Transcript Terrorism: Radical Islamic Fundamentalists

Understanding Radical
Islamic Fundamentalists
The “New” Global Threat
or History repeating itself?
Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University at Buffalo
www.PsychologyofTerrorism.com
Islam and the
Arab World




The
The
The
The
People
Religion
Arab Conquest
Dilemma of Modern Islam
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Early Arabs

Prior to the 7th Century, Arab groups
existed mainly as small tribal units,
largely desert dwellers
• few large cities and no central government
• hardly a blip on the radar of civilization

Mohammed and his followers unified
the Arab tribes under the banner of
Islam
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Mohammed’s Gift to
Arabian Civilization

Provided law and order
• distinguished good from evil
• charity and compassion for the weak


Provided a sense of ethic unity
Provided the hope for a future
• limited on earth but Paradise awaits


Provided a purpose in life
Provided a religion
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Law and Order

The old ‘laws’ were made by
powerful men
• a ruthless society where “he with the
most power makes the rules”
• constant fighting and power struggles to
determine who rules as the most powerful

Islamic law is God’s law
• transcends the will of man
• uniform code of law applies to all
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Ethnic Unity

Arabs identified with individual
tribes and clans
• other tribes were seen as outsiders
competing for control of limited resources
• allegiance was to the tribal unit

Islam taught equality
• fostered Arabic brotherhood
• emphasized common purpose and beliefs
• allegiance shifted from tribe to serving Islam
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Hope for the Future

Life is difficult, a constant
struggle, but life
• can be improved on earth by
following the Will of God (Islam)
• is rewarded by an afterlife in
Paradise for the true believer and
righteous practitioner of Islam
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Purpose in Life

To do God’s Will and follow the
teachings of the prophets
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
A Religion




The Archangel Gabriel spoke to
Mohammed, relaying the words of God
Mohammed memorized these holy
words and taught them to his followers
Shortly after Mohammed’s death his
followers wrote these sacred words
down in what would become the Koran
The Koran is uncorrupted and
supplants the Torah and the Gospels
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Basic Tenants



“There is no God but Allah, and
Mohammed is His messenger.”
The Five Pillars of Islam
Practical aspects
• Islamic scholars provide definitive
interpretation of the Koran and other
scriptures
• Caliph heads the faith and the nation
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Five Pillars of Islam
• Declaration of Faith acknowledging
there is only one God and that
Mohammed is His messenger (Shahadh)
• Five daily prayers (Salah)
• Giving of alms (2.5% to charity, Zakaah)
• Fasting from dawn to dusk during the
month of Ramadan (Sawn)
• Pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of
Zul Hijjah (Hajj)
These “Five Pillars” follow the Sunni belief which includes around 90%
of the world’s Moslem population.
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Descendents of
Abraham

Common father (Abraham,
Ibrahim), different mothers
• Moslems: Hagar’s son Ismael
• Jews (& Christians?): Sarah’s
son Isaac
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
“People of The Book”



Islam teaches tolerance and
respect for people who revere the
words of the prophets
Jews and Christians along with
Moslems are considered “People of
The Book”
“People of The Book” (dhimmis)
are protected people under Islam
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Tolerance Towards
Jews and Christians



"There is no compulsion in religion. Truth stands
out clearly from falsehood: whoever rejects evil
and believes in God has grasped the strongest
rope that never breaks. And God is All-Hearing
and All-Knowing." (Qur'an 2:256)
Non-Moslems pay a special tax (jizyah) but are
otherwise free to practice their religion, engage
in commerce, and own property
Some rulings (fatwas) have forced conversion or
expulsion of nonbelievers from Islamic domains
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Prophets






Adam
Noah
Moses
Abraham
Jesus
Mohammed
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Christianity & Islam
Islam
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Primacy of the Koran

Moslems believe that the earlier
Jewish and Christian writings
were divinely inspired but have
become corrupted over time
• edited and re-edited by men
• various (imperfect) translations

The Koran is widely used in its
original Arabic without editing
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Historic Islam

Spread by the sword?
• Mohammed conquered Mecca and
much of the Arabian peninsula
• Immediate successors spread
Islam throughout the Middle East
• Later Arab armies conquered
Northern Africa, India, parts of
Southern Asia, and even parts of
Europe
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Rapid Expansion of
Islam
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Arab Conquest
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Western Civilization
Under Siege

Moslem armies
• conquered the Middle East
• conquered Greece and most of the
Balkan peninsula and much of India
• conquered North Africa
• conquered Portugal and most of Spain
• reached the gates of Vienna

Christendom was in retreat
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Golden Age of Islam


While Europe was in the dark ages
The Islamic world
• excelled in art, literature,
mathematics, textiles, and medicine
• kept the heritage of ancient Greek
philosophy alive
• spread ‘civilization’ throughout much
of the known world
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Decline of the
Islamic Empire





Internal fighting within the Empire
Reconquista of Christian lands
Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire
after World War I (1918)
Expanded Western interest in the
oil rich Middle East
Aggressive Western intervention
during the Cold War era
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Arabia Today





Only remnants of a once great
civilization—far behind the West
Dominated by despotic rulers who
regressed to the pre-Mohammed
“might makes right” principle
Few true Islamic states
No true democratic governments
Growing desire for Islamic dignity
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Seeds of Change

Islamic Fundamentalists
• offer the promise to return to the Golden
Age of Islamic culture
• view the decadent West as the source of
most problems

Few if any viable alternatives to
produce desired change
• status quo has stagnated Arab culture
and economic progress for centuries
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Fundamentalists Beliefs




God’s words are recorded in the
Koran and other Islamic works
Islam is the source of all true law
Society should strictly follow
Islamic law as interpreted by its
senior scholars
Secular societies based on man’s
laws deviate from God’s law
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Islamic Law versus
Secular Law
• Man’s laws are corrupt because they follow
the will and desires of mortal man
• Islamic law is prescribed in the holy works
and must be interpreted by scholars who
have dedicated a lifetime to study
• Democracies and other forms of self-rule
are evil because they follow the whims and
perversions of man
• Islam is to be lived not just preached
—it dictates every aspect of life from social
customs to commerce
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Fundamentalist
Moslems and Christians

Share a belief that society should
be directed by God’s laws
• emphasize religious scripture
• use a literal interpretation of most
writings which are seen just as
applicable today as when they were
written centuries ago

View civilization as a struggle
between Godliness and manliness
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Practice of Islam




Strong devotion to religion
Practice of the Five Pillars
Focus on the Mosque
Protectors of the faith
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Devotion to Religion


Religion is not something that is
just practiced one morning a
week or even with a daily prayer
Religion is a way of living that
dictates every aspect of life
• prayers five times each day
• Friday services in the Mosque
• fasting during Ramadan
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Mosque


Center for not only religious but
cultural and political activities
Friday’s religious service is
preceded by lectures, often
expounding political views
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Protectors of Islam

Protect the faith, even at the
expense of ones own life
• answer the call of Jihad
• death in defense of Islam is
martyrdom rewarded with
Paradise


Protect fellow Moslems
Protect Islam from apostates
and heresies
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Seeds of Violent
Conflict


The protection of Islam is a
requirement for all Moslems
Spreading the faith is debatable
• Islam teaches tolerance, especially for
“People of The Book” (e.g., Jews in Egypt)
• Islam teaches that all of mankind are
brothers but does not tolerate apostates

Most interpretations defend Moslem
lands and all lands that have been
Moslem (demanding reconquest?)
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Radical’s View

The lands of Islam have been
corrupted by the West
• desire for the riches of Arab lands
• support for Jewish world dominance
• support for apostate rulers


Islam and the Arabic people are
under threat from the infidels
The struggle against the infidels is
the duty of every Moslem worldwide
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Radical’s Method



Political solutions are not
possible—power is never willingly
surrendered only taken by force
Direct military confrontation is not
(yet) possible
Terrorism is the only viable method
Note: All three of these views are shared by most
revolutionary movements
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Radical Fundamentalists
and Terrorist Acts


Terrorism is not just associated
with radical Islamic
fundamentalists
Terrorism is practiced by extreme
radicals found in most religions
and in many social-political
movements (e.g., anarchists,
Marxist-Leninists)
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Terrorism and Christian
Fundamentalists


Like Islamic fundamentalists,
most Christian fundamentalists
are nonviolent
But strong fundamentalist
beliefs are sometimes brought
to extreme expression by
advocates of violence and
terrorist acts
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Terrorism Under the Banner
of Christian Fundamentalism


Some white-supremacist organizations
such as the KKK view themselves as
Christian fundamentalists, protecting
the “Christian way of life” as they
interpret it
Some other Christian fundamentalist
groups have racist views, although they
are not organized explicitly with a
white-supremacist mandate
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
To help view radical Islamic
fundamentalism in its proper
perspective, consider a case of
domestically grown, radical
Christian fundamentalist terrorism
The case focuses on the polarized
American opinion on women’s
reproductive rights (i.e., abortion)
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Murder of
Dr. Barnett Slepian


Amherst (NY) physician who
performed legal abortions in a local
medical clinic
Murdered (assassinated?) in his home
on October 23, 1998 by James Kopp
• Kopp viewed himself as saving the lives
of hundreds of unborn babies
• Kopp’s escape was aided and abetted by
like-minded ‘Christians’ who saw him as a
hero for their antiabortion cause
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Capture of
James Kopp







Placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List
Escaped to Ireland and later to France where
he received assistance from others active in
the antiabortion movement
Apprehended in France, March 29th, 2001
Sentenced 25 years to life on May 9th, 2003
Allegedly shot other physicians who
performed legal abortions in the U.S. and
Canada
Expresses no remorse over his killing
Viewed as a martyr by some antiabortionists
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Attacks on Medical Clinics
Performing Abortions

Types of Attacks
• clinic bombings and individual assassinations

Clearly constitute terrorist acts
• terrorizes physicians performing this service
• terrorizes people using this service

Loosely organized terrorist movement
• few practicing blatant violence
• many more supporting violent acts
• tacit support from some religious leaders
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Threat from Radical
Fundamentalists


Radical beliefs from various
religious groups sometimes
lead to terrorist acts, but
Radical Islamic fundamentalists
remain the most serious threat
to peace and global stability
• active terrorists constitute a very small
minority, but support for their actions is
rapidly growing worldwide
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Combating Radical
Islamic Terrorists


Responding to Islamic terrorism
requires a thorough understanding
of Islamic culture and beliefs
“More of the same” is not working
• U.S. foreign policy needs to be
carefully reexamined
• U.S. needs to win the propaganda
war which it is badly losing to date
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Steps Toward Combating
Global Islamic Terrorism


Continued support for Israel balanced
with strong support for the Palestinians
Strong support for moderate Moslem
leaders and progressive Arab countries
• aggressive economic aid
• expanded cultural and educational exchange

Calculated response to terrorism
• quick and decisive action, but sanctioned by
moderate Arab nations and by European allies
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
The Dilemma of
Modern Islam

To move forward or to move
backward?
• Should traditional Islam be
adapted to a changing world?
• Should the changing world be
adapted to traditional Islam?

Split between progressive and
fundamentalist Moslems
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.
Modern Egypt—Predominantly Moslem
with a Progressive Secular Government
Copyright 2005 Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.