The Oxford Dictionary defines a terrorist ‘as a person who uses terrorism in the pursuit of political aims’ (Oxford University Press, 2015). Originally used to describe the efforts of French Revolution freedom fighters who battled for democracy (Oxford University Press, 2015), the term ‘terrorist’ is now widely associated with groups in developing countries who use violence and oppressive regimes to communicate their hatred of Western values, such as the Al-Qaeda. When comparing the actions and ideologies of Al-Qaeda to the term ‘freedom fighter,’ overall, the connection is not as strong.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines this term as ‘a person who takes part in a resistance movement against an oppressive political or social establishment’ (Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 2015). Although the Al-Qaeda is a resistance movement fighting to impose a new form of leadership, its methodology and execution of their movement has caused further oppression and suffering, particularly for Muslims. Although Al-Qaeda, to their own members can be considered a group of freedom fighters, their ideologies and actions classify them as a terrorist organisation.
The attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 confirmed the status of Al-Qaeda as the world’s most infamous terrorist group. Derived from the Arab term ‘the base’, Al-Qaeda have worked extensively in northern Africa and the Middle East (Humud, 2015, p. 1) to build support for Bin Laden’s call for ‘Muslims around the world to wage holy war on the United States and the Jewish community’ (Infoplease. com, 2015) with aspirations to build a new Islamic nation.
Their goal to establish God’s rule on Earth through acts of martyrdom and purification of Muslim ranks (Pike, 2015) has led to the Western world labelling them ‘terrorists’. Thirty-one attacks and more than 4400 deaths have been attributed to Al-Qaeda between the years 1992 and 2008 (Nonproliferation for Global Security Foundation, 2008). These attacks have spanned over 18 different countries (Pike, 2015). The group has inspired many other Islamic extremist groups and radical movements in different parts of the world which has contributed to its stature as a global terrorist network.
Zawahiri, an al-Qaeda leader asserts that the group ‘is a message before it is an organisation’ (Humud, 2015, p. 1). The group’s affiliates, The Islamic State (formerly ISIS) and Al Murabitoun have both ideological and operational ties to Al-Qaeda (Humud, 2015, p. 1) and have continued their tradition of terrorising non-Muslims. Their oppressive actions, often occurring in Muslim countries have also resulted in Muslim casualties, and in Taliban-dominated countries, such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, support is given only to those who support Al-Qaeda.
For the remainder of the population, they are faced with a daily reminder of those in power; the status of women, limited access to technology and basic services all contribute to Al-Qaeda’s repression of the very people they are supposed to be saving. Their tactics of assassination, bombing, hijacking, kidnapping, suicide attacks, and their desire to obtain biological, chemical and nuclear weapons further cement their status as a terrorist group (Pike, 2015). Loquitur (2002) postulates that the Al-Qaeda views itself as freedom fighters as it has worked over many decades to drive US presence out of Israel.
They believe that US foreign policy and their ideals of democracy ‘usurp the powers of God and [are], therefore wrong’ (Loquitur, 2002). Furthermore, their principal goal is to drive the United States armed forces out of Saudia Arabia (Caruso, 2001) at any cost. Beginning in the late 1970s, the Al-Qaeda were a contributing group to the Afghan resistance who were battling against the Soviet Union. The group, which was headed by Osama bin Laden, provided necessary finance, manpower and transport to assist the operation (Pike, 2015) to support an insurgent group called ‘the Mujahideen’.
With Osama Bin Laden as its leader, the group provided necessary finance, manpower and transport to assist the operation (Pike, 2015). They were fighting to overthrow the communist Soviet regime who had taken the power away from people, including Muslims living the Soviet satellite nations such as Afghanistan. Much of Al-Qaeda’s activity has occurred in Muslim countries which has unfortunately led to a high rate of local, innocent casualties (NPS Global, 2015). This begs the question, are they really looking out for the good of the group, or just enforcing their message of terror in any way possible?
Freedom fighters such as Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa projected messages of non-violent resistance. It would be unfair to classify Al-Qaeda in the same category. Yes, they are fighting against a political or social establishment, but is this establishment oppressive in the same way their actions have been on the Muslim community? Muslims worldwide have suffered horrendous prejudice and mistreatment at the hands of the Al-Qaeda, in the minds of many westerners, Muslims are guilty by association.
Bin Laden made it clear to the United States that it was not their leader which would determine Al-Qaeda’s opinion of them, but rather government policies. The September 11 attacks was the result of increased frustration from Al-Qaeda over America’s pro-Israeli Middle East policies (Pike, 2015). Pike (2015) claims that the attacks were inspired by Israel’s bombing attacks on Beirut in 1982. Other members of the Al Qaeda group have had varying motives for their attacks. The leader of the September 11 attacks, Mohammed Atta spoke that “he felt, with absolute certainty… hat it was his religious duty to wage a holy war (jihad)” (Burke, 2004).
Active Al-Qaeda militants believe quite simply that they are fighting in a battle for the survival of their way of life. They also believe they are fighting in self-defence (Burke, 2004), and, as all of us know, self-defence can be a means to justify unjust actions that might be otherwise frowned upon. While the death of Bin Laden had significant impact on the effectiveness of the Al-Qaeda regime, the nature of its decentralisation has ensured that its message has stayed ‘as a focal point of “inspiration” for a worldwide network of affiliated groups’ (Pike, 2015).
After the loss of its supreme leader, Osama Bin Laden, experts are unsure whether this will weaken their mission and impact on satellite terror cells (Infoplease. com, 2015). However, Pike (2015) affirms the undeniable influence of Al-Qaeda as a terrorist network as it still has autonomous cells in over 100 countries and is financing training and logistical developments for Islamic militants in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Chechnya, the Philippines, Somalia and Yemen (Pike, 2015).
Regarding Al-Qaeda, President Obama admitted that the ‘principal threat no longer comes from a centralized Al Qaeda leadership [but] from decentralized Al Qaeda affiliates and extremists, many with agendas focused in the countries where they operate’ (Humud, 2015, p. 1). The leader of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, discussed plans to create a Muslim caliphate in the Indian sub-continent, taking advantage of the fragility of the existing social structure and the large Muslim population (Pike, 2015). Al-Qaeda have been able to keep their momentum through their utilisation of social media.
Their password protected message boards and forums serve as recruiting hubs and have been labelled ‘digital jihad’ by US intelligence agencies (Kjuka, 2013). In saying this, these tools have proven to be useful for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies for gathering information about Al-Qaeda activities and tracking some individuals. This means of advertising their ideologies means that they have cemented a global, 24 hour a day influence on society. The spirit of jihad is expanding despite the loss of their leader.
To conclude, it is clear that the very nature of Al-Qaeda’s activity over the past two and a half decades is contrary to and defiant of the Western narrative. From its humble beginnings as a group fighting for freedom against Soviet rivals, to its pivotal role in the World Trade Centre attacks in 2001, Al-Qaeda’s ideologies have developed to be self-serving and devastating for Muslim and non-Muslim communities. The group’s high-profile history and strong online presence continues to serve as the backbone for militant Islam activities in every continent. For these reasons, Al-Qaeda are not freedom fighters, but terrorists.
