Al Qaeda Now And Frequently Heard Terms

-Generic picture of mountains in Afghanistan

Now that Osama Bin Laden is confirmed dead what does the rest of Al Qaeda look like?

Ayman al-Zawahri - Number 2

A surgeon from Egypt now known to be Al Qaeda's number two man. He frequently praises the September 11th hijackers and has called President Obama a "house negro". A member of the Muslim Brotherhood he believes in a single unified Muslim state and encourages Al Qaeda and his followers to fight against the entirety of NATO as well as fight the rebels in Libya who were fighting against Colonel Gaddhafi. He's been involved in multiple assassination attempts on foreign leaders as well as successful plans to blow up United States embassies abroad and has traveled the world raising money and support for his cause. Likely has thousands of followers but at almost 60 years of age how long he will be able to keep up being number 2 for Al Qaeda might be of question. He was also number two on the FBIs most wanted with a $25 million dollar reward on his head. Consider him dangerous.

Adam Yahiye Gadahn or Azzam The American

The terrorist born and raised right here in the United States. Only 31 years old and believed to be in Yemen where the United States recently launched a drone operation to kill him although it proved unsuccessful. Believed to be the main translator he has appeared on several movies that address the West and Americans. Well endorsed by Al Qaeda but arrested by officials in Yemen 2007 and then consequently released due to lack of evidence, he may be too young and foolhardy to last. He is one to watch out for though because of his ability to utilize English to create effective rhetoric for the cause.

Islam

The second largest religion in the world with over 1 billion followers. (Christianity is the largest). Followers of Islam are Muslims. Respects Jesus, Moses, and Abraham as tellers of the word of God. The final prophet is Muhammad in Islam.The Quran is the holy book of Islam. Those who follow the religion of Islam believe in one God and five pillars which include a pilgrimage to Mecca, giving to charity, praying 5 times a day, and fasting.

Sharia Law

Sharia means path in Arabic and was developed some three hundred years after the death of the prophet Muhammad. It varies from country to country and is generally based upon the sayings of the Quran and the Muhammad. As new issues arise clerics generally address these on a case by case basis and the Muslim community may influence how opinions are formed. Sharia law is not all bad and many people under corrupt governments would like to institute a Sharia law which would be a fair government. Generally punishments from the Quran are not given out even though they remain on the law books in some countries. There is a debate as to whether Islam and democracy can coexist but with many dual government systems where the government is nonreligious but persons may bring familial issues to a Sharia court there appears to be a compromise. As many as 60% of people in Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, and Indonesia appear to think that Democracy is a good way to govern even with 71% thinking that Sharia law should be kept in Islamic countries. In Britain it has been ruled that, should both parties agree, certain matters may be brought to Sharia tribunals. Criminal law is of course still enforced at the government level but it may not be that those who would prefer Sharia law want to take over the entire law, but more that they would prefer to be able to deal with certain matters in a way seemingly suggested by their religion. The United States is currently dealing with a variety of anti-Muslim protests in areas where Mosques were to be built because people believe that President Obama is trying to spread Sharia law or that Sharia law's influence is going to spread and take over America. That does not appear to be happening. In most places Sharia law is not quite as strict as many imagine. Saudi Arabia, for instance, is a place where the strictest Sharia laws are held up. Women may not drive and must be completely covered in public places. In most places though women can drive and even alcohol is tolerated. Westerners and nonMuslims generally do not have to obey Sharia law and should they encounter or be a problem will deal with a secular government controlled court. In many countries where the government is defined as secular, groups that would instate total Sharia law are even seen as a threat such as in Azerbaijan, and other countries in Asia and Africa. In Turkey the Islamist party has been banned from participating in politics all together.

Fatwa

A fatwa is supposed to originate from a high knowing cleric or priest of Islam. Some Fatwas are issued where other clerics disagree because there is no central hierarchy in Islam such as in Christianity. Generally if someone would present a fatwa they must present information from the Quran and other sources explaining how they came to their conclusion. Due to the fact many disagree Fatwas may or may not be followed by the majority of Muslims who may choose on their own whether or not to obey the Fatwa. Fatwas are not all violent and some include not smoking or drinking. There have even been Fatwas denouncing Osama Bin Laden.

Where is Al Qaeda now?

Al Qaeda is apparently operating in over 100 different countries (including the United States and other Western countries in Europe) with various underground terror cells all over the world. Al Qaeda does not feature a strong command and terrorists cells may not even know of eachother. Al Qaeda maintains ties to other terrorist organizations including Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Islamic Army of Yemen, and others. Al Qaeda in Iraq, or AQI, is considered one of the groups most effective fronts with support for Al Qaeda dropping in countries such as Pakistan.

Uprisings in Middle East discredit Al Qaeda's methodology

In the past year there have been uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and others. These uprisings are being called the Arab Spring and because most are generally nonviolent, at least initially on the protesters side, they discredit an organization who acts with violence to change things. These protests are by people who wish for more open governments and less tyrannical rule in their countries.

So in the end theres a lot to learn about the situation in the Middle East. The United States and Europe have been intervening in the Middle East for a long time, it is not a surprise that there are people over there who hate us but I think that in general most of the people are probably just people like you or I. I don't think they want to take over the world, they probably want to ensure their children will be safe and will be able to flourish in the world. They might want to go about a different way then you or I, but they does not mean that the majority of the 1 billion plus people practicing Islam are bad people. Stop Anti-Muslim hate today and it'll be a better world for everyone in the future. Maybe my next post will be United States intervention in the Middle East because I think it goes farther back than most imagine.