This group are adherents of Salafism, a fundamentalist sect of Sunni Islam. Osama bin Laden is its ideological leader, but their operations are not centralized, and several independent but collaborative cells exist in multiple countries. Al-Qaeda has been linked to multiple terrorist attacks against the U.S., including the September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In response, the United States launched the war in Afghanistan, which was safe haven to Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.
The origins of Al-Qaeda can be traced to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. A cadre of foreign Arab Mujahideen, financed by bin Laden and wealthy Muslim contributors, fought the occupation. The U.S. viewed the conflict as a Cold War struggle, and the CIA provided assistance to these anti-Soviet forces. Bin Laden channeled Arab Mujahideen to the conflict, distributing money and providing logistical skills and resources to guerrillas as well as Afghan refugees.
Hamas translates to the "Islamic Resistance Movement.” It is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization that currently forms the majority party of the Palestinian National Authority. Created in 1987 by Shaikh Ahmed Yassin of the Gaza wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, at the beginning of the first Intifada, Hamas is known for its suicide bombings and attacks directed against Israeli civilians, as well as military and security forces targets. Hamas' charter (written in 1988 and still in force) calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and its replacement with a Palestinian Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is funded by Iran, Palestinian expatriates, and private benefactors in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Since the death of the former Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat, Hamas' political wing has won many local elections in Gaza, Qalqilya, and Nablus. In January 2006, Hamas won a surprise victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, taking 76 of the 132 seats in the chamber, with the ruling Fatah party trailing with 43. Its anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic rhetoric has found a receptive audience among Palestinians. Many perceived the preceding Fatah government as corrupt and ineffective, and Hamas' supporters see it as a legitimate resistance movement fighting the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Hamas has gained popularity by establishing welfare programs, funding schools, orphanages, and healthcare clinics throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. When Hamas took control, the Palestinian territories experienced a period of sharp internal conflicts, known as Fauda (anarchy), in which many Palestinians were killed.
Hezbollah translates to “party of God.” It is a Shia Islamist organization in Lebanon, comprising a militia, a political party, and an extensive program of social development. Formed in 1982 to fight the occupation by Israel, it sought to bring Islamic Revolution to Lebanon, with the dream of transforming it into an Iranian-style Islamic state. Today, Hezbollah is a well-structured political organization, with members in the Lebanese parliament, whose recent one-month stand against Israel, while not technically a victory, was seen as heroic in the Arab world. This could propel them to legitimate political control over Lebanon, and lead to the Islamic state they so desire.
Moktada al-Sadr is the fourth son of the famous Iraqi Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr and son-in-law of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir As-Sadr. As of early 2004, he was the de facto ruler of Sadr City, a section of Baghdad, and commanded the loyalty of the Mahdi Army, an insurgent force making a bid for power in Iraq.
The Mahdi Army, also known as the Mehdi Army or Jaish al Mahdi, is a militia force created by Al-Sadr in June of 2003. The group moved in to fill the security vacuum in Sadr City, and in a string of southern Iraqi cities, following the fall of Baghdad to U.S-led coalition forces on April 9, 2003. They initially dispensed aid to Iraqis and provided security from looters in the Shiite slums. Gradually, the militia grew and was formalized by al-Sadr in June of 2003.
They rose to prominence on April 4, 2004 when they spearheaded the first major armed confrontation against the U.S-led occupation forces in Iraq. Operating from the Shiite community, they fomented an uprising that followed the banning of al-Sadr's newspaper and attempts to arrest him.
The group is armed with AK-47 (Kalashnikov) assault rifles, rocket propelled grenades, mortars, Strela Anti-air missiles, and other light weapons. This army is believed to have infiltrated Iraqi police forces and to be involved in vigilante activities. The Mahdi Army has now grown into a force of 10,000 militia that even operates what amounts to a shadow government in some areas. The National Independent Cadres and Elites party that ran in the 2005 Iraqi election was closely linked with the army.
Then there are the Sunni and Bathist guerrilla fighters in Iraq, formed mostly to regain the status quo they enjoyed under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.
The conclusions? All these terrorist organizations are united by a hatred of foreigners in their countries. Their animosity towards the occupiers goes farther than xenophobia, however, including a desire to destroy the occupiers, and the societies that spawn them. Some of their rhetoric is tinged with an extreme religious intolerance. On a gut level, they seem to want the annihilation of Israel, and the downfall of Western societies.
(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.) This Post’s Technorati Tags: Al-Qaeda, Sunni, Islamist, Muslim, Salafism, Palestine, Intifida, Osama bin Laden, World Trade Center, war in Afghanistan, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Mujahideen, Hamas, Palestinian National Authority, Palestinian, Muslim Brotherhood, Yasser Arafat, Fatah, Fauda, Hezbollah, Shia, Islamic Revolution, Islamic state, Lebanese parliament, Lebanon, Moktada al-Sadr, Sadr City, Mahdi Army, Iraq, Saddam Hussein, xenophobia, religious intolerance, Israel, truth
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