Posted by
A Town Hall Progressive on Saturday, February 24, 2007 5:52:13 PM
Here is a link to the West Point, a unit called “Combating Terrorism Center.” http://www.ctc.usma.edu/
On this site there is a report titled, “Militant Ideology Atlas.” It gages and groups the Middle East into four major categories determined by the amount of support for violence- extremism. While it does not give numbers on militants, it does break down the Middle East into usable Subgroups from the General Muslims, then Islamists, to the Salafis, and then to the smallest group- the Jihadis. This group is a subset of the Salafis.
http://www.ctc.usma.edu/atlas/Atlas-ExecutiveReport.pdf
The Jihadis are the minority and the ones that practice terrorism. They do not represent the entire Middle East. This report shows in clear terms some of the misconceptions we have in how we wage war in the Middle East. As mentioned below, just the use of certain terms can either help or hurt us. Some may consider this being P.C. I do not. I consider it understanding the culture and using this understanding to make better policy.
The methods and tactics we use in the War on Terror and in Iraq matter. They can either benefit us or hurt us. Brutal Force without a coherent plan, strategy, or the use of Diplomacy has gotten us nowhere.
I have not heard of one Democrat calling for the end of the War. They are calling for a better policy. Some of us want new Leadership.
This is a good report for all on this site to read.
One recommendation from the report:
Label the entire Jihadi Movement “Qutbism” in recognition that the Jihadis cite Sayyid Qutb more than any other modern author. Muslim opponents of the Jihadis (including mainstream Wahhabis) use this term to describe them, a designation Jihadis hate since it implies that they follow a human and are members of a deviant sect. Adherents of the movement consider “Qutbi” to be a negative label and would much rather be called Jihadi or Salafi. Calling the movement “Qutbism” would also remove potentially offensive words from the lexicon of public officials (like “Islamofascism”) and disassociate the movement from Islam.
The conclusion of the Report
Finally, a word about “moderate” Muslims. The measure of moderation depends on what type of standard you use. If by “moderate” one means the renouncement of violence in the achievement of political goals, then the majority of Salafis are moderate. But if by “moderate” one means an acceptance of secularism, capitalism, democracy, gender equality, and a commitment to religious pluralism, then Salafis would be extremists on all counts. Then again, there are not many Muslim religious leaders in the Middle East that would qualify as moderates according to the second definition. Until there are, the international community should focus on alienating Jihadis from the broader Salafi Movement. While it may be distasteful to work with non-violent Salafi leaders, they are best positioned to delegitimize Jihadi violence and monitor the activities of the more militant elements of their movement.