|
|
|
The Mujahadeen
The profile of a terrorist: Killers of the worst kind Let us not forget that there is a distinct
difference in the active terrorist or the worker and the leaders of terrorist groups. The major difference is that the leadership
of organizations like Al Qaeda, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others, aren’t willing to do, themselves, what they expect
of their workers. I have found no documented evidence of any prominent religious leaders (with the exception of Guyana), senior
or midlevel terrorist group leaders or known operatives, Arab leaders or any relative of anyone mentioned above who committed
an act of terror involving suicide. As one man put it, Wouldn't you expect some of the religious leaders to do it themselves, or to talk their sons into doing it, if this is truly a supreme act of religious fervor? They, instead, choose what they believe to be the right person for the job, which can be anybody that means nothing to them...mostly, anybody. The leadership is typically successful in recruiting individuals who match a certain profile. They have learned to key in on specific regions of the world where those characteristics are dominant among the majority of young people, which creates a “homegrown” effect and a seemingly endless supply of potential terrorist. Recruitment techniques in these areas are typically long term investments with dividends being paid in the level of loyalty to the organization and its cause but the individuals motivations are not always the same. But for the terrorist organizations, the successful recruitment of the “worker” means the product has been sold. I worked for a burglar bar company as a “salesman” some years ago after a break from my first term in the military. I had the ultimate nutcase for a boss, and we would have weekly sales meetings where we would clap our hands and chant ridiculously, after which the boss would flamboyantly (and to my horror) act out skits with us to illustrate personal contact and enthusiasm in cold call tactics. I have never seen a man so loud and consumed in what he did, but he did it well and the whole point was to incite a sense of excitement so that the customer becomes excited about the product before they know what the product really is! This is what terrorist organizations do when recruiting. Their agents (the clerics and organizational leadership) spend years getting the young “customer” (worker/terrorist) excited about the product (their sense of belonging and worth) before they know what the product is and what it means (mission of the organization). Read on… The Terrorist Age - The active terrorist is generally between 19 - 25 years of age. Sex-Predominantly male. Female members constitute a much smaller percentage of terrorists. Females are
mainly used as intelligence collectors, messengers, medical personnel, and in the maintenance of the safe houses. There is,
however, a growing trend in Marital status - The terrorist is, typically, unmarried. The requirements of movement and flexibility, prevent the terrorist from having these responsibilities. The statistics indicate that 75 - 80% of the captured terrorists were unmarried. Locality- Most terrorist operate in a city they are familiar with. The terrorist must have intimate knowledge of the land in which he is operating. The urban terrorist can elude the police easily, or surprise them in a trap or ambush. Social status- Raised in extreme poverty…has developed a hopelessness sense of not being able to improve their position or status. Religion- Most are average in their core beliefs at an early age but begin to develop an attachment to specific tenets within the religion. As this happens, their behavior begins to change rapidly. An adolescent going through this may opt out of playing with his friends to extend his prayer time or to begin to experiment with the tenets of the religion. It becomes a spiritual awakening created out of a sense of wanting to belong or to have a legacy…to be appreciated or respected. Psychology- Being predominantly male, the terrorists tend to embrace fundamentalist ideology for its deep rooted sense of dominance that gives young Muslim men a sense of power and control and fellowship. As they reach mid adolescence, they are easily influenced and manipulated by symbolic individuals within the confines of their environment and develop a strong attachment to a group or organization. Comparative: The typical American kid is brought up in a nurturing environment. His symbolic
attachments become those things that his friends have that he wants (and sometimes can’t have) or what they are or can
do…which personifies what he think he aspires to be or do. In many cases these attachments become influences, which
tend to affect behavior. The signs are usually very obvious and have become an inherent “symptom” of adolescence.
Most of our kids only get in to real trouble when the influences become obsessions and
nothing else matters to them anymore…at that age they don’t fully realize their potential or the opportunities
they have beyond childhood…they cant see past adolescence. They get to
a point where they feel confined, hopeless, restricted and mistrusted by parents and teachers…it seems to them that
the whole world is against them. Most of us know this first hand…it has become an inherited cultural condition of One the other hand, the typical Muslim child, particularly in more fundamentalist and impoverished countries, develop attachments
as well. Not to material things like clothing, makeup, skateboards or video games…they don’t have those things. Since they are raised in a culture that is centered on religion, their “symbolic”
attachments become influential adult males in the community…Muslim clerics are the most influential people in the Muslim
community. Their preaching usually conveys a message advocating a more fundamental
approach to Islam and the Muslim lifestyle with total submission. Young Muslims tend to congregate around these religious
leaders , creating groups which continue to draw more and more youngsters out of a sense of belonging. The clerics message itself is not what is heard by the most likely young Muslims…what they hear is
that they are not alone anymore…it gives them a direction..someone to follow, and something to believe in. The subliminal
message that comes through due to the exploits of high profile, highly politicized extremists groups is that all that is not
Muslim is evil and it is the duty of all Muslims to kill the infidels. And a
terrorist is what many young Muslims aspire to be. The black mask…the sword…the mystery…the fear it strikes
in the hearts of everyone. To them, at an early age, it seems glamorous, exciting
and it gives some meaning to their otherwise hopeless impoverished lives. Their attachments become the influences that affect
their behavior. Young Muslims in many parts of the world, never had or never will have opportunities that young Americans
have, despite their potential. There is nothing for them to realize…and whats ironic is that that itself is what the
entire Muslim world needs to realize. At this point they become more and more distant from their families and friends and immerse themselves into their “faith”
and devotion to their “religion”. Most Muslim parents also do a good
job of interdicting at this point and the vast majority of young Muslims do not end up as suicide bombers, although the scarring
obtained from defiance can be quite noticeable! It is apparent, however, and evident from what Americans see on television
with swarms of Muslims demonstrating anti American sentiment that many of those who do not take the path to terrorism, become
“passive” in the same cause at times. In reality, this is more cultural as even moderate Muslims tend to shift
their views regularly with popular opinion. In other words, it may not be a core conviction, but if its popular with everybody
else today, the average guy is going to get excited about it too! Its important to not get too excited when you see large
groups of Muslims chanting, screaming threats to Remember the images of children dancing and cheering in the streets of Fallujah while kicking and beating the burnt corpses of my colleagues, Jerry Zovko and Wes Batalona and their two cohorts? These kids were caught in the moment and enticed into a frenzy of excitement and jubilation by armed insurgent attackers. Think about it. Who do you want your kids hanging out with? If your raise your children an poor, run down, under funded under policed, urban “hell” with heroin dealers on every corner, Id bet ten dollars to a donut that your kid would wind up a drug addict. The chances would not be in their favor. That is the type of reality these people face, only the drug dealers are radical fundamentalist clerics and extremist groups, looking for another potential time bomb. Those kids on the street in Fallujah that day were not horrified as our kids would be because as horrible as it was, those burnt bodies had already been dehumanized, defaced and had taken on a more symbolic meaning to the crowd…the kids you saw in those videos are taught by their influences, not necessarily their parents, early on to believe that we are the enemy…and the killing and mutilation of those 4 contractors symbolized a victory to a people not accustomed to victory…furthermore, virtually every adult male influence they had was dancing in the streets too. With Muslim men, there is a sense of brotherhood and fellowship from a very early age and the younger boys tend to look highly upon the older boys and young adults. This transfers from generation to generation…it’s the same in our society to a certain degree. I didn’t have any brothers but I always looked up to my older male cousins when I spent any time around them. Our kids have other outlets that young impoverished Muslim kids do not. The society they are raised in and the culture they are a part of doesn’t provide an outlet for them like community sports programs, academia, music or dance. There is a lot of bottled energy and no method of release. You see it in the Palestinian rioting. Children, fighting for their place in the movement…not for the message…they grow into the message…but to be apart of something that those they aspire to be like are apart of. Their heros are armed militants , wearing the black mask, carrying swords and AK 47s, marching and screaming in the streets. This is their outlet…and unfortunately for all…their future. Conclusion: Key social issues that affect the potential of a young Muslim to become a terrorist are: Poverty, Symbolic attachments, lack of opportunity, bottled energy and aggression, influence, oppression, hopelessness. Terrorist can be classified into three categories: A. Criminals -- They know the consequences and they are fairly predictable. Many “criminal terrorists” use
the agendas of political defenders for financial or personal gain. This has been
the case in B. Political Defenders -- The political defenders are very complex. They can be much less predictable than other categories at times. Their supreme mission is to publish the cause and to make an impression on those who, supposedly, are representing the government. Since the political defenders think that what they are doing is correct, the end justifies the means, and what they are doing is in representation of the masses. They do not distinguish between political, military or civilian targets, however, they are usually more or less conventional in the application of their terror tactics…car bombs the norm, video taped beheading…not likely. The fact is that in most cases, political terrorists do not have the support of most of the population. However, this does not seem to matter to them. The political terrorists use published and alarming acts, and threats as pressure for their cause. Political terrorist organizations have increasingly employed tactics that are suicidal. The emerging terrorist of today has been further defined, or redefined, as a risk taker…more prone to acts of suicide. This has not always been the case, however, and the individual profiles show trends that illustrate this metamorphous. In order to fight political terrorism all the factors of motivation, ideology and personality must be carefully examined and analyzed. C. Psychopathic Terrorists . The psychopathic terrorist is possibly the most dangerous, and least predictable. He also does not distinguish between political, military or civilian targets. He has no problem with using barbaric tactics to achieve his objectives. There are some cases of organizations that use psychopaths as assassins. But in most of the cases these people act independently, trying to correct some wrong, real or imagined. Some want to make a public declaration, whereas others want to influence events. There are numerous examples of mixed terrorist groups (terrorist groups that are political in nature, but use psychopaths for assassinations or significant events). To an established government, all terrorist acts are considered as criminal acts, and therefore all terrorists are criminal. In many cases, the political terrorist organizations must provide for their necessities with criminal acts. Bank robberies, or "expropriations" are common means to obtain operational necessities and are justified in support of the “cause”. In many cases, the more sophisticated terrorist organizations have special cells that specialize in these activities (groups whose only purpose is to steal money). IMPORTANT NOTE: The world-wide system of terrorist support provides the terrorists with many of their requirements, such as sponsors donating money, and it eliminates, in some cases the necessity of these dangerous activities. The German faction of Red Brigades, also known as 'Grupo Baader-Mienhof ', used psychopaths in their operations. Some of these assassins were organized in special groups that used the terrorist activity as a form of therapy! One of the best known groups, of this nature, was called the "Collective Patients of Heidelberg", some times known as the " Brigade of Crazy People ". This group was composed of ex--mental patients, who were freed from mental hospitals by the Baader-Meinhof, and programmed for murder and destruction! While not the only example of a psychopathic terrorist but certainly the most notorious in Perhaps the most notorious Nationalist or domestic psychopathic terrorists
in Terrorist Groups Classification of Terrorist Groups by their Motivation. A. Minority and Nationalistic groups. They generally fight to establish a nationalistic identity or to improve their conditions.. The same conditions generally exist in others countries where there is discrimination and poverty. B. Separatists. Separatists want an administration or separated country of their own. Many of these pressed movements have
been stopped once their status of freedom has been granted. Some have not. The situation in C. Revolutionary Marxist Terrorists. They are responsible for most of the terrorist acts through out the world. Many legitimate
movements initiated by other groups, are sabotaged by a system whose main aim is of subverting and pressing. Violence is predictable
of the revolutionary Marxist doctrine. The anarchists are generally a-political. In the majority of the cases the terrorist
anarchists look for another type of ideology with which to be associated, this provides reasons and excuses for their terrorist
activities. Marxism generally is the ideal cause for this intention. Think D. Anarchists. They fight generally to destabilize and to destroy present governments. Al Qaeda… E. Ideological Mercenaries. They are generally transnational terrorist companies that travel to serve, with their armaments, to revolutionary friends, or ideologically compatible groups. The Revolutionary Meeting of Coordination, a group of international terrorist support, is considered an ideological mercenary group. F. Counter Terrorists. They use the terrorism to fight to terrorism. Many of these groups emerged as an answer to terrorism
activities. These groups are more common then it was previously thought. An example is the G. Terrorists of the Establishment. They operate with the permission of the government or with it's support. This form
of terror generally is used to keep the population submissive or to maintain the existing regime in the power. The secret
police used by the H. Religious Fanatics. They are everywhere in the world. Many terrorist atrocities and acts have been committed in the name of religion. Some groups exist outside the control of the government, and could be considered as radical religious cults, whereas others exist as part of national or international organized religions. The Islamic movements of Al Qaeda and its network of terrorist organizations fall into this category. I. Narcotics Terrorists. For years dealing in drugs has been bound exclusively to professional criminal elements. In recent years a new influence has moved towards the world of drugs. Their methods: to interchange drugs for arms. Studies have demonstrated that the CRAF, a Colombian terrorist organization, uses drug sales as its main method to finance its terrorist activities. Classification of the organizations according to its Operations. A. Nationals (Domestic Terrorists). They aspire, generally, to political influence, and power or use terrorism as a means
to promote their agenda, which is, essentially to oppose the established government and/or its policies. Their actions are
usually considered by them to be retaliatory or to “teach a lesson”…not so much to draw attention or make
a point to the people. In some cases , however, movements are well supported
by public opinion.They operate within their own country, and they sometimes receive external aid. Think Timothy McVeigh and
the B. Transnational Terrorists. They operate crossing national borders, outside the control of the government, and can receive
support and sanctuary from other countries. Most of the present groups, particularly in C. International Terrorists. Are under the control of a government, operate crossing international borders, and their actions
represent the interest of a country or sovereign state. Bin Ladens Al Qaeda , operating from |
|
|
|
|