Religious Conflict – Islamic View and Terrorism’s Effects on the Economy
Chapter 6: “Fanatics in the Service of God”
Each religion contains an aggressive and a moderate streak. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 opened the floodgates of religious terrorism everywhere. Recent religious terrorism can be thought of as a war against globalism and its social and economic consequences. Certain states practice religiously inspired terrorism.
Chapter 7: “Unholy Alliances: The Irresistible Lure of Money”
Terrorism is going through a new and dangerous metamorphosis. Unprecedented amounts of illegal money are generated by this underworld economy each year, as high as $1.5 trillion! Almsgiving and the hawala system generate and facilitate the transfer of huge amounts of untraceable money. Consequently, Western attempts to dry up the Islamist terrorists’ financial resources have generally been an exercise in futility.
Additional Resources
Inside Critical Issues in Terrorism
Frontline Video: Son of Al Qaeda
The inside story of the young Canadian who grew up with bin Laden’s children and was groomed to be a terrorist – but became instead a CIA informant.
Source: Son of Al Qaeda: Frontline. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/khadr/
Frontline Video: The War Briefing
Watch the full video but pay special attention to the section on the link between the Taliban and the Afghan opium trade.
Source: The War Briefing: Frontline . Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warbriefing/
Web Resources
Hizbullah – the Party of God
Explore this interesting site (Al Mashriq) and examine the difference in tone and content from what one might expect in the West.
Source: Hizbullah—the Party of God: Al Mashriq. Retrieved from http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/320/324/324.2/hizballah/
BBC News -Who Are Islamic Jihad?
Explore this interesting article about Islamic Jihad on the BBC News website.
Source: BBC News World Edition. (2001, August 9). Who Are Islamic Jihad? Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1005081.stm
Hamas Fact Sheet
Read the Hamas Fact Sheet on the website of the Anti-Defamation League.
Source: Hamas Fact Sheet. (2006, January 30). The Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved from http://www.adl.org/main_israel/hamas_facts.htm
Old Madness, New Methods
Read Old Madness, New Methods in preparation for your discussion board.
Source: Hoffman, B. (1998). Old Madness, New Methods: Revival of Religious Terrorism Begs for Broader U.S. Policy. Rand Review, 22(2). Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/rr-winter98-9/methods.html
Drug Trafficking and Middle Eastern Terrorist Groups: A Growing Nexus?
Find out about the relationships between drug traffickers and Middle Eastern Terrorist groups in this online analysis by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Source: Braun, M. (2008, July 25). Drug trafficking and middle eastern terrorist groups: A growing nexus? The Washington Institute. Retrieved from http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/drug-trafficking-and-middle-eastern-terrorist-groups-a-growing-nexus
Quiz
In preparation for the Assignment due in this unit, complete a learning activity that will allow you to test your knowledge different religious-based terrorist groups.
Access the Quiz to the left and complete the 8 question matching exercise. You will have multiple attempts to complete it and it is suggested that you re-take the Quiz as many times as need to achieve a perfect score.
