Islamic Jihad in America: Reading Between the Lines

To many Americans and others in the "western world", the only explanation of terrorism comes in the form of a news report following an act of terrorism. The "what" or the incident itself is explained in great detail, but the reasoning, or the "why" is left to the imagination. The answer that we are used to hearing is that the Americans, Israelis and anything that is part of the western world are out to destroy Islam. But how did this idea come about? Why is the Islamic Fundamentalist movement at an all-time high? And finally, what has provoked what is commonly coined as a peace-loving religion to resort to such violent and extreme measures?

Some may wonder why terrorism has become a preferred method that is used by extremist groups. The answer; because it is effective. This has been proven time and time again for centuries, most recently to Americans, many of whom remain blind to that occur outside of the borders of the United States. This became a harsh reality to the western culture when U.S. forces were evacuated from Lebanon following the bombing of the Marine barracks in 1983 resulting in the death of 241 servicemen and again in 1993 when U.S. forces were pulled out of Somalia following the death of 18 servicemen in the most intense combat that American forces had faced since the Vietnam war.

Muslim extremists have declared Jihad, or Holy War on nearly everything western, especially the United States and Israel. Although the term Jihad is used extensively, it is often taken out of text. The literal translation of Jihad is "striving", and refers to the struggle of Muslims to extend Islamic rule or law to non-Muslims, and to return Muslim land occupied by non-Muslims. Such is the case with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the 1947 United Nations Special Commission on Palestine which recommended that Palestine be divided into an Arab state and a Jewish state.

To Muslims, the Qur'an is the definitive law of the land. Although meant to be taken literally, different groups may have different interpretations of the meaning. Normally, questions concerning interpretation of the Qur'an are referred to a mufti, or Muslim scholar that is authorized to make a judgment concerning Islamic law, or Sharia. The proclamation is issued in the form of a fatwa, or pronouncement bearing legal authority.
Consider these passages from the Qur'an which can be interpreted to mean that Muslims have a duty to fight until the persecution transgressed against them is driven away and Islam prevails in all Muslim territories:

"And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight against you and do not transgress bounds [in this fighting]. God does not love the transgressors. Kill them wherever you find them and drive them out [of the place] from which they drove you out and [remember] persecution is worse than carnage. But do not initiate war with them near the Holy Kabah unless they attack you there. But if they attack you, put them to the sword [without any hesitation]. Thus shall such disbelievers be rewarded. However, if they desist [from this disbelief], Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. Keep fighting against them, until persecution does not remain and [in the land of Arabia] Allah's religions reigns supreme. But if they mend their ways, then [you should know that] an offensive is only allowed against the evil-doers. A sacred month for a sacred month; [similarly] other sacred things too are subject to retaliation. So if any one transgresses against you, you should also pay back in equal coins. Have fear of Allah and [keep in mind that] Allah is with those who remain within the bounds [stipulated by religion]". Qur'an, 2:190-194.

This is not taken lightly in many Islamic Fundamentalist circles and calls on every Muslim to extend their patronage to such ideals as related in the following:

"Not equal are those of the believers who sit [at home] without any [genuine] excuse and those who strive hard and fight in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has given preference by a degree to those who strive hard and fight with their wealth and their lives above those who sit [at home]. [In reality], for each, Allah has made a good promise and [in reality] Allah has preferred those who strive hard and fight above those who sit [at home] by a huge reward. Degrees of [higher] grades from Him and forgiveness and mercy. And Allah is Ever Forgiving, Most Merciful." Qur'an, 4:95-96.

The Qur'an also provides promises of reward for a Muslims who take up their cause:

"Consider not those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive with their Lord, and they will be provided for. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty and rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind [not yet martyred] that on them too no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in a grace and a bounty from Allah, and that Allah will not waste the reward of the believers." Qur'an, 3:168-171.

Obversely, it is considered a mortal sin for a Muslim to turn his back in the face of battle which will result in facing God's judgment:

"O you who believe! when you meet those who disbelieve marching for war, then turn not your backs to them. And whoever shall turn his back to them on that day - unless he turn aside for the sake of fighting or withdraws to a company - then he, indeed, becomes deserving of Allah's wrath, and his abode is hell; and an evil destination shall it be." Qur'an, 8:15-16.

As stated earlier, although interpretations may differ, a fatwa is considered to be a legal interpretation. In the event that a mufti is considered "radical", the meaning is still justified by supporters, mainly by Muslims that are considered "Islamic radicals" or "Islamic fundamentalists".

The radical Islamic movement in the United States can be traced to at least the 1980s. However, occurrences that happened during the 1980s either went unnoticed, or were shelved since no criminal activity could be cited. For example, in 1987, it was reported to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) that weapons were seen in the Al-Farooq Mosque in Brooklyn, New York. The FBI was denied a wiretap authorization due to a lack of criminal conspiracy evidence. Again, in 1989, a Connecticut State Trooper stopped a vehicle with six passengers that appeared to be of Middle Eastern decent. Inside the vehicle were numerous weapons that legally belonged to the driver. Also found in the vehicle were out of state license plates registered to El-Sayeed Nosair. At the time, this information didn't seem to lead to anything. However, in 1990, the name El-Sayeed Nosair surfaced again when he was accused of murdering Rabbi Meir Kahane. Kahane was the founder of the Jewish Defense League and also the leader of an anti-Arab movement. By 1990, Hamas, also known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, and al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (IG) had infiltrated the United States and began a series of recruiting and fund raising activities.

Up to the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, little was known about the extent of terrorist activity in the United States. Following the arrest and subsequent search of Nosair's apartment in New Jersey, investigators discovered a wealth of information that led to the discovery of an unparalleled network of terrorist activity. Unfortunately, this too went largely unnoticed until after two years following the first World Trade Center attack.

Numerous organizations that have been set up in the United States have purported to be charitable in nature, but also acted as a funding machine for terrorist groups in the Middle East. The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) stated that its purpose was donations for schools, clinics, needy children and other legitimate causes in Palestine. A portion of it's proceeds did in fact go towards these causes, however, the HLF had it's monetary assets frozen in 2001 after it was found that a larger portion of it's funds were being channeled to Hamas. Another group, the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) claimed to assist Muslims and protect them from the secular form that the west had developed. In addition, the group sponsored numerous conferences that hosted high-ranking officials from known terrorist organizations. Other groups have operated under the same guise. In fact, the list is long and quite distinguished. However, the amount of space required to report on every single known organization would be breath-taking, at best.

In light of the accusations that have been aimed at Muslims since the 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center, it would be unfair to the Muslim community if I did not mention the fact that not all Muslims are radicalized Islamists. Numerous Muslim speakers have gone against the fundamentalist or radicalized point of view and risked their safety to explain the true nature of Islam. In fact, if we compare the total number of world-wide Muslims to the number of terrorists, or supporters of terrorism, we would find that the number of the two latter is relatively small. However, as small as that number may be, the threat to the western world is growing at an alarming rate.