Features of the emergence and spread of radical movements and organizations

This article is devoted to the peculiarities of the emergence and spread of radical organizations after the Second World War.

Keywords: terrorism, radical organization, Taliban (forbidden in Russian Federation), Al-Qaeda (forbidden in Russian Federation), Islam, jihad.

The modern world is facing countless problems caused by globalization and its inherent consequences. These include: the problem of thermonuclear war, ecology, poverty. However, the fight against terrorism and terrorist organizations, which, as a rule, is interpreted as “the Third World War”, remains one of the topical agendas today.

The relevance of the research topic is primarily due to the fact that at the turn of the century, a particularly threatening feature of international terrorism is a clearly defined ideological base. A base that is in the hands of armed radical Islamists who have challenged humanity. At the same time, the subjects of terrorist crimes, despite the active resistance from the international community, claim to be a full-fledged participant in international relations.

The XX century, marked by two world wars, became the century of the active spread of radical movements and organizations. The main feature distinguishing terrorist acts of the past and modern is the Second World War. So, if in the past acts of terrorism were committed, in particular by poorly trained guerrilla or revolutionary movements, then the factor of the world war and its consequences gave a complete picture that from now on terrorists are specially organized groups that include trained specialists for a long time.

Historical and social prerequisites for the emergence of the radical Taliban movement (forbidden in the Russian Federation) and the Al-Qaeda organization (forbidden in the Russian Federation).

On September 11, 2001, the world changed forever. Afghanistan, which has not been the subject of attention in Western countries since 1989 and which is mired in a bloody civil war, has declared itself to the world in the most cruel and inhuman way. The terrorists have struck at the very heart not only of the United States, but also of the entire world politics and economy. The World Trade Center, which became the center of a terrorist attack, was rammed by suicide bombers who hijacked the plane. The responsibility for the monstrous crime was assumed by the Al-Qaeda organization (forbidden in the Russian Federation), headed by Osama bin Laden [4, p. 55].

Since then, scientists in many countries have begun to actively study the historical and social prerequisites that formed the basis for the creation of radical groups that pose a threat to all states. Often, the specifics of creating such organizations are either one strong personality with a group of enthusiastic followers, or fighting in the country, forcing the population to change its course to extreme methods of solution. Thus, behind the prerequisites for the creation of the Al-Qaeda organization (forbidden in the Russian Federation) is a combination of two factors that allowed the emergence of the association [2].

Psychological scientists have begun to investigate the personality of O. Laden in more detail and deeper, as the main person standing not only for terrorist acts, but also for the organization of such a large group. The leader of Al-Qaeda (forbidden in the Russian Federation) who was brought up in a religious atmosphere, formed his worldview at the most conservative King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah [4, p. 166]. It can be said that this was a prerequisite for the formation of his religious views on life.

Before proceeding to the next most important step in the life of Osama bin Laden, it is necessary to make a digression to explain the term «jihad», especially influenced the further development of the personality picture. At the beginning of 1978, a turning point comes in Afghanistan. The active formation of opposition to the ruling regime was the result of a sharp deterioration in living standards. In April 1978, a year before the Soviet troops entered the territory of the South Asian country, a political coup took place — the April Revolution [2], on the basis of which a socialist government was established in the country. But the changes in the country have only worsened the situation. The Communists carried out extremely irrelevant reforms, especially in relation to the rural population committed to national traditions. Thus, the people sharply consolidated the creation of the opposition in an even more threatening form. The Communist April revolution on the one hand and the formation of armed groups on the other led to the next step in history — the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan to regulate the situation and protect communist ideology.

In 1980, Osama bin Laden's life is undergoing changes. A native of Saudi Arabia responded to the call for jihad [4, p. 166]. He is going to Afghanistan to organize detachments of the Afghan opposition [4, p. 168–170]. Until now, this event is the most serious psychological node in the life of a terrorist, then the rest of the events in life will only be consequences.

In 1985–1986, the Mujahideen realized that the confrontation was going beyond the conflict between the occupiers and their victims to the global level. Soon, UY bin Laden creates training centers for Mujahideen in the Afghan state.

In 1988, he organized the radical international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda (forbidden in the Russian Federation), which in Arabic means «foundation» [1, p. 14]. The ultra-radical group was closely associated with the Taliban (forbidden in the Russian Federation), a relatively young Islamic movement that provided shelter to a large group of «Afghan Arabs». Initially, the foundation of the movement was Islamic reformist goals. But it is worth highlighting that along with the spiritual and social prerequisites for the creation of the Taliban (forbidden in the Russian Federation), there were reasons related to the ethnic confrontation in Afghanistan.

The religious aspect is not ignored. It is emphasized that there is a sufficient amount of evidence claiming that the very center of the Islamic Taliban movement (forbidden in the Russian Federation) was occupied by mullahs from Afghan madrassas. Many researchers have noted the significant role of the clergy in Afghanistan. Refugee children also joined the movement, whose development took place exclusively within the walls of the madrasah. So, the pupils underwent military training, which in the future formed a picture of the ideal fighter.

As for the social background. The population of Pakistan is directly connected with the development of the radical group. One way or another, residents of a neighboring state played a role in the «Taliban» (forbidden in the Russian Federation). Thus, a large number of students of Pakistani religious madrassas were children of the poorest strata of society, the Taliban (members of an organization forbidden in the Russian Federation) provided the needy with everything they needed: whether it was food, water or even housing, studying for students was the only source of livelihood. This forced them to endure physical and moral difficulties during their studies, to undergo military training. As a result, their life credo became a «holy war» with everyone who did not share their religious and political views» [1, p. 19]. Children from poor strata of the population, deprived of all the temptations of the Western world, studied in madrassas in the hope of obtaining the status of imam (leader) in a mosque. The «holy War» — that's what was planted in the minds of students of religious schools from the very beginning. So, by 1994, by the time of the formation of the Taliban movement (forbidden in the Russian Federation), the madrassas of Pakistan were in the spotlight. Young people who were fanatical about religion were ready to take part in the movement against «infidels» — «Jihad». In the end, in 1994, many were united by the «white banner of the Taliban» (forbidden in the Russian Federation).

Political and ideological mechanisms of functioning of the Taliban movement (forbidden in the Russian Federation) and the Al-Qaeda organization (forbidden in the Russian Federation).

Based on the historical prerequisites for the creation of organizations, we can generalize and conclude about the mechanisms of their functioning.

Thus, the first and most important idea of the Taliban movement (forbidden in the Russian Federation) remains the fight against «universal disbelief». The basis of the ideology of the Taliban (forbidden in the Russian Federation) is the principle: a person who believes in another religion besides Islam is considered a Kafir (infidel).

Islamists are waging an ongoing struggle against the «kafirs», which is called «jihad» until the «infidels» accept the Islamic religion, pay tribute or are completely exterminated. Thus, absolutely every person is considered an enemy of the Muslim world. Also, the only source of law for representatives of the Taliban (prohibited in the Russian Federation) is sharia, and anyone who does not obey its law is obviously «infidel», therefore a war is being waged against them.

Secondly, the idea of founding a national Islamic state. Any secular form of government, according to representatives of the radical group, is considered a support for the spread of unbelief. The Islamic world, which had fallen into a state of total decline, as a result of the denial by the masses of religion in its original form, needed the resumption of the «golden age of Islam». This concept implies the need to renew the ancient traditions that were inherent in the era of the Prophet Muhammad and his entourage. The return to the ancestral traditions is directly related to the true faith. The absence of democratic institutions, the growing power of theocracy and the supremacy of Sharia are the main attitudes of the Taliban world (forbidden in the Russian Federation). Everything that today belongs to the ideology of a secular state must be eradicated at the root. An Islamic state should be established on the territory of Afghanistan together with the border zones of Pakistan, with the existing character of a nation-state.

The fourth mechanism of functioning is closely related to the previous ones, but is somehow separate in nature. The leadership of the Taliban (forbidden in the Russian Federation) carries with it the belief in the destruction of the Western version of modernization and return Afghanistan to a world thriving without the «temptations» of dissidents. The medieval way of life, which in turn would have the trait of the all-powerful implementation of Sharia norms, is a source of universal good.

The next idea is devoted to the intransigence of «true Islam». The leaders of the Taliban movement (forbidden in the Russian Federation) refuse to teach in religious and legal schools and act as irreconcilable enemies of any other areas of Islam. According to A. Rashid, «the Taliban have produced a new Islamic fundamentalism of the coming millennium — uncompromising and not recognizing any other political system except its own» [3].

The United States of America has had a powerful mobilizing effect on certain Islamic groups. But, nevertheless, the ideas expressed by Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, together with supporters of extremist groups, played a big role in supporting the international campaign of «jihad» [5]. They have turned the terrorist core into a much broader and global insurgency.

In turn, the ideology of Al-Qaeda (forbidden in the Russian Federation) has many similarities with the ideology of the Taliban (forbidden in the Russian Federation). Perhaps the most important common feature remains the defense of the freedoms and equality of their people.

Also, among the important topics of the ideology of Al-Qaeda (forbidden in the Russian Federation) are the following:

1. The fight against repressive regimes that persecute Muslims. These are: Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, are in cahoots with the United States.
2. Since the abolition of the caliphate in 1924, «dissidents» have been working to prevent true believers from creating an Islamic state. The terrorist world must fight tirelessly against this.
3. In a broader sense, according to the views of Al-Qaeda (forbidden in the Russian Federation), the Christian world seeks to destroy Islam.
4. The United States has created «an ocean of oppression, injustice, slaughter and plunder» (according to Bin Laden).

Many parallels can be drawn between the ideologies of the two groups, but nevertheless they remain separate from each other, even though once one was a strong support for the second. The main difference between Al-Qaeda (forbidden in the Russian Federation n) and the Taliban (forbidden in the Russian Federation) is that the latter seek their dominance only on the territory of Afghanistan and see the goal in expanding their ideology only to local residents, then jihadists from Al-Qaeda (forbidden in the Russian Federation) they turned their idea into an international one. Borders are almost no obstacle for them, powerful resistance against the whole world forces them to go far beyond their own state.

Today, relations between the two groups remain quite close, but the natives of the Taliban see constructive dialogue with representatives of their different countries as their priority. International recognition is gradually being regulated, for example, for several years China has been negotiating with representatives of a radical Islamist group.

References:

1. Belokrenitsky V.Ya., Sikoev R. R., Dvizheniye Taliban i perspektivy Afganistana i Pakistana [The Taliban movement and the prospects of Afghanistan and Pakistan]. — Moscow: Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2014. — 216 p.
2. Nechitailo D. A., «Al’-Kaida» i «Islamskoye gosudarstvo» — obschee i osobennoe [Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State — common and special] // ANI: economics and management. 2017. № 3 (20). URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/al-kaida-i-islamskoe-gosudarstvo-obschee-i-osobennoe (accessed at: 22.11.2022).
3. Olivier Roy: The Political Imagination of Islam. — Text:electronic // Berkeley University of California: [website]. — URL: https://iis.berkeley.edu/publications/olivier-roy-political-imagination-islam (accessed at: 22.11.2022)
4. Olshansky, D. V. Psichologiya terrora [Psychology of terror] / D. V. Olshansky. — Stavropol. — 2016. — 320 p.
5. Irwin, R. Is this the man who inspired Bin Laden? / R. Irwin. — Тext: electronic // The Guardian: [website]. — URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/nov/01/afghanistan.terrorism3 (accessed at: 22.11.2022).