Terrorism - Ku Klux Klan and the Al Qaeda - Essay Example

Terrorism Affiliation Introduction Domestic and international terrorism differ in the scope of operations as well as the motives ofthe terror groups behind attacks. Domestic terror is focused on geographical boundaries or territories. General motives of domestic terrorism is to defy government, corporate, and social norms to either pass a message or to persuade an entity into assuming a specific form. International terror on the other hand, is mostly political in nature and focuses on the launch of hate attacks against governments, citizens, economies, and infrastructure. The motive of international terror is to communicate differences as well as persuasion to governments and citizens to be sympathetic with the terror groups. In this case paper, discussed are the specific comparisons of motives, ideologies, methods & tactics, and histories of the Ku Klux Klan as a domestic terror organization and the Al Qaeda as an international terror group. LITERATURE REVIEW Ku Klux Klan The Justice Department describes domestic terrorism as the set of acts with the U.S territory that are deemed dangerous to a civilian population, violating state and federal laws, and those with not real connection with international terrorist groups or terrorists. The motives of domestic terrorists is to coerce citizens, influence domestic governance approach, and affect the governing administration through mass destruction. Under the domestic terrorism, the Ku Klux Klan has is one of the most notorious terror groups that have functioned with the U.S for over a century. The Ku Klux Klan is also regarded as one of the oldest terror groups in the history of the US with various transformation witnessed throughout its existence (United States Department of Justice, 2015). Group Origins As long ago as 1865, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is known to have existed up to current year, 2015. The KKK has undergone through various transformations as well as disbanding that has left the group non-existent for year before springing up again after civil, political, or social issues erupt in the U.S. The initial form of the organization is reported to have existed shortly after the Civil War but its lifespan only lasted for a few years before the disbanding of the group. 45 years later, the KKK took shape again following a film released under the name The Birth of a Nation. The second wave or version of the group is deemed as having been stronger, organized, and more ruthless than its previous version. In its revived version, the group targeted Catholics, immigrants, blacks, and Jews as well as alcohol establishments. The second stage of the organization’s transformation involved the Great Depression by which the start of World War II found only a few members. The third stage of wave of the KKK group rose during the civil rights movement and since existed. However, the current membership is not known, the group is still active and continues to wreak havoc in the United States. Ideologies The KKK is not different from other extremist or hate groups in terms of its ideology. Although rituals as well as tactics may differ in few or various instances, the design and ideology of the KKK is similar to that of other groups. The KKK is different from other groups in that it emphasizes on the 14 words. The 14 words relate to the groups motive of purifying its people and securing a future for white offspring. On the other hand, the groups is highly focused in anti-Semitism but is also in record for the opposition of African Americans as well as non-white immigrants. Unlike many other terror or extremist groups that have existed throughout the U.S, the group is largely comprised of Christians. Going back to rituals, the Nordicfect is an example of an annual music event held by the KKK. Lately, the KKK has been associated with linking with Neo-Nazis resulting to an increased nazification of the group. Goals Among the primary goals of the KKK during its first wave of stage after the Civil War were to intimidate the Black Society as well as all sympathetic Whites as well. Since the KKK is largely made of White members, its racist approach is justified by the era in which African Americans were starting to get recognition by authorities. The group’s popularity has been based on acts such as violent night rides, rocking hooded robes, and a notion that the KKK was hooked to a hidden empire. In order to spread fear and make its statement clear regarding the need to secure bright future for white children. During the 1920s the goals of the KKK were to oppose the immigration of Jews and Catholics. Due to its influence, in 1925 as the KKK marched in Washington D.C. it had a population of above 4 million members. However, during the second stage of the group, internal inconsistences threated to collapse the group with notable sex scandals and competition among members During the 1960s, the KKK revived after it was rendered powerless towards the start of World War II and the end of the Great Depression of 1933 to 1939. The goals of the third wave of the group which is currently believed to be operational and less attired in robes, were to oppose the civil rights movement. During this era, the group sort to reinstate the abolished segregation era. From 1970s, the group had suffered a great deal of unpopularity based on internal conflicts, court cases, and government infiltration. However, while the group’s membership is not well-known, estimates show that the group is made up of between 5000 and 8000 members who have resulted in following through with their course by adapting militant approach and interpreting racism as increased level of White’s civil rights. Methodologies Since the KKK has been in record in various states for its use of intimidation methods to instill fear among its targets, they devised methods that involved dress code, summoning of meetings, and making other public statements. The outfit that the KKK used for identification involves robes and pointed hats as their symbols of intimidation. However, since the KKK is built on a vertical leadership structure, higher ranks dress in distinct colors such as purple while normal members are clad in white robes. While the KKK is consider anti-Sematic, it has used cross-burning as a method of announcing its return after the 1920’s revival. However, the cross-burning is claimed to have not relations religious connection or hate but rather an expression of their faith. In calling for meetings, the KKK continued to use burning cross a method of summoning members to a meeting. However, this method led to a Supreme Court ruling in Virginia v. Black that cross-burning was declared illegal if done with the intention of intimidating anyone. While intimidation is one way the KKK was able to stand its ground and wreak havoc around the Southern states, other methods of communicating its message included killings that overly employed lynching. However, following the different phases that the KKK underwent throughout its existence, the second wave did not employ as violent methods as the first version. However, members of the Klan have been associated with various killings involving torture, castration, stoning, and lynching among other methods (American in Class, 2013). Tactics Tactics and methods of the KKK have almost the same properties. However, in order to gain popularity and obtain support from members of the public, the organization was involved in poaching from other extremist groups. Thus, by obtaining information about other competing terror groups, the KKK would persuade members of those groups to join the group. For instance, the IKIA branch of the group once announced that it was ready to register non-Christians who had the same objectives as the KKK. Additionally, in order to get the attention they needed to pass their message, it is reported that 50,000 members of the group gathered to march across Pennsylvania Avenue (ADL, 2014). Al Qaeda The FBI defines international as a set of activities bearing three characteristics. These characteristics involve violent acts whose effect affects human life and violates state and federal law, acts that appear to have an intention of coercing a civilian population or intended to influence the manner in which governing authorities enforce the law, and terror acts that occur outside the jurisdiction of United States’ boundaries. International terrorism can also be defined partly as a replica of federal crime terrorism which the FBI describes as offences that are directed to influence how a government conducts its businesses, or an act intended to violate one or several of listed statutes such as 930(c) which related to the killing during an attack to a federal infrastructure with a destructive weapon. Al Qaeda is considered an international terror group based on the number of attacks it has carried out and claimed responsibilities around the world and the U.S. as well (FBI, 2015). Group Origins The origins do not have a specific timeframe as a series of events have followed each other while others contradicting themselves. With reference to the Iraq’s invasion to Kuwait in 1991, a group of locally educated Muslims, ulemas, were convinced that the increased Westernization and in Saudi Arabia was meant to destroy the nation’s Muslim identity. With the political instability at the around the Middle East, U.S military was deployed to guard oil fields from exposure to the political unrest. This move did not auger well with ulemas who confirmed their fear that westernization was at the brink of submitting Saudi Arabia and the Muslim community culturally decapitated. Following numerous attempts to convince the government to eradicate the U.S military presence from Saudi Arabia, the ulemas started to launch demonstrations against the government while added support came from Osama Bin Laden the Extremist Leader responsible for announcing global jihadi against the U.S government, the US citizens, and its allies. With various members of the Muslim Brotherhood which was established as a group to fight for the religious and cultural defense from the cultural attack that the U.S and other western nations were associated with. Ideologies With the presence of leaders such as Osama Bin Laden, and Al-Hawali among others, the spread of Al Qaeda’s ideology has been widely used technological advances such as the social platforms to communicate threat messages, take responsibility of attacks, to lure and recruit young and poor Muslims and other nationalities into joining and supporting the groups ideologies. Among Al Qaeda’s ideologies include the need to eradicate the western influence from all Muslim nations and protect the Islamic religious values from being destroyed by the embrace of western culture. Among the most motivating factors that push the Al Qaeda to act violently against the US traces back to ulemas’ view that introduction of banking system charging interest was against the Islamic teachings that charging interest was against the religious doctrine of the Muslim community. While the group accuses western nations of deploying violent intervention methods in the Arab nations such as Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia in an effort to exterminate the Islam culture. With this mindset implanted in the society, the group has lured various types of people including women, children, and non-Muslims to launch suicide attacks based on the induced belief that the act of violent rebellion in protecting the cultural and religious beliefs was a necessary and excusable act. To those willing to join the Al Qaeda, a mindset that they fight Holy War (Fatwa) is a common citation as the group uses its interpretation of the Quran to indicate that it is a justifiable act to kill in the defense of one’s religion and spiritual beliefs (Shavit, 2006). Goals The goals of Al Qaeda range from political, economic, to religious. These goals a global jihadi that targets the U.S government, its citizens, and nations affiliated to the US. While the goal to massacre Americans is rather political that religious, the groups aims at taking revenge for atrocities that it claims the U.S is responsible for. For instance, the group accuses the U.S for corrupting Islamic government by introducing westernization and technology. The U.S is a major target that the group targets as a justification of attacks based on political wars such as Iran-Iraq War, Afghan War, Iran War, and the U.S’s involvement in the Iraq invasion to Kuwait. Hence the political goals of the group is to neutralize the western influence in nations highly considered to be Islamic in both culture and religious views. In addition, based on US and Israel relations, Israel offensive against the Palestinians is considered an influence by the US as well as possible funding (Shavit, 2006). Religious and culturally, al Qaeda focuses in ensuring that the Islam community remains intact in both morals and religious beliefs. Based on the introduction of education systems in the Islam nations, increased education to girls has been viewed as an erosion of Islam faith and culture. In this case, the extremist group aims at making its statement to the U.S and its allies. After announcing that he had the motives of leading a global jihad against the US and its allies, the group facilitated the bombing of two U.S. Embassies in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. This attack was intended to display the determination of the group in resisting the infamous western culture (Shavit, 2006). Methodologies In order to survive as terror group with the ability to launch offensives to the U.S. and her allies, the group operates as a typical organization utilizing a vertical structure of leadership. Although the group has had various units spread around the world, its leadership structure is not clearly established as the group has influenced other small region-based terror groups such as Somalia’s Al-Shabaab which carry out offensives as a support of the Al Qaeda’s ideology to kill Americans and governments that acquaint themselves with the western states (Shavit, 2006). With reference to funding operations, the organization has been in record for having terrorists receive money through wire transfers as well as communication through cellular networks. However, following the fact that governments around the world have employed technological means of tracing and taping to cellular communications, the group has retrieved to employing the physical-approach of travelling back and forth to make arrangements, a strategy that has led to capture of various suspects in various airline terminals around the world. Tactics With reference to terror groups that follow the ideologies of Al Qaeda have devised their means of communicating their support for the parent terror group. With inspiration borrowed from Al Qaeda’s spiritual interpretation that Islam should be cleansed of any dirty seed, an affiliate group, Somalia’s Al-Shaabab has been releasing video clips over the internet showing the horrors individuals going against the Islam teaching undergo as their limbs are chopped off and in intense cases, beheadings. While the Al Qaeda inspires various other regional domestic terror groups, it the group is successful in launching success attacks through the support it gets from sympathetic or allied authorities as well as brainwashed poor and young individuals recruited through social media or emulating virtually available instructions of making homemade explosives (Shavit, 2006). On the larger scale, Al Qaeda is responsible, based on its own confession through online videos for the killing of more than 5000 people during the 9/11 attacks. The motive of targeting civilians was to fulfill the goal of hunting and causing devastation to American Citizens. To the government, the groups targeted the Pentagon as well as Washington D.C aimed at getting politically at the government they believe is responsible for creating Muslim’s cultural instability and economic imbalance compared to other nations (Shavit, 2006). CONCLUSION Domestic and international terrorism differ from each other based on the magnitude of motives, influence on their ideologies, goals, and beliefs among other factors such as the scope of the group. Considering a domestic terrorist group such as the racist and hate-inspired terror group, the Ku Klux Klan, it’s magnitude of attacks, though running over a long period, have been carried out within the U.S.’s boundaries as they target social groups such as civil rights movement, religious groups such as Catholics, and ethnic communities such as Black Americans. On the other hand, Al Qaeda as an international terrorist group, its focus is to wreak havoc under its ideology-motivated goals of launching global jihadi. The group’s use of highly violent means such as large scale bombings, frequent suicide attacks, and use of technology to communicate its message to the world are some of the major characteristics of the group that makes it stand out as an international terrorist group. References ADL. (2014). Extremism in America: Ku Klux Klan – Ideology. Accessed online on June 4, 2015 from http://archive.adl.org/learn/ext_us/kkk/ideology.html?LEARN_Cat=Extremism American in Class. (2013). Ku Klux Klan, America in the 1920s, Primary Sources for Teachers, America in Class, National Humanities Center. Accessed online on June 4, 2015 from http://americainclass.org/sources/becomingmodern/divisions/text1/text1.htm FBI. (2015). Definitions of Terrorism in the U.S. Code. Accessed online on June 4, 2015 from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism/terrorism-definition Shavit, U. (2006). Al Qaeda’s Saudi Origins. Accessed online on June 4, 2015 from http://www.meforum.org/999/al-qaedas-saudi-origins United States Department of Justice. (2015). Domestic terrorism. Office of the United States Attorneys. Accessed online on June 4, 2015 from http://www.justice.gov/usao/priority-areas/national-security/domestic-terrorism References Read More