The Paper's special contributor Liu Zhongmin
【Editor's Note】
On September 11, 20 years ago, the World Trade Center in New York, the United States, was hit by two aircraft and collapsed, shocking the world. The trajectory of the United States, countless people implicated, and the entire world has changed as a result. 20 years later, the specter of terrorism is still raging around the world from time to time, will global counter-terrorism be "more anti-terrorist"? Is 20 years enough time for humanity to see the impact of 9/11 in history?
The International Department of The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) launched the "20 Years of Global Counter-Terrorism" special report on September 10, showing how the 20 years since 9/11 have changed individuals, countries and the world from multiple dimensions.
In the previous article, the author mentioned the complex relationship between Islamic extremist groups in the Middle East and international terrorist organizations, and pointed out that since the 1970s, religious extremist terrorism has become the main manifestation of international terrorism, and the transformation and development of some of these Organizations that pursue Islamic extremism into international terrorist organizations are particularly prominent. This article continues to trace, sort out, and analyze the origins of Islamic extremist thought and the ideological support it provides to terrorist organizations.
On December 12, 2001 local time, a Marine passed by the bin Laden Times magazine cover on the U.S. Navy's AMPHIBH Whitby Island.
Islamic extremism that deviates from the peaceful nature of religion
Islamic extremism is an extreme trend and movement that has diverged from Islamism. Islamism refers to a religious and political trend advocating the transformation of the real society in accordance with the original teachings of Islam and the consequent movement to fully promote Islamization. Its basic purpose is to oppose Westernization and secularization, to advocate a return to the original teachings of Islam, to change the existing world order, to overthrow the existing secular regime, and to establish an Islamic state and order based on Sharia law ruled by religious leaders or sharia scholars.
Contemporary Islamism has always been divided into moderates and extremists, and although the common goal of both is to rebuild the Islamic state, Islamic society and Islamic order under Sharia rule, the difference between the two is that the paths to realization are different, with moderates advocating a peaceful approach to legitimate struggle, extremists advocating a combination of legal struggle and violent struggle, and even sliding towards terrorism.
Therefore, Islamic extremism deviates from the peaceful nature of religion and carries out violent terrorist activities in the name of religion, which constitutes the essential characteristic of religious extremism. This is also the link between religious extremism and terrorism, i.e. the provision of ideological support and social mobilization for terrorism through the distortion of religious doctrines.
On May 27, 2021 local time, the Russian Federal Security Service announced that on the eve of the May holiday this year, the agency arrested 2 extremist group supporters. Sources said the two tried to launch two terrorist attacks in the southern Russian city of Stavropol. On the same day, the Russian Federal Security Service also released a video of the arrest. People's Vision Diagram
The Historical Genealogy of Islamic Extremist Thought
The historical roots of Islamic extremism can be traced back to the medieval extremist al-khawarij (meaning "exodus"). The Khawarijis have a strong tendency to intolerant extremism and violence, emphasize the absolutization of religious beliefs, force people to accept their doctrinal ideas, call Muslims who do not agree with their claims "apostates", and at the same time advocate the physical elimination of "hypocrites", generalizing the Islamic concept of "jihad".
Another source of ideas that has had a deep influence on contemporary Islamic extremism is the Medieval Hambelli School, especially its representative, Timmye. First, the school advocates interpreting the scriptures literally and rejecting foreign ideas and cultures in the name of purifying faith. Thus, the religious conservatism inherent in it constitutes one of the historical and cultural roots of Islamic extremism. Second, Timyeh stressed that even nominal Muslims who have declared their acceptance of Islam but reject sharia law can still be considered the object of "jihad.". "It was Ibn Timyeh in the 14th century who activated the dormant conception of 'jihad' during the first low tide of jihad." In short, Ibn Timyah's conservative, radical, narrow-minded, and intolerant ideas had a profound impact on later generations.
Since the middle of the 18th century, the Wahhabi sect that emerged in the Arabian Peninsula has become the official ideology of Saudi Arabia, and has gradually divided into official Wahhabiism and folk Wahhabiism, both of which have different influences on Islamic extremism. After entering the contemporary era, Saudi Arabia's official Wahhabi doctrine is mainly manifested in the international pan-Islamism, and has played a certain positive role in promoting the unity and cooperation of Islamic countries. However, Saudi Arabia also needs to shelter the political opposition of the Islamic state based on its own interests, and through various channels, it funds and supports Islamist movements around the world, and even supports radical or extremist Islamist groups.
The Saudi people's Wahhabism, especially the self-proclaimed "Salafist" Islamic militant groups, is more directly linked to extremism and inherits the ultra-conservative ideas of Wahhabism.
"Salafi" in Arabic means "ancestor", "ancestor", salafist basic meaning "zungu", is a conservative religious sect originated in the Middle Ages, advocating the strict implementation of the Qur'an and "sunnah", with special emphasis on purifying faith and honoring the scriptures. In the 18th century, the Wahhabis in the Arabian Peninsula became the forerunner of modern Salafism. The core ideas of Salafism include the eradication of idolatry and the reaffirmation of the oneness of God. Salafists consider themselves to be true Muslims.
Contemporary Salafism can be roughly divided into three major factions: traditional Salafism, political Salafism, and jihadist Salafism. Traditional Salafism emphasizes the observance of traditional religious beliefs and religious etiquette, advocates staying away from politics and opposing terrorist acts of violence; political Salafism, while emphasizing mission, advocates the rule of the Islamic Shariah through participation in politics and deliberations, but opposes violent terrorist activities; "jihadist" Salafism advocates subverting the secular regimes of Arab countries and establishing Shariah regimes by launching violent means such as "holy war". The Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia often actively exported the religious and political ideas of the Wahhabis in the early years under the cover of pan-Islamist ideas, and strongly advocated the implementation of "jihad" against "infidels" in order to establish an Islamic regime and An Islamic state. These ideas constitute an important source of "jihadist" Salafist extremist ideas.
In the development of "jihadist" Salafism, the ideas of Abu Mohammed Markdis, a Palestinian of Jordanian descent, and Abu Basil Tatus of Syria, have an important influence on the development of the "jihadist" Salafist movement, and the core of its ideas is to give Salafism the idea of violence, which in turn promotes the emergence of "jihadist" Salafism.
Said Kutb, the second generation theorist of the Muslim Brotherhood (hereinafter referred to as the Muslim Brotherhood), is an important representative of modern Islamic extremism, and his masterpiece "Road Signs" directly provides an ideological source and spiritual support for Islamic extremist groups. Kutb's profound influence on extremist thought lies in the fact that he proposed two important concepts that give legitimacy to violent "jihad". The first concept is "condemnation" – the judgment that a Muslim acts and thinks contrary to Islam, i.e., a Muslim is declared a pagan. The second concept is the "period of obscurantism" (Jahiliyya, referring to the Arab society before the emergence of Islam), in which all existing political orders in the Islamic world and in the West are manifestations of "obscurantism" and should be overthrown, and the ideal political system is an Islamic system based on Islamic law that embodies Allah sovereignty. The Islamic Jihad, Islamic Liberation Organization, Islamic Group, and Atonement and Migration, which split off from the Brotherhood, were deeply influenced by Qutb's ideas, and Qutb was therefore known in the West as the "godfather of Islamic extremism."
A terrorist organization that draws intellectual resources from Islamic extremism
In the late 20th century, "jihadist" Salafist organizations emerged in the Middle East, such as the Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Bloc in Egypt, and the Salafi Mission and Combat Organization in Algeria, which constitute the precursors of the current "jihadist" Salafist organization. Ideologically, they were all heavily influenced by the radical ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood thinker Saeed Qutb, whose central goal was to overthrow the current regime and establish an "Islamic state" through "jihad.".
Kutb's ideas have influenced an entire generation of Egyptian and other "jihadist" thinkers, and the initiators of bin Laden's "jihadist" ideas were the Muslim Brotherhood extremist thinkers Said Kutb and Abdullah Azam.
Bin Laden's Islamic extremism and its evolution toward terrorism are characterized by three main features: First, bin Laden wantonly distorts and distorts the Belief System of Islam, interprets and reduces all issues to religious issues, and incites religious fanaticism. Secondly, bin Laden vigorously advocated "jihad" and made "jihad" the most important instrument of international terrorism. Finally, Islam opposes attacks and killings against innocent civilians, while bin Laden's al-Qaida organization targets civilians, including Muslims, completely departing from the basic spirit of Islam.
The ideology of the Islamic State is heavily influenced by various historical islamic extremist currents, and the "jihadist" Salafism constitutes the core source of the Islamic State ideology. Abu Moussab Zarqawi, the founder of the Islamic State, was a student of Markdis and was deeply influenced by his ideas. Abu Umar Baghdadi, the second-generation leader of the Islamic State, is also a staunch "jihadist" Salafist, whose speeches often quote authoritative views derived from Salafism. The Islamic State also explicitly described its activities as "part of the 'jihadist' salafist current."
Jihadist Salafiism forms the common ideological basis of al-Qaida and the Islamic State, but the Islamic State is tougher in upholding "jihadist" Salafism and is distinctly different from al-Qaida. "Both al-Qaida and the Islamic State adhere to Salafist theology, giving the Jihad movement the characteristics of Salafism. However, unlike al-Qaida, the Islamic State has more uncompromisingly adhered to the creed of Salafism and promoted the ideas of Salafiism. ”
First, it stubbornly insists on the establishment of a so-called "caliphate." Since its inception, the Islamic State has made the establishment of a "caliphate state" a goal to pursue, and has emphasized its immediate implementation. Al-Qaida, on the other hand, opposed the Islamic State's establishment of a "caliphate, stressing that the conditions for the establishment of an Islamic State" were not yet ripe. Therefore, in the pursuit of "nation-building", the "Islamic State" is far more firm than other extremist groups, including al-Qaida.
Second, it advocates sectarian contradictions and incites sectarian conflicts. Al-Qaida has been advocating so-called "pan-Islamic" unity against sectarian killings. However, the Islamic State has placed special emphasis on the confrontation between Sunnis and Shiites in Islam, arguing that its primary target is Shia Muslims as "apostates", and constantly intensifying sectarian contradictions and creating sectarian conflicts through terrorist attacks on Shiites.
Third, we stubbornly adhere to the so-called principle of "counter-rebellion." The Islamic State not only sees secular Arab rulers as the primary target of apostates and "jihadist" strikes, but also as apostates to ordinary Muslims who oppose its claims.
Fourth, insist on "offensive jihad" that abuses violence. Compared with al-Qaida, the Islamic State has placed more emphasis on the importance of "offensive jihad", clamoring for idolaters and Allah unbelieving countries to be the main targets of "jihad" and launching armed wars against the non-Islamic world, thereby continuously expanding the territory and influence of the caliphate.
In summary, as the representative of a new generation of extremist organizations and terrorism, the Islamic State's ideological construction capabilities far exceed those of traditional extremist and terrorist organizations such as al-Qaida. As a result, there have always been sharp differences between ISIS and al-Qaida in terms of ideology and development strategies, which is also the root cause of the islamic State's eventual departure from al-Qaida.
At the so-called level of faith and theology, the "Islamic State" attaches more importance to the purification of faith and the original source, using the so-called classical Islamic theological ideas to package its extremist ideas, especially the extreme principles it pursues such as "rebellion" and "offensive jihad" are demonstrated through "quoting scriptures" to make its ideology more hidden, deceptive and demagogic; in terms of goals, it attaches great importance to putting into practice the establishment of the so-called "Islamic State" and "Caliphate". Beyond the characteristics of traditional extremism with more than enough critical ability and insufficient practical ability, it makes it more attractive to global "jihadists", and its loyalists have followed suit, thus posing a serious threat to the nation-state system in the Middle East and even the entire Islamic world. In terms of practical tactics, the ideological construction of the Islamic State is very good at exploiting and inciting sectarian contradictions in order to expand its social base.
The extremist ideology of the Islamic State not only has nothing to do with Islam itself, but also seriously distorts the core values of Islam advocating peace and advocating righteousness, causing serious harm to Islamic civilization.
(Liu Zhongmin, Professor, Institute of Middle East Studies, Shanghai University of Foreign Chinese)
Editor-in-Charge: Zhu Zhengyong
Proofreader: Luan Meng