Religion as a Weapon:

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• Religion as a Weapon
• The Politicization of Islam

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• Average Christian?

• Average Muslim?

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Geography of Islam

• Non-Middle eastern states
• Indonesia 215 m
• Pakistan 160 m
• India 134 m
• Bangladesh 123 m
• Turkey 70 m
• Nigeria 65 m
• Sudan 41 m
• Afghanistan 31 m

• Middle Eastern states
• Egypt 70 m
• Iran 61 m
• Algeria 32 m
• Morocco 32 m
• Iraq 25 m
• Saudi Arabia 22 m
• Syria 16.2 m
• Jordan 4.6

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AQ is Clear About Goals

• 1996 fatwa
• 1998 fatwa
• Al-Qaeda Training Manual (from Dept. of Justice)
• Bin-Laden videos
• Militant Ideology Atlas (US Combating Terrorism
  Center)

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1. Religion and Politics

• Iran
• Saudi Arabia
• Pakistan
• India BJP
• Japan Soka Gokkai
• US Religious Right

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2. Expectations-Frustration-Aggression

• Davies J-Curve
• Q
• U Expectations
• A
• L
• I Expectation Gap
• T
• Y
• O reality
• F
• L
• I
• F TIME
• E

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The Wealth Doesnt Spread

• From WTRG Economics, Oil Price History and
  Analysis, http//www.wtrg.com/prices.htm

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3. History and ContextOrigins of AQ

• Iranian Revolution
• (1978-1979)
• provides inspiration foreign fighters
• formation go home,
• of Afghan mujahadin form new groups
• or join existing groups, create a
  
• global terror
• Ideological legacy USSR invades US,
  China, Pakistan Soviets network
• of radical Islamic Afghanistan Egypt, Saudi
  Arabia, withdraw
• thought 1979
  and others funding, 1989
• provides ideology supplying, and training
• and inspiration mujahadin and jihadis
• OBL and others recruit
• Saudi funded religious schools
  volunteers al-Qaeda (global)
• (madrassas) in Middle East from
  madrassas Abu Sayyaf (Phil.)
• and Asia (1970s-1980s)
  in M. E. and Asia GIA (Algeria)

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4. A New World?

• Globalization
• Ease of travel
• Ease of global finance
• Communications revolution States
• Ability to communicate lose
• globally monopoly
• Information revolution on
• Ability to share large influence
• amounts of information with and
• anyone, anywhere, anytime violence
• Global spread of technology

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5. Rise of Extremist Islam

• Why the Middle East?
• Ideology
• Lack of Democracy
• Rising expectations and frustrations
• Inequality
• Socialist economics (OIL)

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Explaining the Growth of Extremist Ideas

• Political Factors Technological factors
• Authoritarian government advances in
  communication
• Corrupt government computers for info storage
• Lack of civil rights no democracy internet
  and e-mail
• Lack of human rights no individual
  freedoms ease of travel
• Liberal and moderate ideas crushed ease of
  global financial transactions
• Radical ideas crushed (Egypt) advantages of
  networks
• Radical ideas encouraged (Saudi
  Arabia) globalization
• Prison torture SOP
• Controlled press spreads ruling ideology
• Anti-West and anti-US Social Factors
• Colonialism in past Rapid economic change
• Strong religious traditions Population growth
• Pan-Islamic ideas Lack of social and economic
  mobility
• Pan-Arab ideas More university education
  lack of jobs
• Failures of secular nationalism (Syria,
  Iraq) Generation with a lack of identity
• No outlet for moderate dissent or
  debate Expectations of success lack of
  success
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict Expectations of
  change lack of change

Growth of extremist ideas
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Radical Islamic Ideology I

• Nationalists and Transnationalists share
• Salafists (pure Islam)
• No pluralism in Islam (some Nationalists may
  allow it)
• Anti-American
• Anti-western
• Anti-colonial (resistance or defense)

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Radical Islamic Ideology IITransnationalists vs.
Nationalists

• Transnationalists
• Anti-nation-state
• Rebuild the Caliphate
• Anti-Democracy
• Example AQAM

• Nationalists
• Goal of building or taking power in a
  nation-state
• Democratic participation if advantageous
• Example Hamas and Hezbollah

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Abu Bakr Naji, The Management of Savagery

• Current political and create
  establish gain
• state religious instability
  new order legitimacy,
• organization savagery
  religious authority,
• terrorist chaos order
  power
• attacks
• Time