What Form Will Domestic Terrorism Take in the Future in the United States - Research Paper Example

?Running Head: DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN THE UNITED S Topic: Lecturer: Presentation: Introduction Domestic terrorism has been prevalent in the United States over the last three decades. Some US citizens for various reasons are getting engaged in terrorist activities that bring calamity to their own nation and people. In 1995, a federal building in Oklahoma was bombed by McVeigh and his accomplices in a revenge mission against the federal government and FBI who were believed to have executed the Waco tragedy in which 75 followers of the Davidian cult were killed. This was a form of domestic terrorism since the perpetrators of the bombing were US citizens. This paper discusses the form that domestic tourism is likely to take in future in the US. It presents a comparison of the right wing comprised of white extremists, left wing, animal and eco terrorists and the influx of radical Islam in to the US. Right vs Left Wing Movements Both right and left wing movements share revolutionary ideologies. According to FBI (2009), the militia movement remains the most recent anti-government right wing movement. These extremist groups have been persistent in the US since the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma. The extremists comprise people who share anti-government ideologies. They are opposed to taxation by the federal government as well as the regulations imposed on economic activities. The militias also resist the federal government’s involvement in international activities as well as equality with regards to racial and religious minorities. In other words, they can be described as white supremacists and anti-government groups. The Ku Klux Klan is one of the renowned white supremacist groups. FBI further notes that right wing terrorist groups such as the Skinheads and the neo-nazis are significant security threats to the US. They engage in activities such as bombing as well as indiscriminate shooting in cities (Mullins and Young, 2010). Bjelopera (2011) argues that leaders of these groups promote the advancement of highly structured conspiracy theories making members to believe and behave in ways that make the group undesirable to the law abiding citizens. Some of them advocate for the removal of the term ‘illegal fire arms’ depicting that they would wish that they be allowed to own weapons. Considering their extremist ideologies and the fact that some have paramilitary organizational structures, the federal government has made concerted efforts to quell any terrorist plans that may cause harm to the public through arresting any person possessing illegal arms. The more the federal government exerts pressure on these extremist groups, the greater their efforts to make their ideologies acknowledgeable among susceptible citizens. According to Lerner (2003), right wing extremists make efforts to affirm the need for pursuant of their goals. Their strategy is focused on indoctrination of the public with false philosophies against the government. Left wing domestic terrorism dates back to the late 19th century in the US. It was associated with anarchist groups who were against capitalism. These groups were backed by revolutionary immigrants from Eastern Europe (FBI 2009). Even though left wing terrorism began to decline in the mid 1980s, they left a trail of destruction, worst of all the killing of President William McKinley in 1901 and several bombings perpetrated on US industrialists and capitalists. The most recent left wing groups include; Weather Underground, SLA and the FALN among others who used strategies that instilled fear among the public such as widespread kidnapping and bombing of populous places such as Chicago’s Haymarket. These were among the strategies that the left wing terrorists used to attract attention to their ideologies. However, according to FBI, the only active left wing extremist group is the Puerto Rican separatist movement (Mullins and Young, 2010). Animal and Eco Terrorists Animal and eco terrorists are groups that focus on special interests such as animal rights and environmental degradation. The groups established in the US after their emergence in Britain in 1990. The animal and eco terrorist groups are associated with the highest number of domestic terrorist attacks. Typical animal and ecological interests groups backed by anarchists engage in destruction of property and infrastructure believed to aid in the violation of animal rights and environmental degradation. This is accomplished through arson and bombing of buildings, theft of equipment, harassment of personnel dealing with animals as well as releasing animals in the custody of their presumed oppressors (Mullins and Young, 2010). Lerner (2003) observes that animal rights and environmental activists in the US were lawfully advocating for legislation to ward off exploitation of animals in research laboratories, and to curb environmental pollution through industrial effluent as well as green house gases emission. However, the groups were agitated by the slow pace with which legislation is enacted in the US. They disregard the fact that there has to be a balance between animal welfare and research that is necessary to improve future care of animals. They blame industrialists for recklessly polluting the environment for their own selfish gains. The animal and eco terrorists’ began demonstrating violent behaviors in early 1990s leading to the destruction of property worth millions of dollars in the past two decades through arson, bombing and arson. According to Dunham (2002), animal and eco terrorists have no established structures and therefore are difficult to obliterate. Members are understood to work in numerous independent cells whereby a member can carry out a terrorist act on behalf of the group devoid of any prior planning. Investors in fast-food eating places have been recipients of the wrath of animal terrorists through arson. Voors (2003) argues that even though FBI views eco terrorism as criminal acts rather than terrorism equivalent to Islamic threats, animal and human activists is not likely to discontinue their attacks and may be among the terrorist groups that may persist in the US for a long time. Eco terrorism continues to advance especially with increased interactions through the internet. The terrorists are able to spread their ideologies to their networks all over the US to like minded people and hence it is likely to widen as more visitors to their websites are encouraged to join the “noble course” of protecting animals and the environment. In 2001, an eco terrorist attack occurred in Long Island targeting an incomplete building that was deemed to perpetuate environmental degradation once it was completed. This information was circulated to eco terrorists through the ELF website calling for action to curb its completion. Some teenagers that were apprehended for conspiracy admitted having received the information through the web and made a plan to attack. After completion of the mission, they reported through the same site. They were informed on how to acquire materials for the bomb and how to assemble it (Baldwin, 2004). Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) is renowned for the widespread use of the internet to promote its ideologies and attacks on companies and individuals. SHAC has successfully planned and overseen attacks and demonstrations against companies believed to be associates of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), which is a research firm that was accused of abusing animal rights. Lerner (2003) observes that it is surprising to realize that the animal and environmental activists are increasing in number and adopting extremist ideologies as regards treatment of animals by humans and environmental pollution. Even though they have a right to campaign for protection of natural resources, they seem to have been infiltrated by anarchists who possess extremist ideologies that promote destructive and violent acts that befit terrorist movements. The Future of Domestic Terrorism in the US Bjelopera (2011) observes that domestic terrorists are continuously making efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, meaning that their activities in future may be lethal to the public. There were speculations that right wing extremist groups were involved in the letters that contained the anthrax virus in 2001. Ricin is also one of the drugs that have been applied to a great extent by the extremists to poison their victims. The use of bombs is also an indicator that the domestic terrorists are keen on accomplishing their mission despite the tight focus of FBI. Moreover, the number of people belonging to the terrorist groups is not known. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people are members of small to large militia groups of the right wing (Voors, 2003). Security agents are mainly focused on destroying the structured militia groups that are believed to have the capacity for high intensity attacks. However, the smaller amorphous militia and special interest terrorists are capable of engaging in significant attacks such as the 1995 Oklahoma bombing. Furthermore, the number of people engaging in animal and eco terrorism is not known (Dunham, 2002). Apart from local people engaging in domestic terrorism, some Americans living abroad have been identified as having links that promote terrorist activities at home. They have been found to engage in leaderless resistance whereby they endorse violent activities and fund the acquisition of explosives but do not engage in the planning and execution. This makes it difficult for FBI or law enforcement agents to identify and prosecute any particular leader. It is also difficult to identify the leader in cases of animal and eco terrorist groups that use online communication (Bjelopera 2011). Eco terrorists promote the formation of emergent cells of terrorists for new adherents rather than joining an existing group. The new groups engage in their own violent attacks to fulfill the mission of the body of terrorists. FBI fears that this tendency may lead to the development of many pockets of resistance that might be difficult to eliminate. Leaderless resistance is viewed as the most dangerous terrorism approach since wherever the members of a violent cell exist they are to carry out attacks so long as they are in line with the overall objective of the group. Any independent attack is recognized by the terrorist association. Worst of all, the terrorists operate like a cult whereby there are no economic gains. The groups have an emotional attachment to the organization that motivates them to carry out attacks on its behalf devoid of rewards (Mullins and Young, 2010). Influx of Radical Islam in the US Radical Islam is a socio-cultural ideology that controls virtually all aspects of the life of radical Muslims. The key objective of radical Islam is to dominate the world and any other ideology that does not match the demands of Islam. Radical Muslims believe in social, cultural and religious correctness compared to non Muslim societies (FBI 2009). Radical Muslims seek dominance over the world by all means that are possible. They engage in widely accepted Islamic philosophies and practices but promote ideologies that are dangerous for co-existence with other humans. Their ideas disregard basic human rights and the existence of a free society. They pose great risk to the existence of other people who do not share their ideologies. In the US, radical Islam has not fully established even though there is fear among citizens due to the globalization of their extremist ideologies. Radical Muslims do not support the freedom of speech and are often involved in terrorist activities with the belief that they are serving Allah their god. They attack those they feel are against their ideas such as embracing the freedom of expression (Mullins and Young, 2010). The rise of radical Islam in the US has been as a result of proliferation of mosques that observe Wahhabism, which is an extremist group of Muslim that believes in the practice of the sharia law. The group emanated from Saudi Arabia where it has strong roots. It is estimated that 960 out of the 1,200 mosques in the US practice Wahhabism. The group believes that whoever is not a believer of its ideology is a religious infidel. The group considers Jihad as holy war and is categorized as a religious duty for every Muslim (Aydinli, 2006). The worst belief among the Wahhabis is martyrdom whereby suicide bombing is viewed as a positive sign for believers who wish to become martyrs and that those who engage in this act deserve honor, praise and the greatest reward. Radical Islamists believe that US citizens that are not Muslims are non believers. This insinuates that they are justified if they would declare holy war targeting the citizens. Nevertheless, the US is a developed nation with respect for human rights and freedoms and hence the need to grant the Wahhabis their freedom of worship (Lerner, 2003). Despite the fact that the Wahhabi mosques in the US are not directly involved in attacking citizens, they are associated with harboring Islamic terrorists who meet to plan attacks in the US. The mosques have been cited in the past as save havens for planning terrorist activities. The fact that most of the Islamic centers in the US uphold anti-American ideas and the view that the western practices are undesirable indicates the existence of a significant terrorist threat (Mullins and Young, 2010). Funding of these centers is derived from the Muslim Brotherhood and Saudi Arabia and their activities have constantly caused alarm to the FBI. Some of the Wahhabi centers have been found offering written Wahhabi literature that moralized hatred against Americans while others raise funds in the name of promoting religious activities but eventually channeling it to terrorist activities. Al Farooq Mosque in Brooklyn is one of the mosques on the spot over alleged involvement in funding the al-Qaeda terrorist group that was responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks (Baldwin, 2004). Conclusion Domestic terrorism in the US remains a threat to the nation at present and in future. The increasing numbers of right and left wing extremists as well as the amorphous nature of animal and eco terrorist groups makes it difficult for law enforcers in the US to terminate their activities. The upsurge of radical Muslims, especially Wahhabi adherents is also increasing the risk of domestic terrorism. American Muslims are duped by their radical spiritual leaders to financially and morally support terrorism against the West in addition to teachings of intolerance against those perceived to be non-believers, who turn out to be fellow Americans. The principle of Jihad among radical Muslims is significant in promoting Islamic terrorism. Adherents of radical Islam believe in the struggle against oppressors of Muslims, especially the Western societies that are commonly considered anti-Islamic. Generally, radical Islam provides the most persuasive individual justification for performing terrorist acts. References Aydinli, E. (2006), “From Finances to Transnational Mobility: Searching for the Global Jihadists‘ Achilles Heel” Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol. 18(3) pp. 301-313. Baldwin, F. (2004), “The Financing of Terror in the Age of the Internet: Wilful Blindness, Greed, or a Political Statement”, Journal of Money Laundering Control, Vol. 8(2) pp. 127-158. Bjelopera, J. P. (2011), “American Jihadist Terrorism: Combating a Complex Threat”, Congressional Research Service, pp.7-23 Dunham, G.S. (2002), “Carnivore, The FBI's e-mail surveillance system: Devouring criminals, not privacy”, Federal Communications Law Journal, Vol. 54, pp. 543-566. FBI (2009), Terrorism in the United States 1999. Washington, D.C.: Federal Bureau of Investigation. Lerner, C.S. (2003), “The reasonableness of probable cause”. Texas Law Review Vol. 81(4), pp. 951-1029. Mullins, C. W. and Young, J. K.  (2010), “Cultures of Violence and Acts of Terror: Applying a Legitimation-Habituation Model to Terrorism”, Crime and Delinquency, pp. 1-29. Voors, M. P. (2003), “Encryption regulation in the wake of September 11, 2001: Must we protect national security at the expense of the economy?” Federal Communications Law Journal Vol. 55(22), pp. 331-350. Read More