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ISLAMIC TERRORISM In the wake of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, militant Islamic terrorism has taken center stage. While these violent religious extremists represent a minority of the followers of Islam, their threat is real. To understand the roots and threat of militant Islam, read below about how modern terrorism has evolved in the Middle East. The creation of Israel gave birth to a series of Marxist, leftist, anti-Western movements in the mid-20th Century. The idea that terrorism could be effective in attaining political goals such as the overthrow of Israel generated the first phase of modern international terrorism. (Not all terrorism is linked to Islam, but Islamic Terrorism will be our emphasis.)The first group of radical Muslims to utilize terrorist tactics were Palestinians who launched a series of hijackings, kidnappings, bombings, and shootings against Jews and their supporters. Probably the most famous early terrorist act involved the kidnapping and subsequent deaths of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. This event was covered by media from around the world and seen by tens of millions of Muslims and non-Muslims. While rational viewers were sickened and stunned by the senseless violence directed toward innocent athletes, the images telecast were free, welcome publicity to radical Islamists The Palestinians subsequently created an extensive transnational extremist network with various governments providing the financial resources necessary for continuing terrorist activities. Among countries involved in state sponsored terrorism were the Soviet Union (Russia), Iran, and various other Middle Eastern countries. The Palestinians became the model for militants everywhere both for carrying out terrorist attacks and for financing their terrorist operations. Today the Palestinian Liberation Organization continues to actively seek the destruction of Israel. The PLO has allies throughout the Middle East and others parts of the world who provide encouragement and financial support. (Ilhan Omar, D. Minnesota, publicly champions the PLO as a current United States Congresswoman.) Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat, MinnesotaOn multiple occasions the PLO and its now deceased leader Yasser Arafat attempted to defeat Israel through military action, but each time Islamic forces were repelled by the much superior Israeli army which brought crushing defeat to its hostile neighbors. Lacking the military power to overcome Israel, The PLO resorted to acts of terrorism.* Yasser Arafat, PLO leader until his death in 2004.Failure of independent Arab nations to defeat Israel in war gave rise to a fundamentalist, extremist religious movement that united extremist Muslims from all countries. All kinds of disputes that began as political or governmental issues morphed into religious issues in the minds of radical Islamists. Meanwhile, a turn to revolutionary Shia Islam under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran became a strong supporter of the Palestinians and a number of other terrorists groups that have developed since the 1970s. Today, Iran is regarded as one the leading state sponsors of terrorism. So, too, is Afghanistan which serves as a training ground for aspiring terrorists. Pakistan and Iraq also provide assistance to terrorist groups.Ayatollah Khamenei, 80 year old current religious leader and most powerful political figure in Iran Since 1989 religious terrorists have shown an ever increasing willingness to strike targets far removed from their immediate homelands, making extreme religious terrorism a global problem. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001 are representative of this trend. The PLO has been joined by a number of terrorist organizations. Some of most notorious terrorist organizations are listed below. KEY MILITANT ISLAMIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONSAL QAEDA was established by Osama bin Laden in 1990 to establish a Muslim State throughout the world by overthrowing corrupt Islamic governments and removal of imperialist American and Israeli presence in the Middle East’. In 1998 bin Laden issued a statement on behalf of Al Qaeda saying it was the duty of all Muslims to kill U.S. citizens, civilian or military, and their allies. Al Qaeda has consistently provided money, manpower, transportation, and training for terrorist recruits from around the world. Al Qaeda activities have taken the lives of thousands of people including a significant number of Americans. HEZBOLLAH was formed in 1982 in Lebanon by a group of radical Shia Muslims. Hezbollah is strongly anti-American and anti-Israel and is closely allied with Iran. This group has been responsible for thousands of deaths including a significant number of Americans. TALIBAN was founded in Afghanistan in the 1990s primarily as a response to the American presence within the country. Taliban members refer to themselves as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban has been responsible for the vast majority of the deaths of American soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan.BOKO HARAM was founded in 2002 in Nigeria, West Africa and operates in Nigeria and neighboring countries. Boko Haram, like other terrorists organizations, is comprised of militant, extremist Muslims who engage in all forms of terrorism—including terrorist acts against women, children, and students. Their most publicized act of terror involved the kidnapping of more than 200 girls from a school in Nigeria. The civilian population of West Africa lives in fear of BH.ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) ISIS FlagISIS fighters wearing masks and carrying automatic assault weapons and grenade launchers.ISIS came to power in Syria and Iraq during the Obama administration. These terrorists were very successful in taking control of large swaths of land in Syria and Iraq. Their intention was to establish a caliphate for Muslims where Islam would rule supreme (over government as well as religion).ISIS soldiers were bloodthirsty and murderous. On multiple occasions groups of ISIS soldiers were videoed decapitating their captives—often Christians. On one occasion a Jordanian pilot was captured by ISIS after ejecting from his disabled jet. With a large crowd of spectators, the pilot was imprisoned in a small, suspended portable cage with metal bars. On a signal gasoline was thrown on him, and someone set him afire. This horrible brutality was carefully videoed and made available for viewing on the internet. ISIS soldiers prepares to execute a captiveOver the past 3 years U.S. military forces with assistance from NATO have re-captured all of the land ISIS had previously taken. ISIS is no longer a threat to native citizens of Iraq and Syria, but many soldiers of the former ISIS army continue to harbor terrorist tendencies.Incredibly, a number of American young people, including girls, traveled to the Middle East to become ISIS soldiers. QUESTIONS1. What event shortly after the end of WWII intensified conflict between Arab Muslims and Jews?2. How did the defeat of the Arab army in the 1960s and 70s serve as a catalyst for Islamic terrorist activities? 3. Explain how the Palestinians (PLO) served as a model for other terrorist organizations. 4. What are the common threads that link Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations?Remember these names: YASSAR ARAFAT, OSAMA BIN LADENVocabulary word: CALIPHATE ................
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