Liberals, Libertarians, and Islamic apologists would have us believe that Islamic Terrorism is the result of the United States foreign policy and interference in the middle-east. The truth is Islam has been at war with western civilization for 1400 years. Islamic Terrorism is not new. In fact the United States first foreign war was fought against Muslim Barbary pirates in 1801 and again in 1815. What is new are the shift in tactics. Several events in the last century have helped shaped Islamic terrorism to what it is today, but the goal remains the same.
Islam has a long history of conquests since it's inception. There's far too many to list here, so here is a map of Islamic conquest upon classical civilization, up until the end of the Ottoman Empire. Bear in mind this does not even include every battle but those primarily of Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of the middle-east:
The roots of modern Islamic terrorism really began with the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 shortly after World War 1 and the dissolvement of the Ottoman Empire. The primary goal of the Muslim Brotherhood has been to restore an Islamic caliphate. Hassan Al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, has said, “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.” Another Muslim Brotherhood member, Sayyid Qutb, was instrumental in penning the ideology for modern Jihad. Osama Bin Laden was a student of Sayyid's brother, Mohammad Qutb.
The Muslim Brotherhood is responsible for spawning or inspiring many terrorist organizations including Hamas and al-Qaeda. Abdullah Azzam, known as the father of global Jihad, was once a member of the Muslim Brotherhood who splintered off and formed al-Qaeda with Osama Bin Laden and other radicals. Osama in turn helped Abu Musab al-Zarqawi start his terrorist organization in 1999 which today is known as ISIS.
Nazi fascism is responsible for energizing Islamic jihad. The link between the Arabs and the Nazis is well known. Many Arabs supported Hitler including Hassan al-Banna and the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj-Amin-al-Husseini. The two groups shared common enemies including the Bolsheviks, England, America, and especially the Jews. Many high-ranking Nazis expressed sympathy for Islam including Hitler and Himmler, who called Islam "very admirable". As a result one of the greatest mobilization campaigns of Muslims by a non-Muslim power was undertook.
Massive programs of propaganda were launched in the Arab world, first by Fascist Italy and later on by Nazi Germany. The Nazis in particular focused on impacting the new generation of political thinkers and activists. Nazi propagandists in these areas tried to use religious rhetoric, vocabulary, and iconography to mobilize Muslims against Germany’s enemies. During this period there were many wealthy Arabs who traveled to Germany in the 1930s and brought back fascist ideals and incorporated them into Arab Nationalism. Today, Hitler's manifesto, "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle) remains a best-seller in the Islamic world, and the continued influence of Nazism on Islam remains apparent.
The formation of the state of Israel in 1948 offered Islamics a rallying point. This is significant because there has always been a lot of internal conflict within Islam, such as Shiite's against Sunnis. Israel has been one of the few unifying forces for Muslims. Here also the roots of modern Islamic terrorism can be found. The Arabs (and Persians) were unable to defeat Israel militarily, as a result they resorted to terrorism and modern Jihad was born. This shift in tactics was also due to the Wests technological and military superiority which made Jihad impossible to wage through conventional means. Now Jihad is waged through terrorism, propaganda, politics, and immigration.
Another key factor in the growth of Islamic terrorism is the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Iran, under the Mullahs, have been a significant source of funding for state sponsored terrorism, including Hezbollah and other groups. Islamic terrorism took off after the Mullahs came into power. Islamic terrorism remains a global problem, regardless of foreign policy. See the list of Islamic terrorist attacks since 1983.
Islam has a long history of conquests since it's inception. There's far too many to list here, so here is a map of Islamic conquest upon classical civilization, up until the end of the Ottoman Empire. Bear in mind this does not even include every battle but those primarily of Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of the middle-east:
The roots of modern Islamic terrorism really began with the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 shortly after World War 1 and the dissolvement of the Ottoman Empire. The primary goal of the Muslim Brotherhood has been to restore an Islamic caliphate. Hassan Al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, has said, “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.” Another Muslim Brotherhood member, Sayyid Qutb, was instrumental in penning the ideology for modern Jihad. Osama Bin Laden was a student of Sayyid's brother, Mohammad Qutb.
The Muslim Brotherhood is responsible for spawning or inspiring many terrorist organizations including Hamas and al-Qaeda. Abdullah Azzam, known as the father of global Jihad, was once a member of the Muslim Brotherhood who splintered off and formed al-Qaeda with Osama Bin Laden and other radicals. Osama in turn helped Abu Musab al-Zarqawi start his terrorist organization in 1999 which today is known as ISIS.
Nazi fascism is responsible for energizing Islamic jihad. The link between the Arabs and the Nazis is well known. Many Arabs supported Hitler including Hassan al-Banna and the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj-Amin-al-Husseini. The two groups shared common enemies including the Bolsheviks, England, America, and especially the Jews. Many high-ranking Nazis expressed sympathy for Islam including Hitler and Himmler, who called Islam "very admirable". As a result one of the greatest mobilization campaigns of Muslims by a non-Muslim power was undertook.
Massive programs of propaganda were launched in the Arab world, first by Fascist Italy and later on by Nazi Germany. The Nazis in particular focused on impacting the new generation of political thinkers and activists. Nazi propagandists in these areas tried to use religious rhetoric, vocabulary, and iconography to mobilize Muslims against Germany’s enemies. During this period there were many wealthy Arabs who traveled to Germany in the 1930s and brought back fascist ideals and incorporated them into Arab Nationalism. Today, Hitler's manifesto, "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle) remains a best-seller in the Islamic world, and the continued influence of Nazism on Islam remains apparent.
The formation of the state of Israel in 1948 offered Islamics a rallying point. This is significant because there has always been a lot of internal conflict within Islam, such as Shiite's against Sunnis. Israel has been one of the few unifying forces for Muslims. Here also the roots of modern Islamic terrorism can be found. The Arabs (and Persians) were unable to defeat Israel militarily, as a result they resorted to terrorism and modern Jihad was born. This shift in tactics was also due to the Wests technological and military superiority which made Jihad impossible to wage through conventional means. Now Jihad is waged through terrorism, propaganda, politics, and immigration.
Another key factor in the growth of Islamic terrorism is the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Iran, under the Mullahs, have been a significant source of funding for state sponsored terrorism, including Hezbollah and other groups. Islamic terrorism took off after the Mullahs came into power. Islamic terrorism remains a global problem, regardless of foreign policy. See the list of Islamic terrorist attacks since 1983.
