Essay Example on Terrorism: The Rising Threat & Need for Collaboration

Introduction

After the bombing in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996 and an attack on a military complex in Saudi Arabia in June the same year, the US became aware of the threat of terrorism. From the happening, security enforcement units became more alert on the possibility of increased attacks, both domestically and externally. The suspects took long to be identified, which was a lesson to law enforcers on the importance of collaboration by both local and federal officers, and an increased interest among scholars to understand religious extremism. At around that time, Islamic jihadist groups such as Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and ISIS also became common. The groups fought against imperialism by Western countries, terming it an interference with local governance. The groups were in Muslim-dominant countries, which prompted scholars to study the guiding religion and principles of the decision. As Islam extremism is continually linked to terrorist groups and attacks, there is a need to understand the facts and demystify myths on Jihadist practices.

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Wahhabism

Wahhabism is a puritanical form of Sunni Islam that is practiced in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Wahhabism was founded by a Muslim scholar called Muhammad bin Abd-al Wahhab who lived in the eighth century in the Arabian Peninsula. The movement sought to purify the Islamic religion of all innovations and practices that are not in tandem with the teachings of the founder of Islamic religion prophet Muhammad and his companions (Blanchard, 2007). Wahhabi believed that the movement would end the moral decay that was being witnessed in his society. He opposed many Islamic believes and practices as he viewed them as idolatrous. He advocated for a return to the orthodox and practices of the fundamentals of the Islamic religion as encompassed in the Holy Quran and the life of Prophet Muhammad (Chaliand et al. 2016). Muhammad bin Saud and Wahhabi tasked themselves with the responsibility of uniting the disparate tribes in the Arabian Peninsula, and this has seen their descendants form close relationships to-date.

The teachings of Wahhabis are conservative, emphasizing on maintaining the integrity of traditional Islamic teachings by eliminating additional requirements or exceptions. It opposes additional Muslim practices such as the veneration of saints, celebration of prophets' birthdays, most core Shiite teachings and majority of the practices that are related to the mystical teachings of Sufism, citing that they are not mentioned in the Quran or Hadith (teaching of Mohammed)( Blanchard, 2007). Although rejected by contemporaries in Medina and Mecca, Wahhabism is considered the official religion in Saudi Arabia. Still, the current ruler crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salam is reforming the requirements to allow religious flexibility in the country. The denomination emphasizes oneness; thus, they term paying tribute or noting essential days that are not quoted in the Quran as challenging the supremacy of God (Blanchard, 2007). The scholar was not teaching new teachings but emphasizing on all Muslims sticking to Sharia without compromise.

Wahhabism's puritanical and iconoclastic philosophies have seen Wahhabism get into conflict with other Muslim groups. Wahhabi's' ultra-conservative nature has been termed as extremism, which has been blamed for Saudi Arabia's stun norms. Wahhabism became integrated into Saudi Arabia's practices since Wahhabi received support from the then ruler. Wahhabi used the political influence power to conquer regions that opposed by his doctrines. The seizing of Mecca and Medina by Wahhabi-inspired warriors in the 19th century saw the destruction of the first Saudi kingdom by the Ottoman, who felt his dominance was threatened. The warriors also attacked Masjid-al-Haram, declaring that their leader, Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani, was the Mohammed of the time and required all Muslims to follow his doctrines (Blanchard, 2007). The siege lasted two weeks and took the army and French commandos to regain control of the compound. Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani was killed during the crossfire, and his men who were captured were imprisoned and later beheaded for causing division among Muslims.

In the same way, Wahhabi trained warriors allied to Abd-al Aziz Ibn Saud attacked fellow Muslim groups that led to political confrontations and engagements with the British Empire military. Wahhabi's religious establishments and the Saudi ruling family have since then enjoyed a close relationship. Wahhabi-trained warriors were part of the Al Saud family's military campaign that was meant to re-conquer and unite the Arabian Peninsula. It was during this period that Wahhabism spread most in Saudi Arabia. Although its influence later declined due to different leadership, Wahhabi ideologies have shaped the political, judicial, and educational policies of Saudi Arabia (Chaliand et al., 2016). Since then, Saudi Arabia has been operating as a country with extreme Muslim practices, such as denying women the right to drive and failure to operate cinemas. According to Dillon, (2009), Wahhabism also believed that the only way to make people deviating from traditional Islamic practices was by Jihad, which is believed to have fuelled Jihad war and sects such as the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria.

Salafism

Salafism began in the mid to late 19th century at the al-Azhar University of Egypt as an intellectual movement to resist European imperialism. The movement was led by Muhammad Abduh in the beginning, followed by Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, who was later succeeded by Rashid Rida. Those who subscribe to this view believe that it is not a new term but existed with the first few generations of Islam as Salafiyya. The doctrines of Salafist movements were concerned with understanding the early years of religion to advise modern Muslims on how Islamic faith should be practiced. Salafism has several similarities with Wahhabism, as modern Salafists consider Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab and his students to have been Salafis (Adraoui, 2008). Abdal-Wahhab campaigned against practices such as the visitation of tombs and shrines. To him, the practices were a form of idolatry, representing impurity and innovations that were inappropriate to Islam.

The majority of the Salafis are residents of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. 22.9 percent of the Saudi Arabian population is made up of Salafis hence making them the dominant minority in Saudi Arabia. Recently, Salafist ideologies are gaining acceptance in Turkey (Adraoui, 2008). Salafism and other post-1960s movements are termed as Wahhabism hybrids. Salafists were impressed by the technological and social advancements of Europe during the enlightenment but did not count it a reason to allow the West to invade the Middle East. Salafist have since then tried to associate these advancements with the Muslim civilization.

Salafis believe in Sunni Islam, one of the largest denominations of Islam after Shiite. Sunnis and Shiites drifted into two groups after the death of Mohammed, the greasiest Prophet in Islamic history. The dispute was on who his heir was supposed to be because Shiite believed that Allah chooses the heir, so must come from the Lineage of Mohammed, and while Sunnis thought that was not a prerequisite. The rivalry has lasted to date, with the majority of Sunni Muslims in Saudi Arabia and most Shiite believers in Iran and Iraq. The countries are still struggling for dominance in the region based on the initial rivalry. Sunni Muslims believe that Islamic practices have drifted over time due to various interpretations. Therefore, they advocated for a return to the Islamic practices of the first Muslim generations and strict adherence to the original Muslim text. The Salafis believe they should avoid the secular world and the influence of western cultures.

The ideologies of the Salafis and Wahhabis are like two sides of the same coin. The two are literal and puritanical in their approach to Islamic theology and law. On matters patterning jurisprudence, both Salafis and Wahhabis subscribe to Mazhab school of thought (Dillon, 2009). The two denounce any practices that are not found in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet.

The Salafist movement is divided into three groups; purist, activist, and jihadist. The purists are occupied with education and missionary work to solidify Tawhid. The purist view politics as a distraction to Islam but they support the leaders. On the other hand, the activists are concerned with political reforms and ideas of re-establishing a caliphate via evolution with no violence. Activists subscribe to the view that for justice to prevail and to guarantee Sharia is followed by the political leaders, Salafi creed has to applied in politics. In contrast, the jihadists share the same political ideologies but are violent jihadists. Salafis are commonly confused with being all jihadists, especially in countries without a Muslim-majority population. All Salafis despise interference of Western powers on local governments, but purists are very quiet Salafis, seeking to teach traditional Islam teachings and not fight the powers, unlike jihadists who believe peace is gained by the sword (Adraoui, 2008). Even in countries where the government seems not to adhere to Muslim teachings, purists will not interfere with it; thus, they focus more on teaching religion than politics. Jihadists also seek to convert the government and its people to strict adherents of Islamic teachings, therefore refer to those who do not accept their instructions as kafri (rebels). The jihadists also greatly despise government officials who seem to collaborate with the United States to oppress "their brothers" in other countries. Islam emphasizes on cohesion and harmony among themselves; therefore, jihadists all over the world have joined to fight for the rights of other Muslims in Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Although they are also Salafis, purists have a different opinion, insisting on citizens obeying the current leaders, as authority comes from Allah (Adraoui, 2008). Activists also believe in political reforms and work for them considerably, but they do not go to the extents of Jihadists.

The Islam States and Terrorism

Little was known about Islamic extremism by ordinary Americans until the terrorist group Al-Qaeda attacked the US in 2001. The group hijacked four planes, with which they killed 3,000 people. That remains the worst and starting attack by Al-Qaeda on the US. It was after this attack that former president George Bush declared war against terrorism. At that time, Saudi Arabia was enjoying good US relations, until it was discovered that 13 out of 19 of the jihadists were Saudi Arabia (Byman, 2015). The discovery led to questioning on why Saudi Arabia was involved in the bombing and led to an investigation of the religious beliefs of its citizens and their role in Jihadism. Although not directly linked to violence and killing, the teachings of Wahhabism and Salafism have been blamed for the increasing terrorist attacks because they believe in Jihadism. Jihadism was the main idea on which Al-Qaeda and all affiliate groups have been formed.

On August 23rd, 1996, the then leader of the extremists group Osama Bin Laden had declared war on the US, but not much attention had been given to the issue. The decision after the Soviet Union showed consistent interest and involvement in Afghanistan. After the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, Bin Laden did not give up his ambition for Jihad. Using a London-based Arabic newspaper, Bin Laden started a movement that has pushed countries into the war (Byman, 2015).). Al-Qaeda has led to the formation of other affiliated groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and Alshabaab in Somalia. All these...