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Published in The New Criminologist www.newcriminologist.co.uk/news.asp?id=1117453364 Published on 30 May 2005 | Author PARKER, Janet Louise, D.V.M.,B.S.
What Muslim Jihad Group Tried to Assassinate Osama Bin Laden?
By Dr. Janet Parker In 1995 they attempted to assassinate Osama Bin Laden because they believed he was not radical or fundamentalist enough in his views. He focuses on jihad, as understood by the more traditionalist ulama. (religious leaders) This group was responsible for the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981. He also made the mistake of working with the traditional ulama. The ulama cooperates with the rulers, often silently accepting the government's politics. The name of this group means "Condemnation and Migration", or "Anathema and Exile" or possibly "Excommunication and Emigration." depending on who you ask. Many of their members were, in the early 1980s backed, financed, armed and even given travel documents by the CIA, British intelligence and other intelligence agencies in return for their support in the fight against the Russians in Afghanistan. Their members are permitted to disregard the injunctions of Islamic law in order to blend into infidel societies for the purposes of Jihad. French Intelligence has called these terrorists " the hard core of the hard core: they are the ones who will be called upon to organize and execute the really big attacks." Who are they? They are the Takfir wa'l-Hijra. The Takfir Wal Hijra was founded in Egypt in late 1960s as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the leader of the extremist Egyptian Jihad organization, was the brain and the ideologue of the Al-Qa'ida organization, and many believe it is he who leads bin Laden. Takfir militant dogma is the founding concepts on which the Jihad terrorist's network is based. The total number of Takfir members is unknown but could be in the thousands. Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966) was a leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s and 1960s who was tortured and executed by President Nasser for his book Milestones (ma'alim fil tariq) which reinterpreted traditional Islamic concepts to justify a violent takeover of the state. His reinterpretation of traditional Islamic concepts was the catalyst for the rise of radical Islamic groups. The Takfir leader, Shukri Mustafa (1942-1978), was a disciple of Sayyid Qutb, and was seen as the promised mahdi who would found the new Muslim community, conquer the world, and usher in God's final reign on earth. Osama bin-Laden is a mahdi-like figure who has achieved mythical proportions. His austere and devout life-style, zeal for Islam, reported exploits, legendary riches, and international renown have exaggerated his popular appeal to Muslim fundamentalists. The Takfir use concepts such as Jihad (holy war), Takfir (refutation), jahiliyya (state of ignorance), Istishhad (Martyrdom, including by suicide), and Shahid (Martyr) to justify armed resistance and violent takeovers of government from corrupt regimes as well as indiscriminate acts of terrorism against all perceived enemies. They believe in using suicide missions as legitimate tools. . Very few mature, intelligent and responsible European Muslims want to join the Global Jihad. So recruitment efforts by the Takfir in Morocco emphasize that a criminal background is not an obstacle in joining the Jihad. Experience with forgery, credit-card fraud, and knowledge of arms dealers and people traffickers are essential skills for terrorists. Besides the Takfir do not discourage prospects that drink, chase women, or are otherwise bad Muslims, since they can obtain their salvation through Jihad and martyrdom. This fits into the Takfir concept of "taqiyya," or use of deceptions that include blending into non-Muslim societies French Intelligence experts during the investigation of the bombing spree in France in 1995 established links between Algerian GIA cells in Europe and Mujaheddin leaders in Bosnia and Afghanistan. Six of the French terrorist suspects who allegedly were planning to blow up the US embassy in Paris were believed to be members of Takfir wal Hijra. The Algerian GIA has long been known to run organized criminal networks for drug trafficking. Many Takfir converts were involved in drugs and pretty crime and were recruited while serving a prison sentence. Takfir members are very secretive, and they do not attend the existing Mosques. They shun all other Muslims as heretics. The Takfir cells in the Parisian suburbs are extremely well organized and disciplined. The Islamist networks in France largely consist of first or second-generation immigrants from North Africa with a working or middle class background. But the bomb attacks in Casablanca on 16 May 2003 further revealed the existence of nidus of Takfir members in Morocco. These terrorist bombers had not gone to the Afghanistan Darunta camp for training. The only training they received was done by themselves over weekends. They had so many technical difficulties in the bomb making process that they eventually were forced to postpone the bombings. But the solution to their bomb-manufacturing problems was found on the internet, allowing them to build explosive devices the day before the operation. The amateur ineptitude of the bombers did not discourage these home schooled terrorists from being eventually successful. There are estimated several hundred Takfirists in Morocco but many more sympathizers. This extremist group has a solid, active local base and are not just dormant cells waiting to respond to commands from al-Qaida. These Takfirists are no longer content to fight the United States; they label even Muslim leaders, and all their direct or indirect supporters, as infidels (kafir) and condemn them. The Takfir encourage political violence as a means of forcing states to return "to the laws of God and the society of the Prophet of original Islam". In 2002 there were more than 166 Moroccan civilians assassinated by Takfirist violence. In Morocco this violent jihad organization has its strength in the in shanty towns on the edges of cities which are inhabited by clandestine inhabitants who have no official abode and no identity documents. The Takfirist militia essentially rules the poor districts of Morocco with merciless coercion of the inhabitants. Takfir membership means an irrevocable break with family, local authorities and society itself. Once that step has been taken, the Takfirists can organize their transition to violent action, which they describe as combating evil and doing good. Moroccan Takfirist groups are characterized by a lack of any unified leadership. Even though Osama bin Laden's network may have played a major role in providing logistic support and formulating strategy, these self supporting cells act autonomously. Since the organizational links to Osama Bin Laden are not as clear, it is more difficult for security forces to track their activities. References: Akerboom, E. S. M. (2003). Counter-Terrorism in the Netherlands. General Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (AIVD). AIVD (2002). Recruitment for the Jihad in the Netherlands. From Incident to Trend. General Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (AIVD). AIVD (2004). Background of Jihad Recruits in the Netherlands. General Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (AIVD). Belaala, Selma "Morocco: Slums Breed Jihad" Le Monde Diplomatique November 2004 Gilles Kepel, The Prophet and The Pharaoh: Muslim Extremism in Egypt, (London: al-Saqi, 1985), pp. 95-96, 150. Manfred Gerstenfel, . "Radical Islam in The Netherlands:A Case Study of a Failed European Policy", Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Vol. 4, No. 14 2 January 2005, http://www.jcpa.org/index.htm Marie-France Etchegoin, "Le Takfir au service de Ben Laden" Nouvel Observateur - N°1928 Semaine du 18 octobre 2001 -- N°1928 - Dossier MERIA Journal, Volume 3, No. 3, of September 1999, David Zeidan of London University described Radical Islam in Egypt by comparing two groups, the Society of Muslims (Takfir wal-Hijra) and the Society of Struggle (Jama'at al-Jihad): < http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/1999/issue3/jv3n3a1.html Muhammad Abdessalam Faraj, Al-farida al-gha'iba, translated, in Jansen, G.H., 1986. The Neglected Duty: The Creed of Sadat's Assassins and Islamic Resurgence in the Middle East (New York: Macmillan, 1986), pp. 163-164. Murphy, Brian AP Religion Writer "Ultra-radical Muslims draw scrutiny" Boston.com news, November 20, 2004, http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/ 2004/11/20/ultra_radical_muslims_draw_scrutiny/ http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/ 2004/11/20/ultra_radical_muslims_draw_scrutiny?pg=2 Nabeel T. Jabbour, The Rumbling Volcano: Islamic Fundamentalism In Egypt (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1993), pp. 143-157; Nabeel T. Jabbour, The Rumbling Volcano: Islamic Fundamentalism In Egypt (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1993), pp. 143-157; Sammy Salama & Kathleen Thompson, "The Historical Roots of Current Terrorist Tactics and Methods" November 21, 2003, (Sammy Salama sammy.salama@miis.edu) http://www.cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/031121.htm Sayyid Qutb, "Social Justice in Islam" in Shepard, W. ed., Sayyid Qutb and Islamic Activism: A Translation and Critical Analysis of 'Social Justice in Islam' (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1996), pp. 309-311. Sayyid Qutb, Milestones (Ma'alim fil Tariq), English Translation (Indianapolis: American Trust Publications, 1990), pp. 130-137. Taarnby, Michael " "Recruitment of Islamist Terrorists in Europe. "Trends and Perspectives" Research Report funded by the Danish Ministry of Justice, January 14, 2005 Centre for Cultural Research, University of Aarhus, Denmark, mtj@hum.au.dk Zeidan, David `The Islamic Fundamentalist view of life as a perennial battle", Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 5, No. 4 (December 2001) 26 |
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