Origins, Ideology, and Low Recruitment in Islamic Terrorism

Historical Roots of Terrorism

Horrific acts of terror have plagued this planet for centuries. The contemporary prevalence of such acts has spawned the term "terrorism," which has been precisely defined by Merriam-Webster's New English Dictionary as "the systematic use of terror (which is defined as a violent or destructive act in this context) especially as a means of coercion" (Merriam-Webster's New English Dictionary 2011). Despite the recent popularity of this term, its origins go back to the French Revolution. Surprisingly, this early period of terror was actually perpetrated by the French government (Gough 1998). Eventually entitled "The Reign of Terror," the infamy of this historical era brought the horrors of violent oppression — in this case a government oppressing its own population — to the world stage (Gough 1998).

Similarly to the atrocious deeds committed by the French government during the Reign of Terror, activities that would now fall into this appalling classification are commonly the result of the premeditations of various highly organized groups. Such assemblies were active long before the terminology was created in 18th-century France. In fact, the first appearance of this type of rebellious group has been recorded as far back as the Roman Empire (Laqueur 2001). During this time, underground groups of Jewish radicals plotted the assassinations of Roman occupiers and other Jewish collaborators (Laqueur 2001). The concentration on assassinations is a terrorist theme that has remained common in the modern world. Many terrorist organizations have utilized this tactic in the 21st century as a means of inflicting great damage with limited manpower (Hoffman 1993).

The limited resources of almost all terrorist organizations throughout history have made open combat a seemingly impossible task. Another terroristic maneuver that has stood the test of time is the idea of suicide as a means of ultimate devotion. One of the first recognized groups of Jewish rebels — known to the Romans as the Sicari — committed mass suicide upon Roman besiegement (Laqueur 2001). This act illustrated this early group's uncompromising dedication to their beliefs and sacred values. The same could be said about many modern-day suicide bombers.

Islamic Fundamentalism and Political Oppression

In accordance with its ancient roots, current terrorist activity is almost always motivated by religion and/or politics. A large majority of recent terrorist attacks have been carried out in the name of Islam. This reality has caused a great deal of scrutiny into the actual teachings of this worldwide religion and their potential linkage to terrorism and violence (Bar 2004). Many prominent individuals in the Western world, however, refuse to explicitly associate such actions with one of the world's great religions. Instead, such influential parties mostly identify terroristic ideals with those originating in the radical Muslim offshoot known as Islamic Fundamentalism (Choueiri 1997).

This movement first emerged in India during a relatively oppressive period of British rule (Choueiri 1997). Muslims in the country felt strongly that they were victims of rampant social injustice, the rejection of traditional principles, and the forced acceptance of foreign domination and culture. The primary doctrine of Islamic Fundamentalism holds that many modern Muslim societies have strayed from their ultimate divine paths (Choueiri 1997). The only applicable solution proposed by this movement is a unified return to the original moral code of Islam. While the problems facing these oppressed societies may be religious, social, and political, the Islamic Fundamentalist view allows no separation between the political and the religious (Choueiri 1997). Therefore, in many regions Islam has become both religion and regime, and no area of human activity falls outside its remit. In the minds of many Islamic Fundamentalists, "Islam is the solution" (Bar 2004, 1).

Recruitment Tactics and Religious Manipulation

While the aforementioned origins of Islamic terrorism help to outline the belief systems of many terrorist groups, religion also plays an important role in the actual activities of such organizations. Most notably, the recruitment processes of many terrorist organizations involve a great deal of religious rhetoric and faithful promises (Enders and Sandler 2002). Highly publicized terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda have customized their recruitment procedures to reach a larger global demographic of youth (Gerwehr and Daly 2003). By structuring their appeals in terms of their similarities to a military or paramilitary organization, they are able to convince young adults and their families that enlisting is meaningful and legitimate. Using patriotic terminology and promises of social advancement and self-discovery, Al-Qaeda — along with many other powerful terrorist groups — has bolstered its numbers and subsequently increased its global influence (Gerwehr and Daly 2003).

It is also important to note the centrality of youth recruitment to these organizations. These groups not only aim to reshape their followers' physical and tactical capacities, but also their core values and ideologies (Enders and Sandler 2002). Consequently, young and impressionable minds are the ideal targets for this type of ideological and religious manipulation. By forcing recruits to strictly adhere to religiously fundamental protocols, terrorist leaders are more easily able to control their subordinates by placing their directives within a religious context (Gerwehr and Daly 2003). Young newcomers are therefore much more likely to follow an order blindly when they are made to believe it is not only the will of their mortal leader, but also the wish of a higher power.

A clear example of this type of manipulative tactic is the jihad methodology behind suicide bombings (Stern 2000). In such cases, the young man set to be sacrificed is assured by his superiors that the mission has been chosen for him by Allah and that he will be rewarded in the afterlife. Once again, the feasibility of such a seemingly unbelievable strategy depends on the recruit being conscripted at a young enough age that his mind can be thoroughly molded. To a fully developed mind, this type of pitch would presumably be rejected, and the credibility of the organization as a whole would be called into question.