Introduction
Terrorism is likened to a pandemic disease that threatens the lives and economic resources of the global population. Every government from developed and undeveloped countries condemns terrorism at the literal meaning of hatred and defiance. Terrorism is critically viewed as the ultimate ill of society where a few barbaric men attempts to create chaos and always attempts to destroy the institutionalization of democracies as well the socio-economic-political well-being of a country.
Many scholars are challenged by the deepening quest in investigating the root causes, manifestations, issues and growth of terrorism in the Middle East, aside from the religious-political turmoil in the Arab world. At hindsight, what has happened in the 9/11 US tragedy was a clear manifestation on the magnitude and scope of terrorism that crosses international boundaries. The underlying situation indicates escalation and expansion of terrorism at the global sphere.
Time and again, the government enforcers continue its search to breaking the root cause of terrorism, discovering the relevance of social developments as partly a preemptive measure to counter act terrorism. On the other hand, experts believe that counteracting terrorism with substantial use of force relinquishes counter productivity due potential human errors affecting human rights.
This term paper will discuss and examine several empirical findings relating the root causes, manifestations, current issues and growth of terrorism in the Middle East. The review of literatures and use of other statistical data will be the method of the overall topical discussions.
Literature Review
Perceived root causes of terrorism
This section will review and examine relevant perceptions on the root causes of terrorism. The Director of Policy Studies and Senior Fellow Akiko Fukushima (2002) of the National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) in Japan has discussed various factors as root causes of terrorism, in which Fukushima described and wrote the following:
In a sense of injustice and inequality in a certain country can trace the usual suggestive correlation as root causes of terrorism, from which the issues of poverty, governance, globalization, conflict of political interests are main factors of violence, pertaining to the desperate yet exploitative use of terrorist leaders in recruiting the less educated and impoverished citizenry, and inculcation of fanatical and extremist religious beliefs that is also attributed by what the people observed from the characters of superpower countries in the global scope. (p. 60)
Fukushima (2002) explained that the “portrayed dominant character” of superpower countries depicts indifference with poor and developing nations, wherein paving the way for some individuals to emerge themselves as leaders that influences and agitates the inkling of individuals or groups. For example, it can be analyzed that what has happened in Afghanistan was central to the leadership of Osama Bin Laden who capably emerged in the socio-religious-culture of Afghans where Al-Qaeda was organized.
With the experiential thought of Fukushima (2002) on the underlying root causes of terrorism, it may be perceived that what she described as the “portrayed dominant character” of superpower countries is referring to the globalization of economies, in which the developing countries are unable to participate and therefore becoming poorer or impoverished, like many countries in the Middle East.
It can be analyzed that poverty causes ignorance due underprivileged to social developments, like educational welfare. From this point of view, those individuals who have the educational and social experience in foreign countries, like the United States and Europe, and have fully integrated in the Western cultures can “capitalize” the ability or take advantage of the underprivileged people, specifically those who are less educated or much more for being illiterate. Fukushima (2002) has configured the perceived root causes of terrorism, as illustrated below:
Source: Fukushima, A. (2002)
As shown in the illustration above, the hypothesis of Fukushima (2002) addresses the situation that the terrorist groups in the Middle East, specifically the Al-Qaeda can expand its “clout” in influencing the global Muslim communities. In sum, the perceptions of Fukushima (2002) outline the substantial understanding on the root causes of terrorism.
Historical manifestations
In 2005, retired Cabinet Secretary of the Government of India and currently the Director of the Institute for Topical Studies Bahukutumbi Raman theorized that poverty is just a “pretext and alibi” of terrorist organizations, wherein Raman (2005) described and wrote the following historical findings:
The organizing of terrorist organization in the Middle East has originated in Egypt where the “Muslim Brotherhood” was organized in 1928; Egyptian social and political reformer Hassan al-Banna (1906-1949), who was inspired by the teachings of his father as an Imam (prayer leader), founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 as a religious-political organization with the guiding principles of Qur’an (Islamic teachings of Mohammed) and Hadith (Islamic traditions), sought to uphold Islamism that rejects colonialism and social inequality adherent to the Marxist doctrines, nationalization of an Arab state and international recognition of Islamic world. (p. 1)
Accordingly, the war against Palestine during the period 1930s-1940s was supported by the Muslim Brotherhood, in which the assassination of al-Banna in 1949 was attributed. Raman (2005) implied that it was not merely on the poverty issue from which the Muslim Brotherhood supported the toppling of Palestinian monarchy, but the “radicalization” of the movement adherent to the establishment of an Islamic state, out of the so-called nationalization of the Arab countries.
To cite, the primary obligation of an incumbent leadership is for every Muslim to resist towards the fundamental goal of converting every people to be a Muslim, so as the entire world to be Islamic, and Islam will reign in the corners of the earth (Raman, 2005).
It is evident that the foundations of the Muslim Brotherhood was not meant for socio-economic inequality issue, but highlights the insatiable clamor for a religious secessionism at the “Islamic extremists’ beliefs”, wherein those who cannot be converted will be “resisted” , manifesting the spate of terrorists’ attacks in the Middle East as well the Western allies which the resistance took place in Middle East, prior to the so-called “Westernization of Arab economies” where domestic political turmoil engulfed the Arab world.
Raman (2005) further described the historical developments of the Muslim Brotherhood from the 1960’s, wherein University scholar and Sheikh Abdullah Azzam led the Jihad (holy war) against the Russians in 1966. To cite, the cobweb of Jihad has inspired many Afghans, like the Mujahedeen (Muslim guerilla warriors) who have found the effective tactical resistance against the Russians, which historically, the Jihad was developed by Azzam and later improved by Osama Bin Laden in 1999.
As emphasized by Raman (2005), the Muslims’ religious rights and obligations do not forbid them in acquiring “weapons of mass destruction” or WMD in order to preserve the religious beliefs. Likewise, under the leadership of Bin Laden, Muslim countries are obliged to support Jihad by sharing their technologies and advance weaponry, like the encouragement of Pakistan to provide techno-nuclear capabilities.
It may be analyzed that Al-Qaeda consolidates its power by organizing Muslim alliances, and manifest the show of force to the Westerners and its allies through strategic assault. This perception acknowledges the above findings of Raman that Islamism wages the violent threat to the non-believers of Islam, in which Al-Qaeda considers themselves as the wrath of Mohammed and keepers of the sovereign demigod; in the personality of Bin Laden to the Al-Qaeda.
Based on the historical findings of Raman (2005) it shows that terrorism in the Middle East is obviously motivated by the Islamist secessionist movement, specifically influenced or controlled by the Al-Qaeda terrorists groups who propagated the Muslim Brotherhood doctrine for “religious domination”. The manifestation of religious domination is entangled in the promotion of an Islamic world that outlines the religious-racial-cultural conflict.
Overall, the religious-racial-cultural conflict in the Muslim and Christian world can be perceived as a systemic barrier that is being capitalized or taken for advantage by the terrorist groups in the Middle East to organize (recruit) and mobilize the Islamic fundamentalist movement.
Current issues and growth of terrorism
The spate of terrorism in the Middle East is viewed by experts as “fuelled” by the “inter-Arab state” conflicts, like the Israeli-Palestinian war, the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), the Palestine Islamic Jihad, to name a few, which highlighted the bombings in Dharan, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in 1996 that accounted a death toll of 897 (Crook et al, 2009). This means that the current issues and growth of terrorism in the Middle East is consistently progressing.
According to Johnston Archive (2008) the study-research conducted by ‘Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT)’ has implied that terrorism in the Middle East is still hoisted as a substantial issue.
However, the 44 numbers of terrorist organizations identified by the intelligence community are outside of Middle East, from which terrorism is becoming global and focusing to the Westerners and its allied countries (Johnston Archive, 2009).
The current development was supported by the sampling of data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) and Institute for Conflict Management (ICM) who reported that terrorists organizations from the Middle East collaborates with Al-Qaeda’s global operation. Illustrated below is the sampling of data on related casualties of terrorism in Sri Lanka:
Source: SATP and ICM (2009)
According to SATP and ICM (2009), the year 2009 statistical data on casualties of terrorist violence has accounted the total civilian casualties of 3,487 than the security force that has only 947 casualties, as documented in the first quarter of 2009.
To cite, while the total numbers of casualties of terrorists total to 2,181, it may be perceived that the loss of lives from the terrorists can triple the number of civilian casualties due suicide bombings, rating the killing of 15 persons for every single attack of 1 terrorist suicide bomber (SATP ; ICM, 2009). This wave of terror is a result of the Al-Qaeda alliance with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka.
Moreover, the Johnston Archive (2008) pointed out that terrorism in the Middle East creates “domino effect” in other countries where religious-racial-cultural sentimentalism intrudes in legitimate socio-political conflicts, like in civil wars (domestic hostility) where Muslim radical groups are waging war.
The above discussion can be exemplified by the escalation of war in Asian countries, like in the Philippines where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Abbu Sayyaf and the Bangsa Moro Army are being infiltrated by terrorist groups from Middle East aside from Al-Qaeda. The Johnston Archive (2008) has accounted the following statistical data on the consistent rise of international terrorism incidents from 1970 to 2005:
Source: Johnston Archive (2008)
Data Analysis
Based on the literature review, the study-research has pertinently supplied evidences that terrorism in the Middle East has long been entangled on the socio-cultural, religious, racial, economic and political condition of the Arab world.
The data also indicate the effects of terrorism in the Middle East throughout the world, specifically the global alliances of the Al-Qaeda with various radical groups that escalate the wave of terrorism in Western countries.
The results on the analysis of data point out the succinct effects of terrorism from the Middle East to the global sphere. These effects can be interestingly discuss and thoroughly examined through updating of information to revalidate the initial findings.
Through this term paper, the overall discussions and analysis of information or data presented herein acknowledges the fact that terrorism stemmed from Islamist extremism and has even aggravated the societal condition of the Arab and non-Arab population.
Findings and Conclusion
The overall discussions and examinations of empirical findings has found that the root causes of international terrorism traces the issues of poverty, governance, globalization, conflict of political interests as main factors of violence. However, the inculcation of fanatical and extremist religious beliefs is also an added advantage of the terrorist movement “to win the sympathy” of the people.
Moreover, the historical analogies of terrorism in the Middle East confirms that the primary obligation of every Muslim is to resist the Western culture, in which the issue of poverty and colonization “favors an alibi” to the so-called claim of terrorists of leading their people’s lives towards social development.
On the other hand, the Muslim alliance is strategically established by Al-Qaeda in the domestic political turmoil of a country where the “Muslim brothers” are at stake, like the alliance with the radical armed group (Tamil Tigers) in Sri Lanka, as well the Muslim extremists in the Philippines. In which case, the alliance can be viewed as joining forces to overpower a domestic political situation, from which the Al-Qaeda can gain global control of terrorists’ organizations.
In conclusion, terrorism in the Middle East is a virulent quest for religious-racial-cultural identity of a few barbaric men in the Islamic world, seeking to confederate the Muslim faith by terror of Jihad. Thus, the global population must collectively harmonize all efforts to uphold the legitimate sovereignty of every state and defend the bulwark of democracy against terrorism.
References
Fukushima, A. (2002). ‘Understanding and Addressing the Underlying Causes of
International Terrorism’. National Institute for Research Advancement.
Retrieved 25 June 2009 from
http://www.yorku.ca/yciss/activities/documents/CanadaJapanUnderstandingandAddressing.pdf.
Johnston Archive (2008). ‘Statistics on Terrorism’. Retrieved 24 June 2009 from
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/terrorism/intlterror.html.
South Asia Terrorism Portal and Institute for Conflict Management (2009). ‘Casualties of
Terrorist Violence’. Retrieved 22 June 2009 from
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/shrilanka/database/annual_casualties.htm#.
Raman, B. (2005). ‘International Terrorism: Root Causes Pretext and Alibi’. South Asia
Analysis Group. 24 June 2009 from
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers15%5Cpaper1496.html.
