarity which can be discerned. This is a very, very limited explanation, but maybe it will help.In the definition above there are five words which are constant.
*Al Qaeda is multinational. While efforts to curb the spread and influence of Al Qaeda have been focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan, it would be a serious mistake to think that the militant organization is located in any one country exclusively.
*Al Qaeda is stateless. One of the mistakes people make is to treat a war against Al Qaeda like other wars which have pitted nation against nation. This terrorist organization is not responsive to any singular government, any treaties or pacts between nations, or any political entity. It is a movement more than a nation.
*Islamic Fundamentalism is a basic characteristic of Al Qaeda. Strict interpretation of teachings from the Koran is common to the disparate cells of the movement, although those interpretations are disputed by many Islamic scholars. The rigidity of the teachings of Al Qaeda is such that it points to violence against those who do not espouse the same interpretations.
*The particular sect of Islamic fundamentalism present in Al Qaeda operations is that of the Sunni. Fundamentalists in the Sunni sect espouse violence as a means of enforcing Islamic law.
* Jihad is a term used to describe a strategy, or plan, held by Al Qaeda to eliminate the perceived enemies of the movement. It is commonly referred to as a “holy war,” either to affirm Islamic principles interpreted by Al Qaeda or to improve the perceived spiritual state of an individual. It is important to remember that this application of jihad is limited to fundamentalist movements such as Al Qaeda and is rejected and condemned by most Muslim believers. One of the perceived enemies of Al Qaeda is the United States of America.
The threat of Al Qaeda is real, is dangerous, and is not to be taken lightly. The commendable goal of ridding the world of the leadership of Al Qaeda in order to cripple or destroy the movement is idealistic, but possibly unattainable. No one knows if the elimination of the current leadership will remove the possibility of other, emerging leaders of similar ideology. The rapid spread of the movement throughout the world is frightening and worthy of the energies being spent to diminish its effectiveness. However, the methodology of achieving that is in dispute.
We in the United States have the specific memory of the terrorist destruction of life on September 11, 2001,under the direction of Osama bin Laden, to stimulate our passion to destroy Al Quada. However, the failure of the US Government to sustain its energies against Al Qaeda, coupled with the diversion of the Iraq War, have, perhaps, limited our ability to succeed in eliminating this evil movement. The delay in serious action led to rapid expansion of the movement throughout the world.
What is missing in this attempt to curb Al Qaeda jihad is the strong resistence of other Muslims. Strong opposition to Al Qaeda is limited to non-Islamic forces while most of the Muslim world watches.
Photo credit:smh.com.au
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