Terrorism & Radicalization: Understanding Daesh

Course Introduction

• The course will cover the background on the topic of terrorism and radicalization
• Starting with the pre-ISIS/Daesh era

Course Structure

• ISIS/Daesh in history will be examined - how it evolved from a terror group to a state
• Focus will be on their impact and methods
• Examined how ISIS was governed, integrating army and terror, and how they educated children
• Reasons for ultimate failure will be explored, and how this caused a return to terror group status
• The current status and future trends of the movement will be examined

Understanding Daesh

• Important to understand what makes Daesh attractive and what motivates people to join
• History of emotions is involved, and how emotions influenced people's decisions
• Examine the perspectives of activists toward the West
• Explore the dynamic history of Daesh's development and what made them appeal to certain Muslims vs. others who condemn them

Movement Characteristics

• Movements that execute people are seen as radical
• Many affiliated with these movements are normal
• Individuals are ordinary and normalized but at some point commit atrocities
• Ex. 19 year old Aqsa Mahmood who disappeared and joined Daesh
• Family was normal
• Transformed after online interactions with a radical Islamist who influenced her political sentiments and reaction to Syrian government actions
• She transitioned to activism and traveled to Syria

Common Traits

• Many Daesh recruits were not radicalized or mentally unstable, but came from stable backgrounds with financial security and good education
• Islamic movements in the 70s-80s were suppressed by governments, especially in Egypt, losing ground in Egypt and Jordan
• Technology has allowed more people agreeing with the same opinions to connect, leading to a rise in radicalization

ISIS Victims

• The main victims of Daesh are Muslims, because they primarily operate and inflict harm in Muslim regions
• The reason is difficulty physically reaching the West because they are monitored technologically
• Most of the distress caused to the Muslim population stems from a lack of intelligence technology in these affected areas
• Muslims bear the brunt of Daesh's radicalization
• Daesh, as a movement, attracted normatative individuals like Aqsa.

Key Events

• September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda attacked the West, including the World Trade Center
• In 2014 Daesh successfully captured al-Raqqa in Syria and al-Mosul in Iraq
• These cities cover vast territories, asking questions about the size and makeup of Daesh forces
• Estimates ranged up to 200,000 soldiers
• Out of 1.8 billion Muslims, the activists who joined Daesh are not so big
• Additionally between 5-10 percent supported Daesh out of all Muslims in the world and 80 percent did not support

• In 2015 - was peak territorial control with many areas in northern Syria and Iraq after the world united against them
• By 2018 territory greatly diminished as a result of attacks from remainder of the world
• Daesh controlled physically within them but has presence in areas such as Somalia, Philippines, Mali etc
• Daesh controls desert and mountainous areas such as Yemen, Afghanistan and Mali
• Terrain makes them difficult to access, offering refuge for terrorist groups due to difficulty of the West to get their and operate so they could could just hide there and feel comfortable operating from there

Ideologies

• Daesh emerged from the political and ideological landscape
• The fact they did not emerge in a political vacuum
• A fundamentalist movement focuses on strict adherence to religious texts and doctrines
• Seeks a return to the original religious foundations and interprets ancient texts for modern issues
• Concerned about the negative impact of human progress on religious values and advocate for strict adherence to religious commands, wishing to apply religious laws everywhere

• The movement is very critical of how Muslims live nowadays, deeming it unethical
• The fundamentalist idea is not unique
• all see modernity as problematic and consider the family unit to be in danger and then hope to fix the world by returning to the past to where society existed in their eyes in the best form

Varied approaches

• There is a contrast in methods between fundamentalist groups, with most being conservative and not wanting to alter society through violence(Hamas)
• Al-Qaeda and Daesh seek to alter society through violence
• There are 3 issues that have varied fundamentalist groups

Contentious Themes

• Political violence is debated in Muslim society since early Islam
• Question of whether it is permissible to kill another Muslim for being a disbeliever or immoral
• The answer in the main school says that you cannot do it
• The majority of Muslims hold this notion that they have to use violence to change society
• They all want to criticize, not shift muslim society and then believe in change with violence which goes against the mainstream thinking
• All want a change to society, in 2 ways, with or without force by education or political gain

• They can get control through the law which will allow them to change society and not by violence
• Now the world has various national entities, so movements can divide into 2 groups
• There is the mainstream conservative who excepts the global system and idea
• There is the radical side who does not accept and believes all must align with the islamist world

Democracy

• Modern politics part of political system divided into parties
• Conservatives accept, willing to partner with this system
• It is putting society muslim at risk, world unites
• Radicals seek destroy existing global order which requires a new one

Conclusion

• First thing to remember is that Daesh is a part of Islamist movement global of fundamentals
• radicals seek to destroy the global system and want instead to build
• The conservatives want to change.

Course Focus

• The focus of the lecture will be on the dynamics and process of militant movements through the years
• There has been dynamics involved with the militants

Muslim Brotherhood

• Sayyid Qutb was born in 1906 and executed in 1966 in an Egyptian prison
• He was a teacher of english and was interested in westernerism that is western relations
• Those ideas were accepted at the time

• In 1948 he joined the muslim brotherhood group and wrote about those that contradict a lot of what a modern muslim should be
• Nasser threw him injail at this time
• He changed his viewpoint and that people did not know how to be muslim and do things, he claims sharia law wasnt known
• The western ways were ruining this, that these ways should be stopped

Viewpoints

• He was concerned it would cause Islam to disappear and made to prevent and stop
• The militant groups now wanted to prevent jailahia
• The islam religion should prevent the use of violence

Actions and results.

• Another generation would never be muslim

###Hassan al-Hudaybi(1891-1973)

• Head was thrown in jail with kutub and felt was to try to change the muslim country through education instead

• After Nasser took the throne around that time all the muslim brotherhood were given general forgiveness
• There is a large division that happens at this time for those who were strict or lenient
• Those for more lenient had to give up the system and so there was both for the terror to try and take things of the government
• There were those who wanted to be more strict
• There was not so many results
• al-Hudaybi was more popular
• Between 1970-1990, most of these efforts failed.

Assassination of Anwar SadatOctober 6, 1981

• The assassination led to the public to think about the success
• The assassiantion was important because they assassinated someone of the status of a leader
• Many joined to try and do such a thing

Analysis and effects.

• The expectations show that people will help get rid of government and that their plan are good
• There was a gap in the middle between expectations and the reality
• Many group members went from egypt to other countries and hide, others would hide in the general public

• Changed the way people saw eachother

osama den ladan

• 2001 and around here is where they started to think they could fight here
• In Afghanistan, a lot fight Russia for a long time.
• -There, a lot were able to work with eachother in the west Technoloyg came and people join from the web to learn
• To attack the enemy and bring more to their numbers

• Some people said need go against those out there
• On September 11, 2001, the organization did more and went to destroy west instead of just their normal spots
• Osama Bin Laden- born rich in saudi arabia 1957 Was influenced to the point of it was as if he was brainwashed

Further context and background

• In his 20´s he went to Afghanistan
• Wanted to learn to build more and read

Al-Qaeda

• 1988 and after they lost their right to Saudi Arabia, they want to be the strongest
• Was said to hate people

musab al-zarkawi

• was a criminal
• 196 was in a radical islamist group
• 1989 joins Afghanistan to help and joins groups
• After sent to jail because went back, he becomes militaristic
• King ends up forgiving it all
• Then was put under bin laden

more

• the idea was to give the army power to fight

The message

• message it should be done now and there that things must go according plan of the group

• In the past there would be a lot that would need to be done to reach the areas so much so that it was not there to work

Sayiid kutub said that people would see through a person and all would agree with him that way

More

• The iraq war became what changed these things more then before, so it became a way of trying to make sense and it was done very well to have it play more

Geography and ideology

• The south east is mainly shiah, those of who were sunny ended up as the leaders

Explore the history and evolution of ISIS/Daesh, from its origins to its current status. Understand its governance, impact, and the reasons for its initial appeal. Examine the motivations of those who joined and the movement's future trends.