bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

The Root of Modern Day Islamic Terrorism: Part 2

2016 Ramadan GraphicIn the late 1980s, two new leaders became prominent in radical Islam: Osama bin Laden from Saudi Arabia and Ayman al-Zawahiri from Egypt. Both of these men followed the ideology of a teacher named, Abdullah Azzam. The Investigative Project on Terrorism describes Azzam:

Azzam is more responsible than any Arab figure in modern history for galvanizing the Muslim masses to wage an international holy war against all infidels and non-believers until the enemies of Islam were defeated… Azzam helped bring about the mobilization of the Muslim Brotherhood movement more than any other leader. Today, the military wing of Hamas in the West Bank is called the Abdellah Azzam Brigades.

Al-Qaeda, which is Arabic for “the Base” was founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam recruited and trained thousands of “holy warriors” from more than fifty countries to fight in Afghanistan. Following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, al-Qaeda began to attack western interests around the world.

Al-Zawahiri took over the leadership of Egyptian Islamic Jihad in 1993. In 1998, the group joined with five other radical groups including al-Qaeda to form the World Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders. One of the first joint acts of terror was the bombings of U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

When bin Laden was killed in May 2011, Ayman al-Zawahiri became the leader of al Qaeda – and still is. He has spent his life in “jihad” and is responsible for many terrorist attacks. He criticized the Brotherhood in his book “The Bitter Harvest”, condemning them for “taking advantage of the Muslim youths’ fervor by … steer[ing] their onetime passionate, Islamic zeal for jihad to conferences and elections.”

ISIS, a Sunni jihadi terrorist group had close links with al-Qaeda until February of 2014. The split between the groups came after al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was unable to stop fighting between ISIS and another rebel group, Jabhat al-Nusra. ISIS is known for its strict interpretation of Islamic (sharia) law and brutal violence including beheadings, rapes, and floggings.

Modern day terrorism started with Hassan al-Banna’s desire to see the Caliphate restored and continue today through groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The techniques for domination may differ from the Muslim Brotherhood, but the goal is ultimately the same.

Prayer Point:

Non-Islamic nations have very little understanding of the basic teachings of radical Islam and the seriousness of their message. Pray that our leaders will receive teaching about the radical side of political Islam and respond with God’s wisdom and insight to deal with the challenge and protect the innocent.

bestcurrentnews 2016 Ramadan Prayer

The Root of Modern Day Islamic Terrorism – Part 1

2016 Ramadan GraphicTwo years ago on June 29, 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of ISIS, declared that he was the head of the Caliphate. A Caliphate is an Islamic state led by a religious and political leader called a Caliph. The Caliph is considered a successor to Muhammad, and he rules with absolute power and authority over the entire Muslim world.

Most Muslims certainly do not recognize Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the Caliph or consider themselves are part of the ISIS created Caliphate. However the rise of modern-day Islamic terrorism can be directly traced to the fall of a previous Caliphate.

From the beginning of the 14th Century the Ottoman Empire, under a Caliphate in Turkey, ruled a major part of three continents from their headquarters in Constantinople (Istanbul). They ruled for 500 years until the Caliphate began to collapse after the First World War ended in 1917. In 1924, the Caliphate, which was the seat of authority that had united Muslim controlled areas, was abolished and Ataturk was unanimously elected President of a secular Republic in Turkey. The Islamic stronghold had collapsed.

Four years later in 1928, Egyptian Hasan al-Banna, in response to the recent collapse of the Muslim Caliphate, called for establishment of a world Islamic state governed by Qur’anic law and ruled by a single Caliph (or leader). Meeting with his brother and four friends they swore to live and die for Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood, the first modern radical group was born. According to the remarks of their leaders, the Caliphate is to be expanded to cover the entire globe, erasing national boundaries under the flag of Islam.

Hassan al-Banna stated, “It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.” This belief has not changed. The Muslim Brotherhood can be found in over 80 countries around the world and is the root of many Muslim organizations today.

Their creed states, “God is our purpose, the Prophet our leader, the Quran our constitution, jihad our way and dying for Allah our supreme objective.”

Another Muslim Brotherhood member, Sayyid Qutb wrote a book called “Milestones” in 1964 that is widely used by radicals today. He called for the revival of Islam and said Muslims are obliged to do two things:

  1. Wage jihad in defense of Islamic lands.
  2. Wage offensive jihad in order to liberate the world from the slavery to man-made law and governments.

The Muslim Brotherhood has always relied on a gradual approach to establishing a Caliphate, but its ideology and ultimate goal of world domination is the same as groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Prayer Point:

The teachings of Islam do not allow itself to coexist with other religions or political ideologies. Pray that both Muslims and non-Muslims will awaken to this reality and challenge this doctrine of supremacy within Islam.