BSST 200 UMD Final Exam

Sunni muslims

Most countries are sunni aside from Shia-majority countries like Iran and Iraq.

Largest branch of Islam

Shia muslims

Minority branch of Islam

Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan

What country does Iran have a rivalry with

Saudi Arabia

Islamism

The belief that Islamic law or Islamic valyes should play a central role in public life

Salafism

the idea that the original muslims (salaf) practiced the purest and most authentic form of Islam because they lived closest to the prophet Muhammad

Jihadism

A violent ideology exploiting traditional islamic concepts. Jihadists legitimize the use of violence with a reference to word “jihad” (religiously sanctioned warfare)

Salafi Jihadism

A puritanical strain of Islam supported by many that terrorist groups use to manipulate their followers

Sayyid Qutb

founder of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood who viewed interactions between men and women as being against the teachings of Islam

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood

• founded by

• what kind of org

• goal

Founded by Sayyid Qutb
Islamic Jihadist organization aimed at bringing society closer to a puritanical understanding of Islam

Why is Kabul in the 70s important for understanding terrorism?

In the 70s, Kabul wasn’t under Taliban rule and so women could attend university and wear what they wanted, but when the Taliban took over in the 90s this was no longer the case

Taliban

Group that uses puritanical and extremist interpretations of religion to force it upon society and who is very extreme in how they treat women

Taliban’s relationship with Al Qaeda

The Taliban government provided a safe haven for al Qaeda and Bin Laden, so the U.S. began targeting them

al Qaeda

Formed by osama bin laden and al zawaheri

ISIS/ISIL (who is their rival)

Rivals of al Qaeda

Dabiq

Propaganda published by ISIS, Dabiq is a location where a muslim prophecy states there will be a war

Sykes-Picot agreement

British and french agreement overseen by russia stating how the ottoman empire would be broken up after WWI with palestine being under the protection of all three but it was never implemented

Franchising

Most notably used by al Qaeda and ISIS, it’s when a larger group allows smaller groups or branches to use its name, power, resources, or ideology to help expand the groups reach

Al Qaeda connected orgs

AQIM
AQAP
Al Shabab

Jabhat-al-Nusra Front

ISIS connected orgs

Boko Haram
Ansar Bayt al Maqdis
Ansar al Sharia, Tunisia
Ansar al Sharia, Libya

Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)

• what kind of org

• where

• goal

Jihadist

Pakistan

expelling India from Kashmir and establishing Islamic rule

Jemmah Islamiyah (JI)

• what kind of org

• where

• goal

Jihadist

Southeast Asia

Create an Islamic state across indonesia and neighboring countries

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)

• what kind of org

• where

• goal

Jihadist org

Pakistan

Aiming to free Kashmir and unite it under Islamic rule

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

• what kind of org

• where

• goal

Jihadist

Pakistan

Umbrella group trying to overthrow Pakistan’s government and enforce Sharia law

Endemic terrorism

describes terrorist violence in african where rival ethnic groups, tribes, nationalities, or cultures are mixed, leading to a state of perpetual violence

ex: two rival ethnic groups control their own territory but suddenly they’re part of one country so they resort to violence to see who’s going to have total control

Cases of endemic terorrism (3)

Boko haram

ansaru

al shabab

Boko haram

• what kind of org

• who founded

• goal

• Key event

Endemic terrorism
Mohammed Yusef
Dismantling secular education against the Nigerian military
carried out the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping

Ansaru

• what kind of terrorism

• goal

Splinter group of Boko Haram so endemic terrorism

Limit violence against fellow muslims

Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP)

Split off of Boko Haram after the leader pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi

Al Shabab

• where

• what kind

• key event

• goal

Somalia
Endemic terrorism
2013 Westgate Mall attack (women as a force multiplier, Samantha Lewthwaite)
Primarily trying to overthrow the somalian government and replace it with an islamist one, trying to control territory, and trying to establish an islamic state

Homegrown jihadism

American citizens who were radicalized and became part of jihadist orgs, comes from a foreign ideology

Right wing terrorism/extremism (RWT)

groups that hold anti-government, racist, anti-semitic, homophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-abortion beliefs

core belief of RWT

Whites are the superior master race

The KKK

• what kind of group

• why did it come revive and decline repeatedly

• goal

RWT
achieving their goals, the media, and the civil rights movement
believed that they had to protect white interest and fight against the freeing of african american slaves

American Nazi Party (ANP)

• who founded

• goal

• terrorist org or no?

• what kind of group

George Lincoln Rockwell
Anti-jewish group who tried to promote facism and nazism as a form of government in the US, arguing that the founding fathers would advocate it
ideology was influential but not a terrorist org
RWE

Aryan Nations

• what kind

• ideology

• who did their ideology merge with

RWT
Anti-jewish, neo-nazi, white supremacist
ANP

Christian Identity movement

a religious ideology in which people believe that whites of European descent can be traced back to the “lost tribes of israel”
many consider jews and non-whites as not human

White supremacy movement

Based on neo-nazi ideology and pseudo-religious movements

connect back to conspiracy theories and the new world order

use narratives to promote an ideology of racial superiority

new world order

the assumption that jewish bankers are conspiring to eliminate the white race

robert jay mathews

founder of the new world order

what do white supremacy movements use to promote an ideology of racial superiority

narratives

narratives

projecting beliefs to the public in hopes to recruit or create support

Why is the data on wealth and home-ownership important?

it helps white supremacists to manipulate the data and promote racist narratives, specifically about how hardworking black people are

systemic discrimination

the system disadvantages african americans
understanding this concept invalidates the white supremacist use of data on wealth and home-ownership

red lining

neighborhoods on maps that were lined in red were where loans were considered risky, typically black neighborhoods

Oklahoma city bombing

largest mass casualty event carried out by timothy mcveigh, example of anti-government extremism

sovereign citizens

anti-government extremist movement classified as terrorists

militias

right wing groups call themselves this but they’re not actually militias in the IR sense

what’s been the general trend of anti-government extremism, the sovereign citizens, and militia movements?

there’s a resurgence of them

cults

authoritarian religious groups with severe social control

cult warning signs (11)

• Deception in joining

• Isolation

• Sleep and protein deprivation

• Taking belongings

• Recruiting the psychologically vulnerable

• Abuse, extortion, imprisonment

• Constant surveillance/lack of privacy

• Charismatic authoritarian leadership

• Indoctrination

• Extreme peer pressure

• Sensory overload

new religious movements (NRMs)

basically a more academic term to define religious cults, based specifically on internal social control and authority structures

Aum Shinrinkyo

• leader

• what kind of org

• goal

Shoko Asahara

terrorist cult/NRM

tried to rush the apocalypse and also against the japanese gov

The rajneeshees

• leader

• what kind of org

• what’s important abt them

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

NRM

carried out bio-terrorism and used CBRN as a force multipler, had many cult warning signs

Order of the Nine Angels (O9A)

• what kind of org

• why is it this kind of org

NRM

it’s a stanic cult that uses crossover ideology, mainly with neo-nazi ideology

QAnon

• what do they believe

• terrorist org?

Claims there’s a group of liberals who are satan-worshipping pedophiles and are running a global sex trafficing ring and plotting against donald trump.
not a terrorist org

why is understanding conspiracy theories important in terrorism studies?

conspiracy theories promote and reinforce extremist narratives, and they also provide an opportunity for scapegoating and coping with the incomprehensible

what’s the best way to deradicalize someone who believes in a conspiracy theory?

encourage analytical thinking, correct their errors, and point out logical inconsistencies

Counter conspiracy theories without challenging the persons identity

Ask for evidence, source, and how the two connect

single issue terrorism

committing terroristic acts based on personal beliefs

idiosyncratic terrorism

committing terroristic acts based on researched ideology

Evolution of single issue terrorism

Left wing groups splintered into single issue terrorism groups after the collapse of the Soviet Union

what is the debate of single issue terrorism?

many researchers believe that single issue terrorism as a category of terrorism is up to debate and it should instead be considered a sub category of terrorism

Single issue terrorist groups on the right (1)

The army of god

The Army of God

• belief

• what kind of group

Believe it is their holy duty to end abortion, use vandalism, murder, violence, assault, harassment, etc.
single issue terrorism on the right

Single issue terrorist groups on the left (3)

Radical Environmentalists and Animal Rights (REAR)

Animal Liberation Front (ALF)

Earth Liberation Front (ELF)

Radical Environmentalists and Animal Rights (REAR)

• what kind of org

• tactics

single issue terrorism on the left

property damage, assassinations, assault

Animal Liberation Front (ALF)

• kind of org

• tactics

• leader or no?

single issue terrorism on the left

property damage, assassinations, assault

leaderless resistance

Earth Liberation Front (ELF)

• kind of org

• tactics

• leader or no?

single issue terrorism on the left

property damage, assassinations, assault

leaderless resistance

Incel-Inspired terrorism

terrorists who commit acts because of their misogynistic, male-superiority ideology

Most classify as single-issue terrorism but some argue it could be far-right extremism

Counterterrorism (CT) vs Countering violent Extremism (CVE)

CT disrupts terrorist plots/imminent terrorist attacks wheras CVE tries to address threats before or after an act of violent extremism

CT uses military and law enforcement but CVE makes them subordinate to other key figures such as policy makers

terrorist plot

active terrorist attack happening or about to happen

violent extremism

acting violently on ideology, NOT a terrorist attack

defensive CT strategies

homeland security strategies such as strengthening boarders, protecting soft targets, and implementing national security policies

Offensive CT Strategies

military and policing based strategies such as capturing leaders, destroying assets, and disrupting orgs and plots

Military tactics for CT

Subcategory of offensive strategies

Targeted strikes

invading countries that harbor orgs

only used internationally

Law enforcement tactics for CT

Subcategory of offensive strategies

FBI raids

arresting lone wolves

surveillance of suspects

disrupt financial flow

CT policies (5)

Do nothing

conciliation

legal reform

restriction

violence

Conciliation

• what is it

• what groups is it most effective for

similar to negotiations

national-separatist

legal reform

• what is it

• what groups is it most effective for

going through the legislative process to change the laws of a country, making it easier to counter attacks

national-separatist, reactionary, revolutionary

restriction

• what is it

• what groups is it most effective for

utilizing law enforcement tactics

national-separatist, revolutionary, religious

violence

• what is it

• what groups is it most effective for

law enforcement raids and using state violent measures against a terrorist org

none

6 ways terrorism ends

leadership decapitation

negotiations

achieving the objective

reorientation

repression

failure

leadership decapitation

• what is it

• group example

an organization losing its leader or leadership

the shining path

negotiations

• what is it

• group example

working with law enforcement to come to another solution, with no guarantee that it will forever end the violence

IRA

achieving the objective

• what is it

• group example

group accomplishes their goal

ANC

Failure

• what is it

• group example

imploding, provoking a backlash, becoming marginalized

red brigades

repression

• what is it

• group example

suppressing the group

people’s will

reorientation

• what is it

• group example

the group still uses violence but they don’t use it for terrorism and instead use it for other methods like drug trafficking

FARC

Why was CVE created

as a response to the need for battling extremism to go beyond the strategies of offensive CT

CVE programs

Rehabilitation/reinteegration programs

Intervention programs

Prevention programs

Deradicalization/disengagement programs

Rehabilitation/reinteegration programs

Finding an ideology to replace extremist ones

Deradicalization/disengagement programs

Addressing and helping when someone leaves a group/movement

disengagement can occur without deradicalization

intervention programs

includes disruption, designed specifically for people who may be headed along a path of radicalization, family can identify the warning signs and intervene

prevention programs

focus on engagement and trust building within communities and individuals

examples of homegrown terrorism

adam yahiye gdahn and john walker lindh