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Ideology and Targeting Strategies of Al Qaeda
Al Qaida
and
affiliated
groups
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Mecca—center for trade, religion (idolatry)
Muhammad claimed revelations (God’s truth revealed)
Hijra—Flight to Yathrib/Medina. Establishes theocracy
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Islam (Submission to Will of God)
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Islam as political and religious: no separation of church and state
Islam must govern all aspects of human behavior; Man must be ruled by laws of God,
not laws of Man
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Muslim (one who submits).
Qur’an - Literal word of God.
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Emphasis on obedience to duties (A reaction against Arabian anarchism)
Authorities:
 ulama--scholars
 muftis--jurists. Consultants to religious courts
 qadis--judges
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Conquered Mecca, unified tribes
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Five Pillars of Faith
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The Profession: One God, Allah, Muhammad his Prophet
Salah (Prayer)
Zakat (Alms)
Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj—pilgrimage to Mecca at least once
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(note: Jihad is not one of these; but it is for fundamentalists)
Ummah—community. Islam is social, not just individual. Subject to Shari’a.
Trans-national. One God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.
 Radical Monotheism. Tawhid--“oneness.” God’s will is for all creation, all of life.
 Muhammad--a prophet, not a divine being.
 “Dar al-Islam” and “Dar al-Harb” (“Territory of peace” vs. “Territory of war”)
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Shari’a (The Way, The Law of Islam). Legitimized by
 Sunna—behavior, practice, and sayings of the prophet in Medina
 Hadith—spoken decisions or judgments
1.2 billion Muslims (approx. 19% of world’s population)
• Iran, Iraq, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Africa, Arab countries.
Arabs only about 15% of Muslims.
• 6 million in U.S. (disputed)
• Approx. 40 million in Former Soviet Union
Sunni
• Mainstream. More flexible. Accepted early caliphate (khalifa “successor”)
as legitimate.
• Approx. 90% of Muslims worldwide
Shi’a, Shiite
• Shi’a (Shi’ites) (Party of Ali, married to Muhammad’s daughter; father of
his only male descendants).
• More fundamentalist. Claim direct line to Muhammad through Ali and
sons, Hasan and Husayn. Caliphs seen as usurpers.
• Majority in Iran, Iraq & Persian Gulf countries
(Taqi al-Din) Ibn Taymiyya (1263-1328): influenced by threats to the ummah from both
Crusaders and Mongols
- Leader who doesn’t enforce shari’a completely, wage active jihad against infidels is
unfit to rule
- Muslim who doesn’t live by requirements of the faith is an unbeliever
Jihad described as fighting in the path of God in Qur’an, hadith: defense of the ummah,
then spread of the faith
Sufis: concept of “greater jihad” as internal struggle that is necessary for spiritual
insight
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Wahhabi movement
 Arabia, led by Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (1703-92). (Conflict with Muslim
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states, not the west.)
Basic teaching: tawhid. The transcendent unity of God. No compromise
possible.
Sought perfect faith and practice by individuals.
Emphasized the universalistic character of Islam, global community of the
faithful—the ummah.
Supported by Muhammad al-Sa'ud, local ruler. Strengthened each other.
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Nineteenth Century Factors
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Encroachment of the West: capital, financial systems, European immigrants.
Western colonial control; economic dependence
Widespread social dislocation.
Efforts to adapt Western ideas, structures, and technology.
Failure, corruption of Islamic regimes
Twentieth Century Factors
 Inability to restore early purity of Islamic faith and practice, regain lost glory and
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prestige
Arrival of European colonialism, economic exploitation, alien culture
Rulers reformed laws, education, economies but continue to struggle for stability
and legitimacy
Social changes disrupted, traumatized populace
Post-World War II independence accelerates modernization drive, intensifies
identity crisis
Disillusionment peaks in 1970s: rejection of Western civilization as a model, rise of
radical groups
Hasan al-Banna (1906-1949, Egyptian): “On Jihad” in Five Tracts
of Hasan al-Banna; Towards the Light
Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi (1903-1979, Indo-Pakistani): Jihad in
Islam; Islam and Jahiliyya; “Mischief of Takfir”
Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966, Egyptian), “Al-Qaida’s Philosopher”:
Social Justice in Islam; In the Shade of the Qur’an; Milestones
Abdullah Azzam (1941-1989, Palestinian), “Godfather of Jihad”:
Join the Caravan; Defense of Muslim Lands
Ayman al-Zawahiri (1951- present, Egyptian): Knights Under the
Prophet’s Banner; Loyalty and Enmity: An Inherited Doctrine
and a Lost Reality
Note: Underlined works are most significant; most are available from the Internet
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Schoolteacher; Formed Muslim Brotherhood in 1928.
 Educational, devotional, service
 Rival to Wafd political party, threat to government (King
Farouk). Upheaval in 1948. Suppressed.
 “Free Officers” led by Gamel Abdel Nasser took control of
Egypt in 1952. MB crushed.
 Still exists in more moderate form.
Primary means to restore Islamic character to society is vigorous preaching and
teaching (da’wa) campaign; direct political action not appropriate or effective
Gradualist approach to build a strong Muslim state governed by shari’a: reIslamization through four stages starting with individuals, then families, then
communities, which will band together to form a true Islamic state
Influenced radicals by redefining jihad: God-ordained defensive requirement for all
Muslims, as long as unbelievers rule any Islamic lands; greater jihad is armed
physical struggle against injustice and unbelief, not the internal spiritual struggle
Journalist and prolific writer on issues of religious
faith, and the proper relationship between Islam
and the political structure, law, and practices of
the state
Writings became available in Arabic in 1950s
Islam wants to employ all
forces and means that can be
employed for bringing about
a universal all-embracing
revolution. This far-reaching
struggle that continuously
exhausts all forces and this
employment of all possible
means is called jihad.”
Jihad In Islam, 1939
First Islamist writer to approach jihad
systematically:
- Warfare not just for political control, but to
establish just rule
- Jihad becomes war of liberation: links concept
to anti-colonialism, “national liberation
movements,” and Arab resistance to Israel
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Professor at Al-Azhar University
 Jahiliyya (unbelievers)
 Takfir (identifying unbelievers)
 Hijrah—devout must withdraw if necessary, create activist
movement. Rationale for revolution.
Qutb’s “Manhaj”: 4-Phased Process
1. Vanguard (taliya) of the movement (jama’a) is formed
2. Vanguard sounds the call (da’wah) to society to turn back to God, but is
persecuted for its faith, oppressed by the system
3. Movement undergoes hijra: conscious separation (spiritual and/or physical
detachment) from the jahili system, and the group purifies itself, unifies and
grows in strength
4. Victory and consolidation of power: movement conducts a jihad by force to
overthrow the apostate government, and restores the community to just rule and
the practice of true Islam (through institution solely of the shari’a); God himself
grants the victory and is once again sovereign
"…Every Muslim on earth should unsheath his sword and fight
to liberate Palestine. The Jihad is not limited to
Afghanistan…There will be no solution to the Palestinian
problem except through jihad…“
“Jihad means fighting. You must fight in any place you can
get. Whenever Jihad is mentioned in the Holy Book, it
means the obligation to fight. It does not mean to fight with
the pen or to write books or articles in the press or to fight by
holding lectures… Jihad and the rifle alone: no negotiations,
no conferences, no dialogues."
“The Jihad in Afghanistan will broaden until the entire world
will be conquered because Allah has promised the victory to
Islam."
“Our message to you is clear, strong and final: There will be
no salvation until you withdraw from our land, stop
stealing our oil and resources and end support for infidel,
corrupt rulers.”
“There is no reform except through jihad, ... We have to
realize the nature of this conflict: Our enemies do not
agree with or approve of our rights.”
“Every Muslim in Pakistan must do his or her best in getting
rid of this government, which cooperates with the
enemies,”
“Americans will not allow any Islamic regime to reach the
position of governance except if it is an accomplice to
the Americans, just like what is happening right now in
Iraq.”
“God willing, we will continue targeting the keys of the
American economy.”
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (1902-1989, Iranian):
Islamic Government (though a Shi’ite, his success
encourages all Islamists)
Muhammad ‘Abd al-Salam Faraj (1952-1982,
Egyptian): The Neglected Duty
Abu Musab al-Suri (1958-present, Syrian), 20-hour
lecture series (August 2000), 1,600-page book,
The Call for Global Islamic Resistance (December
2004)
 “individual terrorism” is needed to replace the
hierarchical, more traditional approach to terrorism
 a “mass participation jihadist movement” is needed in
which individuals attack targets worldwide “where it hurts
the enemy and costs home the most” and “where it
awakens Muslims and revives the spirit of jihad and
resistance.”
Note: Underlined works are most significant; most are available
from the Internet
Sense of crisis from Muslim states’ backwardness/weakness, challenges from
modernization
History of blaming problems on others, victimization
World is a perpetual battlefield between faith and unbelief; no coexistence or
compromise
Islam is a revolutionary “liberation” movement: required to alter the unjust
political, economic and social status quo
Opposition to “fitna” (anarchy, community discord) leads to acquiescence of
authoritarian regimes
Current regimes are apostate, must be deposed
Struggle (jihad) is required until all lands are under Muslim control: reestablish
the caliphate
Goal of God’s utopia: phased process to build ideal society, governed only by
the shari’a
Wahhabists advocate strict return to fundamentals of the faith, reject any
behavior not conducted or supported by the Prophet Muhammad
- Inspired by the ideas of Ibn Taymiyya
- Belief in their own moral legitimacy
- One true path, that of the original founders of Islam
- Known outside Saudi Arabia as Salafis or Salafist (Companions of the
Prophet Muhammed)
Saudi, Egyptian, other regimes: un-Islamic behavior, thus apostate rulers
which must be overthrown
(“Forefathers”): all interpret the Qur’an literally, but most disagree with
radicals on the permissibility of armed jihad as a religious duty, and with
specific tactics in warfare such as terrorism and suicide attacks
At the most extreme, Salafis reject nation states and all manmade laws; many
Sunni radicals are products of this sect’s teachings
August 1996 Declaration of War: Muslims must expel infidels from “land of the
two holy places”
February 1998 Fatwa: America “stormed” the Arabian Peninsula and is using it
to launch attacks against Muslims; is hurting Iraqis; and is supporting Israeli
occupation of Jerusalem and its aggression against Muslims – so all
Americans must be killed anywhere
“Defensive struggle” that is morally required for all true Muslims; U.S. is
portrayed as having an agenda of aggression, domination
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Islam is the one and only way of ruling mankind that is acceptable to God
Pluralism, the idea that no one has a monopoly on truth, is a falsehood, and
liberal democracy (rule by man’s laws) is against God’s will.
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Muslims should use force to establish a more just society. (Mawdudi)
Jihad is the only source of internal empowerment and reform in the Muslim
world. (Qutb, Maqdisi, et al.)
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Muslims must resist the influences of Western institutions and traditions that
have poisoned mankind (Qutb)
We have a global conflict between Islam and the West. Islam is under siege
and only we (the Jihadis, the “pure” defenders of Islam) can lift it.
“The world is truly messed up, and only Islam is the answer - therefore we
(Jihadis) must do all that is necessary to tear down the existing order and
replace it with one built on Islam.”
We must mobilize the entire Muslim community to join our global jihad
We must overthrow corrupt, incompetent “apostate” regimes in the Middle
East and replace them with governments that rule by Sharia law
• This requires defeating their powerful Western patrons (OBL, Zawahiri)
• Then we must re-establish the Islamic caliphate to rule over the entire Muslim
world
• The violence we inflict upon our own people, governments, and resources is 1)
necessary, 2) religiously sanctioned, and 3) really the fault of the West, Israel,
and apostate regimes.
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Strengthen its own capabilities and expand its
recruitment pool, particularly within the U.S.
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Flood already-stressed intelligence systems with
“noise” and with low-level threats from “lone
wolves” and other jihadi hangers-on (i.e., lowhanging fruit) that will consume the attention of
law-enforcement and intelligence agencies in the
hope that these distractions will allow more serious
operations to slip by unnoticed.
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Economic warfare - “we will bankrupt you”
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Erode popular support for the U.S.
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Drive wedge between U.S. and allies
Al Qaida’s ideology is rooted in a
much broader, conservative
interpretation of Islam
Al Qaida leaders are engaged in a
struggle for the hearts and
minds of other Muslims
They see themselves as the
vanguard (per Qutb) of a global
effort to establish Islam as the
primary way of organizing
political and social life
worldwide
Al Qaida
and
affiliated
groups