Upload
jereni
View
90
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Lecture 13: Religious Terrorism. Religion and Terrorism Religiously-oriented Terrorist Groups. The Power of Religion. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
Religion and Terrorism Religiously-oriented Terrorist Groups
“Religion “deals with spiritual or ultimate human concerns, such as life or death, our highest values and selves, the roots of evil, the existence of God, the nature of divinity and goodness . . .” – John Mack
Violence as necessary to protect or defend
Faith and devotion will be rewarded by God
True believers are superior over non-believers
Chosen people vs. ‘infidel’, ‘apostate’ and ‘godless’ (a deeper level of “othering”)
“Violence is first and foremost a sacramental act or divine duty . . . in direct response to some theological demand or imperative.” – Bruce Hoffman
The religious extremist seems to “enter into a kind of trance, where the world is divided neatly between good and evil, victim and oppressor. Uncertainty and ambiguity . . . are banished. God is on their side.” – Jessica Stern
Superiority of God’s rules provides justification for violating man-made rules Easier to kill if you think you’re doing God’s will
Enormous power for “interpreters” (priests, imams, rabbis), who can exploit the need among many people for religious guidance. Use interpretation of Torah, Bible, Koran, etc. to justify
terrorist violence as God’s will
Epic battle of good versus evil
Many different kinds of religious terrorism worldwide
Rabbi Meir Kahane; political activist; founded Jewish Defense League (1968), advocated violent attacks against perceived enemies
Immigrated to Israel, founded “Kach” political party; argued for expulsion of all non-Jews from Israel, by force if necessary Preached that entirely Jewish theocratic “Kingdom of Israel”
was needed to create the conditions for the coming of the Jewish Messiah.
Increasingly racist messages led to assassination in 1990
Son launches Meir Kahane (“Kahane Lives”), advocating attacks on Palestinians and Arab Israelis
Baruch Goldstein (1994); Eden Natan-Zada (2005)
“Leaderless resistance”-style Christian group that targets abortion clinics and doctors Biblical passages used to justify violence as “defense of the
unborn child”
Prominent figures include Michael Bray, Paul Hill and James Kopp “An individual who kills to save a life has not committed
murder, but has in fact prevented it.”
Started in 1970s, increased attacks in 1980s, then pause, then increasing attacks during 1990s (180 arsons and bombings in 1995)
Recent attacks in Louisiana, Virginia, Minnesota, and Florida
Japanese religious cult (“Supreme Truth”) established in 1984 by Shoko Asahara Portrayed himself as an enlightened man, on a
mission from Buddha to build a utopian society of people who had achieved psychological enlightenment
Attracted thousands of followers; estimated $1 billion in assets
WMD attacks in Matsumoto (1994), Tokyo (1995)
Founded in 1992 by self-proclaimed “prophet” Joseph Kony
Known for kidnapping young children, forced to join LRA (boys as militants, girls as sex slaves)
Until recently, state sponsorship from Sudan
Main areas of operation include CAR, DRC and Uganda
October 2011, U.S. troops deployed to help Uganda apprehend Kony and his followers
Many religious-oriented terrorist groups are seeking to bring about changes that are aligned with the values and doctrines of a particular religion
Adopted terrorist activity in pursuit of the power to achieve their ideological goals
Believe that God has sanctioned them to do so
Founded 1987 by former members of Muslim Brotherhood
Does not recognize Israel as a legitimate state; considers it an illegal occupier of Palestinian land Negotiated compromise is unlikely
Seeks the destruction of Israel through violence; ambushing both Israeli soldiers and civilians alike, suicide bombings, kidnappings and rocket attacks
Provides social and welfare services; gained support, was elected to majority of seats in 2006 parliamentary elections Armed conflict; split between Gaza (Hamas) and West Bank (PA)
Currently (2012) trying new power sharing arrangement
Shiite Muslim militia (Hizb’Allah - “Party of God”), founded 1982 in response to Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon
Stated aims are to establish a Shiite theocracy in Lebanon, destroy Israel, and eliminate Western influence in the Middle East
Several suicide car and truck bombings U.S. Marine Barracks (241 killed)
2006 full-scale military conflict with Israel; negotiated ceasefire Seen as only Muslim entity that has stood up to the far superior
military of Israel and was not defeated Significant arsenal of weapons, electronic capabilities, al-Manar tv
station
Originally part of Islamic Courts Union; preaches an extremist brand of Sunni Islam (Arabic for “the youth”)
Most attacks against Somali Transitional Government, but have also conducted suicide attacks (including in Uganda) and have intimidated, kidnapped and killed aid workers
Possibly split into 2 factions, one focused on local conflict, the other claiming affiliate with al Qaeda Has recruited several foreigners, including some
Americans
Islamist group in northern Nigeria (Hausa term for “Western education is forbidden”)
Grievances include political, economic and religious insecurities E.g., unemployment, corruption, lack of infrastructure Perceived threat to traditional culture from western globalization Also appears to be trying to spark sectarian violence among
Christian communities as way to destabilize goverment
Has attacked police stations and patrols, politicians (including village chiefs and a member of parliament), religious leaders (both Christian and Muslim), and individuals whom they deem to be engaged in un-Islamic activities
First militant group in Nigeria to use suicide bombing June 2011 attack on the Nigeria Police Headquarters in Abuja August 2011 attack on United Nations building in Abuja
the Philippines: Abu Sayyaf Group
Pakistan: Lashkar-e-Taiba
Indonesia: Jemaah Islamiyah
Morocco: Salafia Jihadia, Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group , Takfir wal Hijra–Martyrs for Morocco
Religious groups have emerged in many kinds of environments
Religious insecurities as central motivator They see themselves as defenders of the faithful, or
defenders of those whom God wants them to defend
Violence as means of obtaining power to shape the future
For more, see: Global Terrorism Database Profiles
http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/tops/ National Counterterrorism Center Profiles
http://www.nctc.gov/site/profiles/index.html