Al Qaeda and Klu Klux Klan - Essay Example

s Al-Qaeda & Ku Klux Klan: A Comparison Introduction: Al-Qaeda and Ku Klux Klan, both are organized terrorist organizations aiming at achieving similar kinds of interests, but both being divergent in terms of scope and nature of their activities, also having dissimilar means of organization, ideologies and tactical arrangements. This paper is an attempt to analyze and identify the behavioral patterns of both these organization one by one, in order to come up with logical comparative analysis of both the terrorist groups to state the underlying similarities and differences between them. Starting off with Al-Qaeda, this organization is the roots of this transnational organization can be traced back to the cold war, when the Jihadist elements from all over the world sided with the Afghan freedom fighters to rid them from the influence of the Soviet Union. Osama Bin Laden, influenced by the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Abdullah Azzam, poured in his resources along with his soul and skills to unite Jihadi element form all over the Muslim world to fight for the cause of Muslim solidarity. Later after much opposition from his own homeland due to his radical views, he was exiled from Saudi Arabia after which he began an organized movement targeting the Western elements and the Secular elements within the Muslim world to comply by his Sunni Ideology. This organized movement is referred to as Al-Qaeda which has evolved over time in terms of its objectives and functioning. The role of the Egyptian Physicist, Ayman Al Zawihiri, is very crucial in this context as he was also one of the founding members of Al-Qaeda who worked closely with Osama Bin Laden to achieve the objectives (Borum and Gelled 2005). The most massive terrorist episodes associated with Al-Qaeda are the 1993 bombings on the World Trade Center and the 9/11 attack on the twin towers which were direct attacks on the U.S homeland. In contrast Ku Klux Klan is an organized terrorist movement based within the U.S with a history as old as the U.S civil war. After 9/11 with the focus on the transnational terrorist movements this group lost its significance however it has been declared as a terrorist group at various points in the history of the US. For the most part, Ku Klux Klan has demonstrated its activities in Southern states of America however they have managed to organize themselves in almost all parts of the US including the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic regions of the US. Ku Klux Klan is basically a right wing hate group with many different national as well as local bodies scattered all over America. This group is racist in ideology claiming to fight for the supremacy of the American white race in an effort to wipe off the immigrants, African-americans, Hispanics, gays and lesbians and other Semitic elements off from the land of America. Sometimes they even target governments for supporting the minorities or Jews in America. They have found to inflict violence and other terrorist activities targeting individual, various communities or even the government at various points in time. Comparison In order to draw a clear comparison between the two terrorist groups, it is important to create a distinction on the basis of their ideologies, organization and tactical strategies. Ideology Though both the terrorist groups are radical elements with extremely conservative inclinations, but their ideologies differ to a great extent. The first distinction can be drawn on the levels of influence these organizations aim on achieving. The ideological motives of Al-Qaeda are transnational in nature as they aim to achieve their objectives at a global level, while the objectives of the Ku Klux Klan are limited to the state level as they want to achieve their goals within the confinements of the state. Prior to building a distinction it is important to identify the ideologies of both these groups. Initially, the ideology fuelling the motives of Al-Qaeda was to drive off the Western influence from the Muslim world, however later the ideology saw expansionist shift and the ideology shifted towards creating a world order based on Sunni Muslim ideology i.e. to create a Muslim brotherhood at a transnational level under a solitary Caliphate (Blanchard 2006). Al-Qaeda is fighting a guerilla war against the western influence, the western culture and their way of life, thus their Jihaad (struggle for truth) is subjected against the western values. On the other hand, the ideology of the Ku Klux Klan is based on the white supremacy over all other races and minority groups found in the U.S1. The motivation behind the organization of this group is their struggle against all non-white state and non-state actors, be they Jews, African Americans, Hispanics or any other immigrant or minority group found in the US. They also target other communities based on their races, religion, colors or other differences. This terrorist group often targets gays and lesbians, bisexuals, or any other group of people having dissimilar beliefs. Though both groups are similar in their expansionist evolution over the years, but the ideology of one group is strictly based on religion while the other believes in the dominance of a particular race in the US discarding all other elements of the society as being inferior rather posing a threat for the white race. Organization Since the scope of activities for both these associations is difference, so is the mode of organization. Al-Qaeda is functional at a transnational level; however Ku Klux Klan is dominant on a state level which is further reflected in the pattern of organization of both these organizations. Al-Qaeda is organized on a strictly hierarchal pattern with a proper organized recruitment and training pattern which occurs in a systematic manner. There is a web of communication organized in a secretive yet systematized mode to enable effective transference of messages. Terrorist activities are carefully planned out by the influential and much esteemed leader of the organization who picks and choose members to participate in these terrorist plans. Osama Bin Laden was the Emir-General of the clan under whom an entire Shura Majlis comprises. Within the framework of this Shura Majlis lays a military committee, a religious or a legal committee, a finance committee and a media committee. The reason behind a strict hierarchy relates to the replacement pattern of the influential leaders after one of them gets killed or arrested, also to keep the group organized as the motives are global rather than being local. (Borum & Gelles 2006). In contrast, Ku Klux Klan is not that well organized though the groups occasionally meet to decide on their strategies. Various groups are found scattered all over America who seldom communicate to collaborate in order to inflict terrorist activities. All these groups work within their own spheres of influence, causing as much damage as they can. However, Knighthood is a concept which sticks some of these groups together, for instance the concept is quite dominant in Texas where the group holds anti-Semitic and rallies targeting other groups in an organized manner. The only way of communication and an effort to keep all the members united under an umbrella is the organization of unity rallies by means of which they socialize together2. Thus, a clear distinction can be drawn between both the groups based on their organization pattern, where one is a systematically organized group working under a proper chain of command, while the other is more of a haphazardly scattered group which gathers occasionally to plan terrorist activities. Tactics Complementing the organizational setup of Al-Qaeda is its tactical strategy which is as organized as the chain of command and the planning patterns of the group. The grand strategy of Al-Qaeda relates to the use of secretive and infidel instruments to trick the intelligence agencies aiming at collecting data to be used against the organization. The organization uses means of deception the trick the legal authorities struggling to track their activities. The institutionalized training is given to the members either physically or by means of internet where western lifestyle is taught to the members to blend in the society. Moreover, passport and visa fraud is also a common technique used to deceive the authority. The core financers are various charity organizations, Hawala and other kinds of illegal transactions. The means of communication includes encrypted codes which can only be transcribed by the fellow members. Earlier, the organization planned activities targeting high profile members or venues, but now their strategy has changed and they target public places symbolic in nature to get their messages across. They also launch videos occasionally carrying out messages to threat the superpowers. (Jessee 2006) In contrast, Ku Klux Klan conducts activities so as to gain public attention towards them. They distribute hate pamphlets, organize rallies, and inflict vandalism or even other kinds of terrorist activities. Sometimes, they also sponsor different radio stations to spread hate messages. Some of these groups gather together in the form of Knights to carry activities depicting hate messages even carrying violent activities against targeted groups to attain objectives by pressurizing the government and spreading propaganda. (Keith 2006). Thus, both the groups are very different when it comes to analyzing the tactics they employ to achieve their objectives. Al-Qaeda functions in an organized way at a large level to achieve the objectives while the terrorist activities conducted by Ku Klux Klan are smaller in scope. Therefore, Al-Qaeda is a highly systematic and an organization very wide in its scope whereas Ku Klux Klan though scattered all over America lacks the systematic make-up and organized support by all the groups. Though the activities conducted by Ku Klux Klan are also covert in nature, but it is still easier to trace these activities and even to predict their next action. In contrast, It is near to impossible to track the entire network of Al-Qaeda as messages are encrypted and members are cloaked, thus by the time an activity is traced the group plans out various other activities. Also, Ku Klux Klan targets specific groups that they hate; however Al-Qaeda targets groups which would prove to be symbolic to carry various messages. For instance, the attack on the Twin Towers was in fact an attack on the American sovereignty. However, both are organizations are similar in their expansionist motives which continue to enhance with time. Law Enforcement Challenges Thus, having analyzed both the terrorist groups in detail, a conclusion that arises is that Al-Qaeda poses many serious law enforcement challenges as compared to the Ku Klux Klan as it is very difficult to trace their activities due to their deceptive tactics. The major challenge posed by Al-Qaeda towards US homeland security relates to the unpredictability of the nature of their attack which spreads fear in the hearts of all Americans. The second challenge regards to the lack of jurisdictional apparatus targeting Al-Qaeda as the activities are secretive as well as transnational in nature and doesn’t directly fall under the legal sphere of US. Lastly, the illegal activities are also serious challenges for the legal bodies functional in the US, as they are well equipped and well trained in deceiving the law enforcement agencies. In contrast, the activities of Ku Klux Klan falls under the legal sphere of US so the challenges are less extreme, however it still challenges the legal authorities by carrying out guerilla activities which are difficult to be challenged legally. However, a strong patrolling network can help minimize the challenges. Conclusion Al-Qaeda proves to be the biggest threat for US so far, as the network continues to exceed despite the fact that US has expended all its expertise and resources to inhibit the activities of the group, but still fails to do so. The analysis brings us to the conclusion that Al-Qaeda is a highly resilient origination which adapts to the changes in the environment easily. This is why, even though US has managed to arrest most of the top leadership of Al-Qaeda its scope still continues to expand. However, US have still managed to avoid any direct attack on the homeland after 9/11, but the threat is still there. In contrast, Ku Klux Klan is still under the jurisdiction of the legal sphere of the US and their activities can be traced easily as compared to Al-Qaeda. Though they pose a serious threat to homeland security too in their own sphere, but their activities can be controlled by imposing some strict laws. Thus, U.S should be more considerate about the policy formulation targeting Al-Qaeda. References Borum, R, and M Gelles. "Al-qaeda's Operational Evolution: Behavioral and Organizational Perspectives."Behavioral Sciences & the Law. 23.4 (2005): 467-83. Print Jessee, Devin D. "Tactical Means, Strategic Ends: Al Qaeda's Use of Denial and Deception." Terrorism and Political Violence. 18.3 (2006): 367-388. Print "Ku Klux Klan -- Extremism in America." ADL: Fighting Anti-Semitism, Bigotry and Extremism. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/kkk/new_tactics.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism Blanchard, Christopher M. Al Qaeda: Statements and Evolving Ideology. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Information Service, Library of Congress, 2006. Print (Ku Klux Klan: REBOUNDS) Akins, J. Keith. The Ku Klux Klan: America’s Forgotten Terrorists. PhD Thesis. New Mexico: Law Enforcement Executive Forum, 2006 Read More