“Al Qaeda Global Revolution”

Robert Silva

Professor FisherTerrorism and Covert Political War

May 2006

Introduction:

This paper will be exploring Al Qaeda as a political and social movement using and

comparing with Maoist revolutionary thought. Al Qaeda has a comprehensive political

ideology with financial and economic system. Al Qaeda is using guerrilla methods and

terrorist tactics to deter foreign liberal activities in the Middle East countries, for the

purpose to allow Islamic companies and political practices to flourish to protect Islamic

tradition. Al Qaeda is a political movement that uses guerrilla warfare to promote its

political and social interests that is comparable to Maoist revolution. Al Qaeda is creating

a global network to combat liberalism since liberalism is global ideology that threatens

Islamic tradition because of the sociological effects of liberal economic practices. Al

Qaeda should be considered a movement like communism because it is transnational and

offers alternative way of structuring society.

Al Qaeda Movement and Motivations

The ideology of Al Qaeda in a nutshell is to free the followers of Islam from

oppression. This is done through violent revolutionary methods including terrorism and

guerilla warfare, this is called the Jihad.1 The book that the ideology stems from is the

Quran. Al Qaeda movement wishes to have the Quran as the guiding principals of their

political institutions and financial system. The oppressor’s of Islam is the ancient rivals

the "Crusaders and Jews."2 The Crusaders and Jews influence Islamic society through 1 Javier Jordan, Manuel Torres, Nicola Horsburgh . The Intelligence Services' Struggle Against al-Qaeda Propaganda. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence, Volume 18, Number 1 (January-March), pp. 35-36,

2 Kohlmann, Evan F.,” Al-Qaida’s Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network”(Berg Oxford New York 2004) p 79

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western business and finance. The Crusaders and Jew’s ability to control economic

development gives the ability to control society and politics. The Jihadist view liberalism

as a tool of oppression of Islam and the Islamic community. The Middle East

governments that allow western companies to control the business and finances that

oppress and undermine the Islamic tradition can be considered apart of the oppressors

and not part of the community because they are profiting from the oppression of fellow

Muslims. They are considered enemies with the "Crusaders and Jews.” The revolution of

Al Qaeda is calling for a holy war or Jihad, this a rallying cry for Muslims of the world to

unite and remove the oppressors by any means possible, for the freedom of Islam before

the Islamic culture is assimilated into a new consumer culture of the west.

The tool the Crusaders and Jews use is liberal economic practices. This allows for

foreign nationals to own business in foreign countries without living or being a citizen of

the domestic country. The liberal economic practice is seen by Al Qaeda a tool that

disrupts the community, and undermines Islam in the Middle East. Qtub an Al Qaeda

philosopher writes about his observations about American culture the decadence and the

hedonism.3 Qtub does not want the Middle Eastern culture become as American culture

has become because of liberal economic practices. This is what the Jihad is trying to

subvert.4

Why the Muslims views modern liberalism as a tool of oppression and separates

people from Islam is through the western influence over their lives through economic

practices.5 The reason is economic behavior is social behavior. The behavior and the

3 Paul Berman, The Philosopher of Islamic Terror, Magazine Desk, March 23 2003 paragraph 11-144 Ibid 5 Paul Berman, The Philosopher of Islamic Terror, Magazine Desk, March 23 2003

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socialization in the work place seeps into the home and private life. Liberalism promotes

foreign control over domestic companies and the foreign beliefs and practices in the work

place is not Muslim. The Muslim is being social condition to be western or foreign in the

work environment and therefore the Muslim takes these practices and beliefs to his home

and community. This changes the culture and society. If the Muslim owns the work

place then Muslim practices of work is the norm and this will protect the culture and

promote the dignity of Muslim traditions. The direct connect with western culture

influence the Muslim to change because the need to adapt.

Liberalism is known to promote disunity in the community according to Mao Te

Tung.6 Liberalism turns people against each other for wealth and position in the

company, neighbors and family become secondary, this promotes individualism, not the

community or the “Umma.” This relates to the Islamic duty to the “Umma.” The liberal

practice threatens the Muslim traditions because the Muslim relies on the company and

not the community for survival this changes the authority structure of the community.

The authority of the community becomes the business not the Mosque. The foreign

company is not reliant on the host community therefore it is not loyal to the community

and this shows the Muslim the Mosque’s authority is limited. The company becomes the

focus of life and not the Mosque. This creates division because the authority of the

community is divided. This causes the Muslim to choose loyalty between economic

needs and cultural loyalty.

6 Hachey, Thomas, “ The awakening of a Sleeping giant: third world leaders and national liberation” (Robert E Krieger Publishing Company Huntington, New York 1981) p. 66

4

Liberalism allows foreign cultures to influence Islamic culture because of the lack

of control of Muslim business practices. If Muslim are not in the decision making process

of business the Islamic beliefs are not being practices. The decision makers are not

making decisions to promote Islam but to promote profit maximization. The traditional

Islamic business practices take Islamic community into consideration. The Loyalty to the

Muslim and Islamic culture ends with profit. The Muslim is viewed as tools of

production, this dehumanizes the Muslim and this is counter productive to Islam because

Islam promotes the importance of the individual to the community. Liberal business

practices could be perceived by the Muslim as degrading because decision making

process is not about the promotion of Islam but a few individuals. The Muslim is used to

promote a new culture and this weakens the Islamic identity. The Muslim is used in

counter productive to the teachings of Islam because it is promoting profit over

community well being. This in return weakens the Islamic community because traditions

are marginalized. This could be a reason why the Al Qaeda movement views liberalism

as a tool of the “Crusaders and Jews” to oppress Muslims.7

The liberal practices, promotes dependency on money and, this isolates the

Muslim from community. The business practices are not about the community or the

Muslim but individual profit of the company at the expense of Muslim. When the Muslim

works for the company the Muslim is not working for the community but western

business interest. This creates as concentration of wealth in a few owners hand, and this

7 BRIGITTE L. NACOS. The Terrorist Calculus behind 9-11: A Model for Future Terrorism?. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 26, Number 1 (January-February 2003), pp. 11-12This was to define the clash of the civilization and how one culture changes into another.

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gives the ability of the owners to expand influence.8 This supports and promotes the

submissive position of the Muslim with in its own society. The dependency is created

when liberal practices expand to each aspect of the economy forcing the Muslim to work

for foreign companies. Muslim institutions become weaker because the focus is economic

wealth creation and not the teachings of Islamic community building. This creates an

external dependency on money because the resources are control by foreign interest and

not local community interest. This can weaken the Islamic traditions as the economy

becomes more liberal, because of the need to have the right currency to operate in the

society.

Mao Te Tung writes about liberalism derives from the selfishness of the pseudo-

bourgeois.9 That Liberalism promotes selfishness in the individual. The ability to isolate

is driven by the selfish nature to gain wealth. This creates vulnerability, and vulnerability

leads to slavery. This is a method to turn Muslim against Muslim by promoting

selfishness. This is the internal struggle that Liberalism creates with in Islamic society a

struggle for an overseer class in Muslim society for the foreign business holders. This

changes Islamic society tremendously because decision and the authority of the

community starts deriving from economic influence and matters become economic in

nature and not from Allah or the teachings of Islam. The Muslims that are under

influence of the foreign capital become arguers for the western influence because they

have an interest to expand their power, they are going to influence society that promotes

the individual power base. This leads to changing traditions because the division with in

8 Lenin’s theory9 Hachey, Thomas, “The awakening of a Sleeping giant: third world leaders and national liberation” (Robert E Krieger Publishing Company Huntington, New York 1981)

6

the community. This can be viewed as a divide and conquer technique with the use of

liberalism economic practices. This can be a reason why Al Qaeda target western friendly

Middle East governments because allowing these influences to take hold.

The practices of Liberalism could have caused Al Qaeda movement to target

civilian liberal institutions of finance, and political power because the liberal practice can

lead to the same results of a conquering military because the Muslim not controlling their

home land and resources. The Muslim is subjugated to foreign influence because the lack

of control over business, politics and finances. The Muslims is at the whim of the new

power structure, marginalized and excluded. This is no different if conquered by a

military force. It is the civilian liberal institutions that create the situation, because it

transfers control through legal means with the use of finance. Liberal institutions do

exclude those who do not follow the rules and methods in return if the individual Muslim

does not conform they are marginalized and lose power, and becomes subjugated to the

liberal system for the need for survival. The exclusion is in the name of productivity and

efficiency the result the need to create greater profits. Al Qaeda might have this

perception and perceives it as a threat to Islamic society, because of the colonization

process.

Al Qaeda views the liberal institutions of banking, transportation as a threat to

Muslim society thus attacking of these civilian targets could be justified because these

institutions change the Muslim and Islamic society, through coercive means. By

destroying western liberal practices through terrorist attacks on the institutions that

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promote liberalism is for the protection Islamic beliefs and traditions. This is a radical

approach to deter negative influences upon the Muslim society by extending and

declaring the war to civilian targets that promote liberalism. The reason could be, through

liberal practices a foreign country does not need to conquer a nation militarily to gain

control of the every day running of the country and the control over the resources.

Through the liberal philosophy, a company just needs agreement to do business in the

country. Open warfare is not needed because the situation of the international economy

allows transnational business the leverage to begin to operate in less developed countries

because the country needs development. The military conquest is not needed to gain

control over the country’s resources. This could be the perception that transnational

corporations are actually practicing mercantilism in the name of liberalism. The result is

the Al Qaeda is attacking the institutions that are implementing the colonization process

to the Muslim populace. 10

The Al Qaeda belief is for the removal of western influence for the purpose of

Islamic traditions to flourish in their own country. The liberal market creates a reliance

on foreign currency to trade and this creates a dependency to foreign companies and

markets for survival. As western business establishes in the Middle East this lessen the

ability for Muslims to enter into key economic industries. This creates dependency on the

Muslim to foreign companies and powers in the Muslims homeland. This could create a

10 This paragraph is to explain, how business can conquer, and can be consider a tool or conquering therefore, subject to attack like a military unit.

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need for a movement to stop western liberal business practices to promote Islamic

businesses in the Middle East to promote and protect the rights of the Muslim.11

Terrorism is to create an unsafe place for western business in the Middle East, and

this would hopefully stop foreign businesses from starting operation in the region for the

fear of being subject to a terrorist attack.12 The attacking of transportations is to stop the

movement of resources, information and business activity. This can be viewed as a tactic

Sun Tzu explain by cutting resources, and information this is also to deter western own

business in the Middle East. The attacking can cost the business resources, finances and

opportunity this is no different in war. This is a guerilla tactic to disrupt the everyday

operations of business, and this also creates fear in the west to stop liberal business from

entering the Middle East, which are the weapons of the Crusaders and Jews. The warfare

is being waged is against the western civilian institutions because they are the frontline

on the assault of Islamic culture.

How can the Al Qaeda justify the terrorism, the concept of belief is the realm of

the spirit or metaphysical. Thoughts, beliefs and concepts of tradition are in the realm of

the metaphysical. Liberal institutions change the mental outlook in the individual

Muslim and this can be viewed as the realm of the spirit. The spirit can be considered the

non-physical aspect of our being. To change the mental and/or spiritual aspect of the

11 XAVIER RAUFER. Al Qaeda: A Different Diagnosis. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 26, Number 6 (November-December 2003), pp. 395-396,

12 BRIGITTE L. NACOS. The Terrorist Calculus behind 9-11: A Model for Future Terrorism?. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 26, Number 1 (January-February 2003), pp. 5-6

9

Muslim can cause changes physically because the mental directs the physical. This

could justify in the mind of the Al Qaeda movement that attacking these targets is a part

of a spiritual war because of the metaphysical aspects of the physical activities of these

institutions affect the Muslim mind. Al Qaeda attacks on civilian targets could be viewed

as a part of the spiritual war because the institutions sculpt the culture and thought, and

this can remove Islamic beliefs. To attack the physical institution is to remove the

negative spiritual influence upon the Islamic society.

Al Qaeda movement’s ideology and motivations does have some similarities with

other revolutionary movements, calling for global revolution, offering alternatives to

politics, economics, siding with the powerless. This is comparable to Maoist revolution.

Mao in China was fighting Japanese imperialism, which had a military presence in China.

China was in active in revolutionary war against Japan. This is different in a since with

Al Qaeda, but has some similarities if you look at Afghanistan fight against the Soviets,

and Bosnia against Serbians. The struggle was for a homeland against a foreign military

invader. The Bosnia was creation of an Islamic state in Central Europe and freeing from

another nationality control. 13 Afghanistan was about self determination from an empire.

This can fall under the revolutionary category.

Mao believed that any revolution needs the people support to help the

revolutionaries combat the imperialist colonizing power. This means the revolution is

wanted by the people and the people help with aid and hiding of the revolutionaries from

the oppressing regime. Al Qaeda tries to create a unity among the people using the

13 Gunaratna, Rohan, “Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror” (Columbia, New York 2002)

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religion of Islam to create a commonalty and purpose for the people. Religion gives an

instant history and heritage between people when they become believers. Al Qaeda use of

religion creates a transnational culture. Like the Communist uses culture the worker and

the history of workers rights, to create a common heritage and culture, this is the same

with Al Qaeda use of religion. The Communist rally the workers around the world to call

to arms against the Imperialist as Al Qaeda calls upon Muslims to revolutionize against

the Crusader and Jew influence around the world. They are both struggling against a

banking system to promote their right to their culture and identity.

Al Qaeda and communist revolution has commonality because they both offer

alternatives to mercantilist practices, which were enabled by the liberal economic system.

Maoist Communist offer democracy for the populace and centrally command driven

economy that is control by the democracy to ensure foreign influences do not gain control

over the traditions and people of China. While, as Al Qaeda offers the Caliphate type of

political system that has the Quran as the guiding principal which can be argued against

the Caliphate to limit the Caliphate power to ensure the rights of the Muslim. The

finances are control by the community and banking practices are different that interest is

not collect, but banks become partners in business venture, by profit sharing.14 This is

regulated by the community. The bank does not have the power of debt over the business,

plus the bank has an interest to ensure the business prospers because it is the only way the

bank will be paid back. The two have a centralize approach to economic development

because the community is involved in the development process and the financing. The

political and economic and finance structure is to ensure community development

14 http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Articles/economics/islamic_banking2.htm

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through economic practices, not just profit for the individual interest. This way is to

ensure resources are being used to promote the local community and not foreign interest.

To control the financing of economic development locally through community agencies,

being the government in the communist way, or the community with the Quran or the

Islamic way. The method is third party government community involvement of economic

development control by the people or the local populace. This is one of commonality of

the two ideologies in practice.

The second commonality is, Osama Bin Laden calls for Muslims around the

world to revolt,15 is comparable to the call of Maoist Communist supporting the social

revolution around the world. The Maoist and Osama see liberalism as a global threat.

Osama Bin Laden is actively pursuing to develop a network of cells through out the

world.16 Maoist philosophers give moral support for revolution. They both believe a

counter movement is needed to offset the view threat of liberalism. The hope is

spontaneous revolution would develop and evolve into major conflicts, as described in

guerrilla war manuals, the ultimate goal is full scale war. This would derail global

expansion of the liberal economic model. This would lessen the power and reach of

liberal economic system by closing geographically access to resources and markets.

Al Qaeda and the old Maoist revolution goals are to enable self determination

through self governance. The movements are non-state actors, but the goal was to control

15 XAVIER RAUFER. Al Qaeda: A Different Diagnosis. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 26, Number 6 (November -December 2003), pp. 394 16 Gunaratna, Rohan, “Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror” (Columbia, New York 2002)

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the state with their ideology. They both have guiding principals and visions for society.

Their goals are encompassing plans for states and society from, simple marriages rights,

to property usage. They offer the individual an active role in society and government.

This is what stirred the people to join the American Revolution, representation in the

political and economic processes. The American Revolution was the Liberal against the

Mercantilist. The reason the Communist and Al Qaeda wages war is because of the

mercantilist practices dictate, control and manage the native people for resources and

security. This creates a reason for rebellion or revolution because the native people like

in Al Qaeda and Communist movements want freedom and control over their destiny. Al

Qaeda and Communist movements offer a vehicle to achieve this, and they preach it.

One could argue that Al Qaeda and Maoist in practice limit the self-determination

of the individual. The precepts that each movement offers is the ability to protect and

argue individual rights. Either with the religious doctrine is to limit and define the prince

role in society to protect the citizen in Islamic society, or a Communist democracy allows

the individual to express views, it is no different when someone argued their rights from

United States Constitution in the United States. In theory, it is how each system was

supposed to work, and this is the guiding principal and vision for society. The groups

offer self-determination and rights protection, they have perceived liberal practices limit

their rights because the business owner controls the mechanisms in the society for right

protection for the argument of survival and profit. This Muslim and Communist does not

have a legitimate forum to defend their rights, thus they use war. Al Qaeda should be

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viewed as a revolutionary group that uses guerrilla warfare and terrorist tactics that views

liberalism as a tool of conquering.

.

Conclusion

Al Qaeda and the leaders chose to use guerrilla warfare tactics, because they were

successful in Vietnam against the French and United States, the Vietnamese obtain their

self-determination.17 To look at Al Qaeda as a single purpose organization as a terrorist

group will limit the ability to deal with Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda goal is to revolutionize the

Muslim in all countries to overthrow existing regimes, to replace with the Caliphate or

ruled by Islamic Law. The movement is based on principals and goals for society,

therefore the methods to obtain are not set in a distinct pattern or methodology. Al Qaeda

could be viewed as pragmatic. The spreading of propaganda is to inspire Muslims to take

action with out having a central authority, when the organization grows it is approached

by Al Qaeda for funding and training. This is a method of franchising and spontaneous

revolution it is almost like when Lenin wrote about the concept of the Spark, about

communist revolution. This ensures the revolution or movement does not decay but can

also rise like a virus in society. The use of terrorism is a great deterrence to states and is

used for the psychological affect to limit behavior of private liberal expansion, by

17 AVID MARTIN JONES, MICHAEL L. R. SMITH, MARK WEEDING. Looking for the Pattern: Al Qaeda in Southeast Asia--The Genealogy of a Terror Network. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 26, Number 6 (November-December 2003), pp. 443-457,

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creating a state of fear, by discrediting the state’s ability to protect the citizens. This

proves the effectiveness of Al Qaeda.

Is Al Qaeda a product of Liberalism, I would say no, it is a product of mercantilist

practices because liberalism provides a forum for discussion of rules between states,

enables the expression and the protection of rights, and encourages mutual benefit from

trade a peaceful co-existence. The problem with the expansion of globalization in the

1990s it was not followed without rules of trade and economic practices, which allow

non-state actor Multi National Corporations (MNC) to act on their own self interest. With

no rules to follow they did what they did to maximize profits, the MNC desire to control

the environment they operate in. Robert Gilpin writes about the need for a global

governance to ensure proper business practices so the system will work. Adam Smith said

it was necessary because people are self interested and desire to limit competition. The

behavior of multinationals corporations could be viewed as mercantilist in nature,

exploitive and oppressive acting in a manner that is self interested and trying to limit

competition. This created a backlash because there was no forum to discuss rights and

methods of the rule of conduct of capital. Al Qaeda actions are not justifiable but I do

not think liberalism is the cause for their action but mercantilist practices through

liberalism.

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SummaryBibliography

BooksGriffith B. Samuel, “Mao Tse-tung On Guerrilla Warfare” (Dover Publications New York, 2005)

Gunaratna, Rohan, “Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror” (Columbia, New York 2002)

Schanzer, Jonathan,” Al Qaeda’s Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups& The Next Generation of Terror” (Washington Near East Studies, Washington D.C 2005)

Schram, Stuart, “The Thought of Mao Tse-Tung” (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1989)

Kohlmann, Evan F.,” Al-Qaida’s Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network”(Berg Oxford New York 2004)

Hachey, Thomas, “The awakening of a Sleeping giant: third world leaders and national liberation” (Robert E Krieger Publishing Company Huntington, New York 1981)

Conclusion Al Qaeda is waging war to promote Islamic culture through promoting Islamic business practices.

Scholarly Journals

AVID MARTIN JONES, MICHAEL L. R. SMITH, MARK WEEDING. Looking for the Pattern: Al Qaeda in Southeast Asia--The Genealogy of a Terror Network. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 26, Number 6 (November-December 2003), pp. 443-

16

457,

This article traces how Al Qaeda used existing groups to integrate with in the Al Qaeda cell network. The article explains some recruiting tactics and long term strategy of Al Qaeda.

BRUCE HOFFMAN. The Changing Face of Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 27, Number 6 (November-December 2004), pp. 549-560,BRIGITTE L. NACOS. The Terrorist Calculus behind 9-11: A Model for Future Terrorism?. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 26, Number 1 (January-February 2003), pp. 1-16,

Javier Jordan, Manuel Torres, Nicola Horsburgh . The Intelligence Services' Struggle Against al-Qaeda Propaganda. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence, Volume 18, Number 1 (January-March), pp. 31-49,

XAVIER RAUFER. Al Qaeda: A Different Diagnosis. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 26, Number 6 (November-December 2003), pp. 391-398,

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