Islamism and Terrorism Today; the Alchemy of Dissimulative Theocratic Politics

Today, the eyes and hearts of the world have turned their attention to Islamism (Islamic militancy), an aspect of Islam. Islamism is the basis of terrorism. Terrorism is better viewed from a political lens. Today, 95% of terrorism draws its vitriol from Islamic fundamentalism (opposition to the infiltration of secular and Westernizing influences and seek to institute Islamic law, including strict codes of behavior). However, most interesting about the purveyors of Islamic fundamentalism is that they are ‘religious’ politicians, not religious leaders.

Bassam AbdiRashid, Strategic Intelligence Service expert in Islamism and terrorism critically but briefly examines how Al-Qaeda affiliates such as Al-Shabaab, AQIM and AQIP besides ISIS uses a political form of Islam known as “Islamism” to justify an unholy war of terrorism within the context of current religio-political and socio-political discourse.

Analysis: Decoding the Hypocritical Theocratic Politics of Islam, Islamism, and Terrorism as an outcome of this dissimulativity.

There is an innate interconnectedness of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. However in the past one decade, there is a sharp increase in terrorism. This is a recalibration of Nationalist approach to Islamic fundamentalism (many Islamic states such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwaiti, Bahrain, and Qatar remain socio-politically steadfast). The recalibration is a form of Islamism purveyor’s paradigm shift. To achieve transnational goals, purveyors seek greater influence in Muslim dominated areas by decrying rampant persecution and marginalization of the Muslims (terrorists use the strategy of outbidding to win the hearts and minds of the locals so as to isolate government structures and their influence on socioeconomics).

The fact that Islamism misconstrues jihad for a purge against American administration’s Middle East policy, its theocratic aspects make it a dangerous political movement (indoctrination of societies into religious movements and violence, purposely, to attain political ascendancy and subsequent supremacy). Policy makers, counter terrorism experts, and intelligence agencies continue to shy away from directly confronting Islam as one of the main factors of Islamic terrorism, simply because, 95% of Muslims do not subscribe to the nonsense of jihad as purveyed by thug clerics and weak politicians scheming to form a global Islamic Theocracy.

The alchemy of religion and politics in Muslims nations is nothing new. It dates back centuries ago. Islamic Fundamentalism exploits economy (The gap between rich and poor countries is one main cause of Islamic fundamentalism) and politics (Islamists have come to the fore and staked out a role in the movement to regain Arab Muslim independence and Islamic dignity) to make a cause.

What does terrorism represent; Repression & Retrogression?

Does Islamic States offer better socioeconomics? Has Iran and Saudi Arabia offered better socioeconomics or merely escalated repression? Dissents in the old Theocracies continue to make shape. Dissent is an indicator of repression or dissatisfaction with the Islamic administrations. So what are Al-Qaeda, Daesh, and their affiliates like Harakat Al-Shabaab Mujahideen (HSM) promising as alternatives? In Somalia, Al-Shabaab’s Islamism doctrine rather escalates violence against Muslims and their friends who subscribe to other sects across the border with Somalia.

As such, the cause purported by jihadists and purveyors of Islamic Fundamentalism is largely dissimulative (it’s a farce and based on a weak political framework). Why? Islamic extremism seeks that, the members of the cause conform in ways of behavior, violence, intolerance, and self-destruction (suicide and criminality to punish perceived enemies) to achieve the group’s goals work to legitimize their interpretation of religious doctrine (the dissimulative aspects of the Islamic State-Theocracy).

Furthermore, Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups hide within cultural and Islamic religion shadows with a sense of justification, eschewing the political goals of social order and community, and vehemently oppose the dominant political power (state administration/government of the day). The terrorists objective through jihad (jihad has been misinterpreted by Islamic clerics to legitimize any action perpetuated against mankind, even if it is forbidden in the mainstream form of Islam), is to achieve the political-religious supremacy. That way, they will rule and suppress their perceived enemies and movement adherents.

As such, it suffices to surmise that terrorism is spirited out of Islam through dishonest religio-political aspersions (all which are contextualized from the Quran’s Jihad verses only; hence, the Quran doesn’t entirely provide guidelines on violence as argued). Islamic Fundamentalists are dishonest and treacherous politicians; and that terrorism is entirely political (terrorism has no religious justification since it draws its cause from a tiny portion of the Quran through false interpretation of the jihad verses; literal interpretation of the Koran, the holy scripture of Islam, and the Hadith, a collection of sayings of the Prophet Muhammad).

Terrorists do not represent the Muslim’s purview on secular or democratic systems; rather voice their subjective views that a government based on Sharia is superior to any government based on secular laws (democracy). Jihadists and the theocratic leadership of terrorists employ political violence which runs against the basic teachings of Islam. This is the reason why the overwhelming majority of Muslims reject Islamic Fundamentalism (Islamic terrorism purveyors and the jihadists) call for a war besides, view radical Islamist beliefs as a perversion of Islam.

SOURCES

(Constitutions Rights Foundation), ‘Islamist Terrorism From 1945 to the Rise of ISIS’; http://www.crf-usa.org/america-responds-to-terrorism/islamist-terrorism-from-1945-to-the-death-of-osama-bin-laden.html