Alyssa Ramos
The New Faces of
Jihad
On March 11, in Toulouse, France, Mohamed Merah, a 23 year
old Algerian- French man, shot four Jewish citizens and three soldiers. The Jewish citizens were composed of a Rabbi
and three school children, patiently waiting outside of a Jewish school. In the
same area, shot and killed three soldiers as he shouted “Allahu Akbar”, or “God
is great”. The killer, Mohamed Merah, claimed that his actions were based off
of Jihad to avenge the deaths of Palestinian children in Israeli-occupied
territories and the involvement of French Military in the Afghan War. The
massacre has led several Western intelligence officials to predict a new breed
of Islamic terrorist, referring to them as “Nike terrorists”. The new surge of
terrorists, calling on behalf of the Muslim society for a wage of war against
oppressors and the “evil” western societies, are following the terror tactics
of late Anwar al-Awlaki to carry out rudimentary attacks and use any weapons at
their disposals. Because almost two-thirds of the Al-Queda group has been
killed or captured, the ability to carry out large-scale attacks has completely
diminished. Now, officials are investigating possible links to a training
facility in Afghanistan where Mohamed Merah reportedly underwent training as
well.
This new surge of Islamic radicals has led to greater
misconceptions about the general Muslim society as a whole. How can a belief,
claiming to be “peaceful” and “accepting”, create a positive image when the
belief is branded by this small minority group? Currently, there are many
Europeans forming an “anti-Jihad” group as a way to promote Islamophobia across
the society. With greater retaliation from the Islamic radicals, believing that
death will grant them eternal rewards, the greater the tension grows between
the overall Muslim population and the non-Muslims. Today, non-Muslims are
starting to question whether high toleration of different ethnic and religious
practice is safe for the general population. Is this what the Islamic radicals
want to accomplish? A growing hatred towards their brothers and sisters in
faith? Reports say that at least 100 al-Qaeda fighters are back in Afghanistan
to set up a new campaign after the withdrawal of NATO troops, raising the
belief that troops should not leave the territory despite a growing support for
the end of foreign involvement in Afghanistan. For the protection of the
civilians, I believe that troops should stay longer and adjust their tactics
against the new rush of jihadists. Con Coughlin of “Mohamed Merah and the New
Breed of ‘Nike Terrorists’” from the Wall Street Journal, agrees to the idea
that NATO troops should definitely stay until we can assure the safety of the
innocent civilians. This new group has set a principle in their hearts to “just
do it” by any means possible. Mohamed Mehar is just one example of many who are
highly trained and highly motivated by a new set of plans. What Westerners have
to realize is that, while Islamic Radicals have brought suffering to many
innocent non-Muslim civilians, they have also brought suffering to other
Muslims. Thus, while our own societies need security from this minority group,
we are also entitled to protect those who are suffering with us.
The article by Coughlin has certainly brought a new wave of
terror among the Western societies. The belief of many that the death of Saddam
Hussein will end terrorism is definitely false, as terrorist sympathizers are
growing stronger than ever before. Coughlin has also brought to our attention
that London’s Olympic Games’ security measures against major scale terrorist
attacks are useless against the new tactics of this “Nike Terrorists”. However,
while Coughlin successfully warns us about this new surge of terror, he fails
to identify possible ways to contain this new tactic. In what ways can we
secure the people against the actions of this radical group?
What exactly are the motives of this minority group? John
Esposito of “Islam: The Straight Path” tells us that jihad (holy war) is a
struggle against oppression and unbelievers. These “holy warriors”, Esposito
asserts, believes that they “will be rewarded in this life with victory and the
spoils of war. Those who fall in battle will be rewarded with eternal life as
martyrs for the faith.” With the example of Mehar, he acted on behalf of those
who were killed in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The continuing battle for
the holy land has branded the Jews, in his mind, as the enemy of the society.
The involvement of French Militants, in Afghanistan, against his own group
farther inflamed his hatred. Also, should “anti-Jihad” movements be contained by the government since
their ulterior motive is a wage against the overall Muslim population?
Muhammad, in 622 C.E., promoted the safety of all in the Medina Charters,
including Jews and other non-believers, against the evil doings of the Quraysh
tribe. I would like to believe that we can unite all kinds of believers to
fight against these radical Islamists, like Muhammad has done before.
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