Origin of Radical Islam

1. The Islamic Fundamentalism
and the Radical Islam
Prof. Dr. MáriaBordás PhD
National University of Public Service
Faculty of Public Governance and International
Studies
2020.

2. Origin of political Islam
Currently:
• There are many forms of government: from
medieval caliphate to constitutional and
parliamentary democracies
• Common feature: Islam is determining (state
religion) but under different political
interpretations
• Islamic Interpretation: it always determines
Modernization Processes
• Secularization: exceptional, e.g. Turkey, Iraqi
Kurdistan, Lebanon (confessionalism)

3. New Islamist organizations
• Secret Organization (al-Qaeda) - in fragile states, in
desert, rocky areas, tribal areas, armed conflicts
• Quasi state - in the territory of a state (Hezbollah,
Hamas, Boko Haram, Taliban, Islamic State)
• Recognized State (Iran and North Sudan)
• Islamist organizations - supporting political parties (in
Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood,)
• In the form of political parties (Erdogan PKK, Morsi
Government: MB, Tunisia: Ennahda, Jordan: MB,
Morocco, Algeria: FIS)

4. The roots of Islamic fundamentalism
Kharijites: 7th Century (Religious Sect)
• Puritanism and religious fanaticism
• Word by word and srtict interpretation of Quran
Apostates: (guilty) who advocate wealth and enjoyment of life
(music, dance, games, concubines) - strict punishment (for
renegade: e.g. bin Laden by the Saúdi mufti)
Wahhabis: the 17th century (in the Arabian Peninsula)
• Early literal interpretation – wanted reforms by using the
original rules of Quran
• Alliance: Saúdi clan and Wahhab – Holy war – Arab tribes
• Establishemnt of Saudi dynasty – 1932: state
Today: Saudi Arabia – state religion - orthodox trend
Shia Imamate: Mystical and infallable knowledge, no Control

5. Modern Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism:
• Return to original Islamic customs, behavioral and
moral rules, even with the tools of violence
• Mid 20th: Searching for a way out of the modernization
crisis
• Rejection of Western attitudes (no superior, blamed)
• Opposition of dictatorships (Orthodox Islam, Arabic
Socialist, Western-oriented) - ideology of the political
opposition
• There is no definite idea of the state organization -
Islamic caliphate can not be applied to modern
conditions

6. Muslim Brotherhood
(Society of the Muslim Brothers)
• The most powerful islam foundamentalist group with 10
million members in the Middle East
• Many faces – invisible net over the Middle East
- Peaceful organization for noble aims
- Political party (Jordan, Egypt)
- Terrororist organization (Egypt)
- Sponsor of terrorist gropus (Ansar al Sharia in Libya and
Algeria)
- Enemy of the orthodox Islam (vahhabism in Saudi Arabia)
- Providers of social welfare services and education (in Gaza)
- Establishing mosque (In Gaza)

7. Forms of Muslim Brotherhood
• Beginning in the 20th century in Egypt - fundamentalist
Islam - peaceful goals - the invisible net
• Palestinian refugee camps: welfare institutions,
education, prayer houses - Creation of a Hamas
• Jordan: as a political party in parliament
• Assassination of Political and Military Leaders from the
1960s in Egypt (Sadat, Nasser) - Persecution
• Syria: armed rebellion against the Assad regime
• North Africa: supporting radical Islamist organizations

8. Islamic Fundamentalism – Radical
Islam
Ajman al-Zavahiri: (1967 – founding the Egyptian
Islamic Jihad)
"The myth of Nasser’s Arab nationalism has been
destroyed. From the Islamic Movement, a new
generation has emerged that holds the jihad as its
ultimate goal. "

9. Influence of the Radical Global Islam
• Ayman al Zavahiri: (ally of bin Laden)
- Egyptian Islamic Jihad (leader)
- Allegation with bin Laden’s al-Qaeda – organizing
terrorist attacks together from Sudan
- His story: upper middle class family – surgeon –
participation in assassination of Sadat –
inprisonment for 3 years – radicalized: hate Israel
and the US
- After bin Laden’d death: the leader of al-Qaeda

10. Founder
• Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood
in the city of Ismailia in March 1928 along with six
workers of the Suez Canal Company

11. Credo

12. Growth of Broterhood
• 1936: 800 members
• 1938: 200,000
• 1948: over 2 million
• Today: 8 – 10 million

14. Ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood
Attacks orthodox Islam, where there are:
• Western-friendly and autocratic governments
• The Islam has been expropriated by the religious
leaders and autocratic rulers - they are not authentic
Returns to the traditional Islam: Religious leaders are
independent, control the state leadership, and authentic
in the interpretation of Islam
Plans to go back to the traditional Islamic caliphate and
Islamic doctrines, for example, saria, chosen caliph, sura
council, religious leaders legitimize caliph, and prevent
tyranny, emphasize puritanism, social equality, justice and
solidarity

16. Goals
• The Brotherhood’s goal is to turn the world
into an Islamist empire.
• The Brotherhood calls for jihad against “the
Muslim’s real enemies, not only Israel but also
the United States. Jihad against both of these
infidels is a commandment of Allah that
cannot be disregarded.

17. Designation Muslim Brotherhood as a
terrorist organization

20. Islamic Trends
Orthodox Islam: Return to Islamic Traditions - State
Organization (Caliphate) and Law (Saria) - Gulf Monarchies
Reformist Islam: (in minority) political pluralism, multiparty
system, secularization, parliamentarism, political and freedom
rights - Western values (Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon,
Tunisia, Algeria)
Radical Islam:
• It is based on Islamic fundamentalism
• It is based on violence: global terrorism, militant Islam,
"caliphate"
• Its purpose is to expel the West from the Holy land of Islam
• It does not respect the game rules of politics and
international law

22. Spread of radical Islam
• 1979: Iranian Revolution
• 1990s: al-Qaida, Taliban, Hezbollah, North
Sudan, Somalia
• 2006: Hamas in Gaza - Boko Haram
• From 1990: al-Qaida organizations in the
Middle East and North Africa (AQUAP, AQIM,
al-Shaabab)
• 2012: Islamic State

23. Ideology of global terrorism
Salafism:
• It develops from Wahhabism. Return to Islamic
Fundamentalism– interpretation literally
• It attacks the orthodox Islamic state of Saudi
Arabia – the opposition of the orthodox Islam
• Its aim is to expel the West and Israel
It has become the ideology of al-Qaeda - the use
of global terrorism - violence against Western and
Israeli targets, both on the Holy land and in West

25. Islam fundamentalism
Summary:
 Return to the original teachings of Islam (Quran)
 Interpretation literally – rigid, e.g. saria law, Islamic
caliphate
 Emphasize democracy – caliph elected by the people,
sura council, religious leadres’control
 Emphasize welfare – balance unequality in wealth –
zakat
Enemies: othodox Islamic states (Gulf monarchies, West,
dictartorships in the Islamic world)
Means: peaceful

26. Islamic Fundamentalism as a root of
radical Islam
Islamists: followers of Islam fundamentalism
- Political parties (Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Morocco,
Tunisia, Algeria)
- Respect the game rule of parliamentary democracy
(Morocco and Jordan) – the king’s reputation
- Expropriate the political power: Egypt (MB), Turkey
(AKP), Tunisia (Ennahda) Algeria (FIS) – force the
Islamic traditions
- Became violent: Muslim Brotherhood – Mubarak
government surpressed, persecuted them –
Hotbed of radical Islam! (Story of Ajman al-Zavahiri)

27. Ideology of bin Laden’s first Fatva in
1996
„Declaration of War against the Americans
Occupying the Land of the Two Holy
Places"

28. Bin Laden’s first fatwa
• It was published in August 1996 - had he right?
• At the time, bin Laden was not a wanted man in any
country except as in his home country as a native Saudi
citizen
• Little attention until August 1998 United States embassy
bombings

29. Root of Radical Islam – Bin Laden
- Fought in the Afghanistan war with mudjahedin (weaponed
by CIA) – end of 1980-as – traning camps
- Celebrated as a hero in Saudi Arabia (mudjahedins went
with him)
- Saddam Hussein attacked Kuvait – offered his help to the
royal family – instead US troops
- Breaking with the royal family – speaches against them
- Deprived from his Saudi citizenship, his bank accounts were
frozen, went to Sudan in 1993
- Ideological influence: Azzam from his 16 and al-Zavahiri in
Sudan
- Allience with Zavahiri’s terrorist group, the Egyption Islamic
Jihad

30. • Shaykh Usamah Bin-Muhammad Bin-Ladin;
• Ayman al-Zawahiri, amir of the Jihad Group in Egypt;
• Abu-Yasir Rifa'i Ahmad Taha, Egyptian Islamic Group;
• Shaykh Mir Hamzah, secretary of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-
Pakistan
• Fazlur Rahman, amir of the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh
1998: Bin Laden’s 2nd fatwa
Al Zavahiri
Ahmed Refai Taha
Mir Hamzah
Fazlur Rehman Khalil

31. 1998 – against the USA – FATWA of
bin Laden:
„On that basis, and in compliance
with Allah's order, we issue the
following fatwa to all Muslims:
• The ruling to kill the Americans and
their allies -- civilians and military --
is an individual duty for every
Muslim”
"World Islamic Front for Jihad Against
Jews and Crusaders"

32. II.
• A target, if made available to Muslims by the
grace of God, is every American man. He is an
enemy of ours whether he fights us directly or
merely pays his taxes.
• We — with God’s help — call on every Muslim
who believes in God and wishes to be
rewarded to comply with God’s order to kill
the Americans and plunder their money
wherever and whenever they find it.

33. Ideology of radical Islam (1)
• Violence: fight, suicide bombing, other forms of suicide
attacks, e.g. with knife or track, assassination
• Exclusiveness: superior – solely just

34. Ideology of radical Islam (2)
• Martyrdom: Quran – for a holy aim - Paradise

35. Ideology of radical Islam (3)
• Its purpose is to expel the West
• There is no political opposition - it would be an
opposition to Islam
• Totalitarian ideology (Fascism and Communism)
• Intolerant - militant
• Based on an Autocratic State System: caliphate and/or
western-type organizations

36. Background of the Radical Islam
 Accusing the West:
- The Israeli-Arab wars – shows the inefficiency of
the Arab countries
 The new target: USA
– Supports Israel
– Allience with the Western-oriented arab countries
- Military presence in the region
- Democracy export – Democracy paradox
 Failure of both types states: socialist Arab and
Western-oriented – contrast – accusing
dictatorships of the Islamic world

37. Reason of radical Islam
• Countries NOT having OIL:
- Revolts of hunger
- „Slipped intellectuals”: young jobless intellectuals
• Frustration: for the fails they are blaming the West –
the West is not superior
• „Paradox of democracy”: the emperors wanted to
introduce reforms but they had no support from the
population
• Nationalist popular movements (mid-20th century) –
not became successful
• Political vacuum in fragile states

38. Primitive Radical Islam
 Primitive, desert islam:
- Medresse: Islamic school (pashtu tribal areas – financed
by Saudi millionaries)
- Ideology of the Taliban
Omar molla
- First leader of Taliban
- Ally of bin-Laden
- No common ideology

39. The Global Radical Islam

40. Bin Laden’s Letter to the USA (1)
Why are we fighting and opposing you? The
answer is very simple:
(1) Because you attacked us and continue to
attack us.
a) You attacked us in Palestine:
(i) Palestine, which has sunk under military
occupation for more than 80 years...

41. (2)
• (b) You attacked us in Somalia; you supported
the Russian atrocities against us in Chechnya,
the Indian oppression against us in Kashmir,
and the Jewish aggression against us in
Lebanon.
• (c) Under your supervision, consent and
orders, the governments of our countries
which act as your agents, attack us on a daily
basis

42. (3)
• You steal our wealth and oil at low prices because
of your international influence and military
threats. This theft is indeed the biggest theft ever
witnessed by mankind in the history of the world.
• You have starved the Muslims of Iraq, where
children die every day. It is a wonder that more
than 1.5 million Iraqi children have died as a
result of your sanctions, and you did not show
concern. Yet when 3000 of your people died, the
entire world rises and has not yet sat down.

43. (4)
• You are a nation that permits the production, trading
and usage of intoxicants. You also permit drugs, and
only forbid the trade of them, even though your nation
is the largest consumer of them.
• You are a nation that permits acts of immorality, and
you consider them to be pillars of personal freedom.
You have continued to sink down this abuse from level
to level until incest has spread amongst you, in the face
of which neither your sense of honour nor your laws
object. Who can forget your President Clinton's
immoral acts committed in the official Oval office?

44. (5)
• You are a nation that permits gambling in its all forms. The
companies practice this as well, resulting in the
investments becoming active and the criminals becoming
rich.
• You are a nation that exploits women like consumer
products or advertising tools calling upon customers to
purchase them. You use women to serve passengers,
visitors, and strangers to increase your profit margins. You
then rant that you support the liberation of women.
• You are a nation that practices the trade of sex in all its
forms, directly and indirectly. Giant corporations and
establishments are established on this, under the name of
art, entertainment, tourism and freedom, and other
deceptive names you attribute to it.

45. (6)
• You supported Jewish to acquire Jerusalem as
their capital
• It is sad, but I must say, you are the worst
civilization of the mankind

46. Roots of Radical Islam
Palestine ideology:
- National independence movement (Arafat – PLO –
Fatah)
- Protecting the Holy Sites in Jerusalem – Hamas -
Hezbollah

47. Suicide Terrorist Attacks
 Religious leaders’ fatwa:
- It is allowed against Israel
- Holy war
 Voluntarily – forced
 From the middle class – not psychopath
 Lone wolfs in West

48. James Woosley –
former director of the CIA
• “We have slain a large dragon, but we live now in a
jungle filled with a bewildering variety of
poisonous snakes. And in many ways, the dragon
was easier to keep track of.”

50. Questions?