Revision 33665087 of "Militant Islam" on enwiki

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'''Militant Islam''' is a contentious term, often used by Western political commentators to describe the ideologies of groups viewed as participating in [[Islamist terrorism]]. In fact, both these terms share many of the same shortcomings. [[Muslims]] opposed to violent political agitation, and especially [[liberal movements within Islam]], find their implicit association of [[Islam]] with militancy and aggression to be unacceptable. However, the term has been used so widely in the print and broadcast media that some elaboration of it is necessary.

Groups advocating [[Islam as a political movement]] are invariably responding to complex political and historical situations, usually with deep roots in the local environment. For example, the rise of the conservative [[Jamaat-e-Islami]] party in [[Bangladesh]] would not have been possible without widespread public reaction against the corruption of the secular [[Awami League]] government in that country. But this complex local political history is completely lost in the simplistic reductionism of terms like [[Muslim fundamentalism]], which ultimately explains little by blaming a multitude of problems common to less developed countries (including violence and lack of democracy) on religion.

In fact, the application of the term Islamic militancy is so broad that it encompasses any kind of revolutionary movement in any Islamic country. Invariably, this means that it lumps together such a variety of [[nationalist]], [[marxist]] and [[ethnic]] movements that it has no longer has any real ideological content. The only defining characteristic it has is that it is [[militarism]] in a Muslim context; but this explains very little.

The members of such groups are more likely to see themselves as [[freedom fighters]] rather than [[terrorists]], as the political origins of such groups in [[Israel]] and [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], Soviet-occupied [[Afghanistan]], [[Chechnya]] and most recently post-Saddam [[Iraq]] are often rooted in political demands for statehood and nationalist self-determination. In Muslim majority societies, these nationalist sentiments invariably are mixed with a feeling of Muslim identity, and this produces the ideology of [[pan-Islamism]] or [[Islamism]]. The most international of these groups, [[Al-Qaida]] also has its origins in a particular nationalist struggle; namely, rebellion against the royal family of [[Saudi Arabia]]. The Saudi regime is perceived as being too closely associated with American foreign policy, particularly through its support of the US liberation of [[Kuwait]] during the first Gulf War. Since Al-Qaida's ideology is one of pan-Islamic nationalism and solidarity, the Saudi regime was thereafter seen as insufficiently Islamic; although such a view is bewildering to Westerners, who cannot imagine anything more 'Islamic' than the country's [[Wahhabi]] brand of Islamic law. To Al-Qaida in particular, the world is viewed as a struggle between their Islamic ideology and a secular Western ideology. Some observers suggest that this view of the world has, ironically, been strengthened by the [[War on Terror]].



== Militancy as the defining attribute ==

=== No one doctrine ===

As scholars of this movement have carefully outlined, in a very great variety of works up to and through the [[1970s]], there is little tactically in common in the various movements that seek to apply [[Islam]] as a solution, or use its terms to rationalize their solutions, to issues in the modern [[Islamic World]].   The only two objective things that can be said about all of militant Islam is:  (a) they are militant and employ force or violence directly, either in offense or defense (b) they justify this using the rhetoric of [[Islam]], e.g. that of [[jihad]].

This is a common and frequent phenomena in the history of Islam.  The [[tarika]], in addition to spreading Islam to [[Africa]] and adapting it to local conditions (the ''[[al-urf]]'' or custom of each region), had a role to play in resisting [[colonialism]] - this is the origin of Islam as a militant and "underdog" faith to motivate resistance to some ruling authority which is not Muslim or adhering to [[Islam]].  The [[Ottoman Empire]] was marked by such conflicts, and the [[British Empire]], as there were typically a number of Muslims in rebellion against either at any one time, using Islam to justify their actions.  

[[Olivier Roy]], a French policy advisor to President [[Jacques Chirac]], characterizes the goal of modern militant Islam as to re-establish a [[Caliphate]], or a single common government for Muslims all over the world.  This might resemble [[world government]] or the [[Roman Catholic]] hierarchy in certain respects, but since most Muslims are [[Sunni]] and reject the role of a formal clergy (unlike the [[Shia]] who embrace it) this seems to be unlikely.

=== More than "fundamentalism"===

[[Islamic fundamentalism]] is not, by definition, militant. In general, Islamic fundamentalists may have some degree of agreement or sympathy for Islamic militants, as there is likely to be some overlap of views between them. However, just an one may hold [[leftist]] views without advocating [[revolutionary]] [[Marxism]], there is a glaring difference between the two groups.

The use of the term [[fundamentalism]] to decry and disdain [[religion]] as a solution to problems of the modern secular world, and to describe an insensibly wide variety of movements which could be said easily to include [[Baptist]], [[Mennonite]], [[Quaker]], [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]], [[Zionism|Zionist]], [[Wahhabism|Wahabist]], and many others, came into fashion in the [[1980s]].  It had then, and still has, no integrity as an academic term, as the fundamentals in play in each such movement are different:  all they have in common is resistance to a secular [[global political monoculture]] that seemed to be in ascendance at that time.

=== More than "radical" ===

The use of the term [[radical]] came into use likewise, earlier, in the [[1960s]], to characterize anyone whose opinion was not in line with those reported in [[mass media]] or held by major [[political party]] leaders.  This too had little consistency and implied nothing about actions taken.

The term [[Islamist]] was at first used to describe those who took [[Islam]] to be, as it always was, a [[political philosophy]] - but was quickly co-opted by those who attached the above labels to invent the terms ''radical Islamist'', ''fundamentalist Islam'' and ''Islamofascist'', none of which have much merit other than making it clear that those who use it to defame the movement must  dislike extreme solutions, reference to old books, or strong central government with religious leanings, respectively.  In general these terms shed more heat than light.

== 20th century militant movements ==

Given the variety of the movements, and their varying goals, it is almost always advisable when referring to a specific [[political movement]], to avoid generalizations and refer to it by its name.

In order to understand the origins of these movements, it is advisable to first consider the role of [[tarika]] in spreading Islam, and two movements, Deobandi and Wahabism, which are ''not'' considered militant, nor even necessarily radical, but which influenced the key figures in [[Modern Islamic philosophy]] and tactical events that created the rationale for modern militant Islam.  ''For a broader treatment of these ideas in context, see [[modern Islamic philosophy]].  There is also a more general overview of [[Islam as a political movement]] that does not focus on militants or their specific ideals.''

===The Deobandi Movement===

In India, the [[Deobandi]] movement developed as a reaction to [[United Kingdom|British]] actions against Muslims and the influence of [[Sayed Ahmad Khan]], who advocated the reform and modernization of Islam. Named after the town of [[Deoband]], where it originated, the movement was built around Islamic schools (principally [[Darul Uloom]]) and taught an interpretation of Islam that encouraged the subsurvience of women, discouraged the use of many forms of technology and entertainment, and believed that only "revealed" or God-inspired knowledge (rather than human knowledge) should be followed.

Though the Deobandi philosophy is puritanical and wishes to remove non-Muslim (i.e., Hindu or Western) influence from Muslim societies, it was not especially violent or [[Proselytization|proselytising]], confining its activity mostly to the establishment of ''[[madarassa]]s'', or Muslim religious schools. 

These schools now number in the tens of thousands across Asia, mostly in Pakistan and India, and remain the core of the Deobandi movement. They are a major sector of Muslims in the region (the followers of [[Sayed Ahmad Khan]] being a significant minority). The [[Taliban]] movement in Afghanistan was a product of the Deobandi philosophy and the ''madarassas''.

This term is misleading, as it can imply anything from an equivalent of an American [[Bible college]] to an outright terrorist training camp.  The term ''taliban'', meaning "student", is just as misleading.

===Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi===

[[Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi]] was an important early twentieth-century figure in India, then, after independence from Britain, in [[Pakistan]]. Strongly influenced by Deobandi ideology, he advocated the creation of an Islamic state governed by [[sharia]], Islamic law, as interpreted by [[Shura]] councils.  Maududi founded the [[Jamaat-e-Islami]] in 1941 and remained at its head until 1972.  His extremely influential book, "[[Towards Understanding Islam]]" ([[Risalah Diniyat]] in [[Arabic_language|Arabic]]), placed Islam in modern context as an extension of [[natural law]].

This radical view enabled not only conservative [[ulema]] but liberal modernizers such as [[al-Faruqi]], whose "[[Islamization of Knowledge]]" carried forward some of Maududi's key principles.  Chief among these was the basic compatibility of Islam with an ethical and scientific view.  Quoting from Maududi's own work:
:''Everything in the universe is 'Muslim' for it obeys God by submission to His laws... For his entire life, from the embryonic stage to the body's dissolution into dust after death, every tissue of his muscles and every limb of his body follows the course prescribed by God's law.  His very tongue which, on account of his ignorance advocates the denial of God or professes multiple deities, is in its very nature 'Muslim'...  The man who denies God is called [[Kafir]] (concealer) because he conceals by his disbelief what is inherent in his nature and embalmed in his own soul.  His whole body functions in obedience to that instinct... Reality becomes estranged from him and he gropes in the dark.'' 
Inherent in these views were an intolerance for rule over Muslims by non-Muslims, as the latter were, according to Maududi's interpretation, simply incapable of actually comprehending natural law - if they could, they'd be Muslims.

===The Muslim Brotherhood===

Maududi's ideas were a strong influence on [[Sayed Qutb]] in [[Egypt]]. Qutb was one of the key philosophers in the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] movement, which began in Egypt in 1928 and was banned (but still exists) following confrontations with Egyptian president [[Gamal Abdul Nasser]], who jailed Qutb and many others. The Muslim Brotherhood (founded by [[Hassan al-Banna]]) advocated a return to sharia because of what they perceived as the inability of Western values to secure harmony and happiness for Muslims. Since only divine guidance could lead humans to be happy, it followed that Muslims should eschew democracy and live according to divine-inspired sharia. The Brotherhood was one of the first groups to advocate [[jihad]] against all those who do not follow Islam. As al-Banna said:
:[Muslim] lands have been trampled over, and their honor besmirched. Their adversaries are in charge of their affairs, and the rites of their religion have fallen into abeyance within their own domains, to say nothing of their impotence to broadcast the summons [to embrace Islam]. Hence it has become an individual obligation, which there is no evading, on every Muslim to prepare his equipment, to make up his mind to engage in jihad, and to get ready for it until the opportunity is ripe and God decrees a matter which is sure to be accomplished...

===Islamic Jihad movements===

This exhortation was followed by the Egyptian [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad|Islamic Jihad]] organisation, responsible for the assassination of [[Anwar Sadat]], but with a twist: Islamic Jihad focused its efforts on "apostate" leaders of Islamic states, those who were secular and introduced Western ideas and practice to Islamic societies. Their views were outlined in a pamphlet written by Muhammad Abd al-Salaam Farag, which said: "...there is no doubt that the first battlefield for jihad is the extermination of these infidel leaders and to replace them by a complete Islamic Order..."

Another Islamic Jihad group emerged in Palestine as an offshoot of the Egyptian group, and began militant activity against the state of [[Israel]], and consistently opposed itself to the policies of the secular [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) and [[Yasser Arafat]].

===Wahhabism===

Perhaps the most influential strain of thought, however, came from the [[Wahhabi]] movement in Saudi Arabia. The Wahhabists, who emerged in the 18th century led by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, also believed that it was necessary to live according to the strict dictates of Islam, which they interpreted to mean living in the manner that the prophet [[Muhammad]] and his followers had lived in during the seventh century in [[Medina]]. Consequently they were opposed to many innovations developed since that time, including the minaret, marked graves, and later television and radios. The Wahhabis also considered those Muslims who violated their strict interpretation to be heretics, and thus used violence against other Muslims. When King [[Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia|Abdul Aziz al-Saud]] founded [[Saudi Arabia]], he brought the Wahhabists into power with him. With Saud's rise to prominence, Wahhabism spread, especially following the [[1973 oil crisis|1973 oil embargo]] and the glut of oil wealth that resulted for Saudi Arabia. The Wahhabists were proseltyizers, and made use of their wealth to spread their interpretation of Islam far and wide.

== Current movements ==

Modern Islam went through major political and philosophical developments in the early part of the twentieth century, but it was not until the [[1980s]] that it became powerfully militant in an international arena. The [[Khomeni]]st revolution in [[Iran]], though [[Shia]] in character, provided an inspiration to many radicals and served as an example that an Islamic state could be established, using violent and militant means.

During the conflict against the [[Soviet Union]] in [[Afghanistan]], many militant Islamists came together to fight what they saw as an atheist invading force.  This confluence resulted in many alliances being made between groups with similar ideologies, but also many alliances of convenience.  Significantly, [[Osama bin Laden]], a Saudi influenced by Wahhabism and the writings of Sayed Qutb, joined forces with the Egyptian Islamic Jihad under [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] to form what is now called [[al-Qaida]]. The aftermath of the Soviet invasion eventually led to chaos, and then the rise of the deobandi [[Taliban]], a movement which bin Laden helped influence in more radical directions following his arrival in Afghanistan in [[1996]].

Militant Islamic political groups are also active in [[Algeria]], the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]], [[Sudan]] and [[Nigeria]].

Much militant activity since has been directed against governments in Muslim societies, which those professing Islam as an exclusive political movement oppose because they are governments according to human law, not divine law.  

However, among most militants, a considerable effort has been made to fight Western targets, especially the [[United States]]. The United States arouses anger because of its support of the state of Israel, its presence on sacred Saudi soil, what some militants regard as its aggression against Muslims in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], what others regard as its neglect of [[Shia]] resistance in the wake of the [[UN-Iraq war]] (which got many Shia killed) and its support of dictatorial and corrupt regimes that they oppose.  Israel is viewed with hostility throughout the [[Islamic World]] but especially in the [[Arab World]], so it is relatively easy to find help for any activity undertaken against it.  

Osama bin Laden, at least, believes that this is of necessity due to historical conflict between Muslims and Jews, and considers there to be a Jewish/American alliance against Islam. This rhetoric has echoes of that of [[Militia#U.S. organized private "citizens militias"| American "militias"]] concern with a [[Zionist Occupation Government]] controlling the federal government of the USA.

== A cover story? ==

Some of these movements do not practice much of [[Islam]], a few do.  [[Hamas]], for instance, has both a social organization in the Gaza Strip, and a militant wing that has been responsible for a great many [[suicide bombing]]s in [[Israel]].

There is some debate as to how influential the more militant movements remain. Some scholars assert that, as an intellectual movement, the simplistic interpretation of Islam as a non-democratic movement is a fringe that is dying, following the clear failures of nominally Islamic regimes like the regime in Sudan, the Wahhabist Saudi regime and the Deobandi Taliban to improve the lot of Muslims. 

However, others (e.g. [[Ahmed Rashid]]) feel that the stricter and more democratic Islamic parties still command considerable support, in part due to their [[honesty]], and cite the fact that Islamists in Pakistan and Egypt regularly poll 10 to 30 percent in electoral polls which many believe are rigged against them.

''Certain of these movements are often accused of being primarily motivated by [[terrorism]] as a tactic.  For discussion of this accusation see the article on the term [[Islamism]] which is employed by the accusers who reject the rationale of Islam itself.  No neutral list can be compiled, so we do not attempt it here.''

==See also==
* [[Islam as a political movement]]
* [[List of Islamic terms in Arabic]]
* [[Jihad]]
* [[Qal3ah]], infamous for being the forums where announcements and discussions by Islamic extremists have taken place

[[Category:Islam]]