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Sociopolitical Radicalism: the Making of Martyrs An SOCIOPOLITICAL RADICALISM: THE MAKING OF MARTYRS AN ASSESSMENT OF PAST AND CURRENT METHODS OF RECRUITMENT AND SOCIALIZATION APPLIED BY RADICAL ISLAMIC TERROR GROUPS By JOHN L. McNASSAR III A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN ANTHROPOL OGY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY Department of Anthropology MAY 2007 To the Faculty of Washington State University: The members of the Committee appointed to examine the thesis of JOHN L. McNASSAR III find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted. ___________________________________ Chair ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to extend my most sincere thanks to Nancy P. McKee for her support and guidance over the past three years on this project. Her nuanced perspective on my research, matched with her unique anecdotes on life and service have been noble attempts to harness my wild and broad interests in the world she hates to think about. Without people like her, people like me would run the world. I am grateful for the assistance of Nabil Abdelfattah and Anisah al-Mansouri for sharing their cultures, language, and free translations with me. I would also like to thank John H. Bodley and John G. Jones for their confidence, consideration, and support. And, of course, I would like to express my sincere love, apologies, and appreciation to my family, especially my mother, who has seen me off and back from every adventure with great understanding, open arms, and loving comfort. Thank you. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my friends in London for providing me with valuable insights into the world of Islam and the millions of peaceful Muslims who struggle to represent their faith in a world at odds. These are the people who suffer the most for the actions of few. They are also the ones liable to ridicule by those who do not care to know. They are the key to our understanding and are critical to finding a solution. iii SOCIOPOLITICAL RADICALISM: THE MAKING OF MARTYRS AN ASSESSMENT OF PAST AND CURRENT METHODS OF RECRUITMENT AND SOCIALIZATION APPLIED BY RADICAL ISLAMIC TERROR GROUPS Abstract by John L. McNassar III, M.A. Washington State University May 2007 Chair: Nancy P. McKee Recruitment operations are among the most critical activities that any terror group must conduct in order to continue advancing its cause. This thesis is an assessment of current trends in recruitment operations conducted by radical Islamist terror groups, which are determined to establish a single, worldwide community of Muslims strictly governed by 7th Century Islamic law. Drawing extensively on open sources of data, this thesis highlights key cultural and historical factors that have given rise to the globalized brand of radical Islamic terrorism that faces the world community today. Presented in a manner that can be applied across disciplines, this thesis provides terrorism researchers with a number of tools for better understanding terror group recruitment operations – beginning by selecting a working definition of terrorism that is relevant to the needs and interests of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners alike. This thesis provides a critical review of traditional theoretical approaches for analyzing causes of actors’ participation in terror activities. Placing an emphasis on the value of a multicausal theoretical approach, this thesis discusses the structures, strengths, iv vulnerabilities, and behaviors of terror organizations as scale-free networks. Third, this thesis places contemporary radical Islam within cultural and historical contexts of Islam, martyrdom, jihad, and political violence, and establishes the ideological framework of modern-day Islamism. Data collected through ethnographic fieldwork in London, England highlights the conflict between mainstream and radical strains of Islam, fundamental aspects of Wahhabism, and the effects of the July 2005 London bombings on the British Muslim population. Finally, this thesis provides readers with a number of case studies of individuals within terror organizations ranging from suicide bombers to the ideologue who gave birth to modern radical Islamist interpretations of Salafi Islam. In its concluding section, this thesis addresses current trends in recruitment operations; provides an assessment of likely future security threats; offers practitioners considerations for countering terror organizations; highlights critical areas of study for anthropologists and other researchers, policymakers, and practitioners; and emphasizes the problems that face mainstream Muslims and non-Muslims in a world targeted by an Islamist strain of terrorism that is fueled by the blood of its martyrs and victims. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................iii ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................... iv PREFACE...................................................................................................................... xii I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1. Setting the Scene ................................................................................................ 1 2. Facing the Problem............................................................................................. 2 3. Yesterday’s Freedom Fighters, Today’s Global Terrorists................................... 3 4. Carrying the Cause – Veterans to Mentors .......................................................... 5 5. Facing Our Fears ................................................................................................ 6 II. THE PROBLEM WITH DEFINING THE PROBLEM: DEFINING ‘TERRORISM’ .. 9 1. Name Your Brand – Operationalizing Terrorism................................................. 9 2. Government Definitions of Terrorism ............................................................... 10 3. Academic Considerations of Terrorism............................................................. 13 4. Our Working Definition.................................................................................... 17 III. MY ANTHROPOLOGY OF TERRORISM, PART I: METHODS IN TERROR GROUP RESEARCH..................................................................................................... 19 1. Methods of Inquiry in Terrorism....................................................................... 19 2. Archival Data Collection................................................................................... 20 3. Fieldwork ......................................................................................................... 22 Participant Selection, Sampling, and Informant Handling........................... 23 4. Making Sense of the Data – Case Study Method ............................................... 25 vi IV. MY ANTHROPOLOGY OF TERRORISM, PART II: TRADITIONS OF THEORY IN TERROR GROUP RESEARCH ............................................................................... 26 1. New Beginnings – Ziad Jarrah .......................................................................... 27 2. Theory Building in Terrorism Research ............................................................ 29 Events-Based Divergence in Terrorism Literature ...................................... 30 3. Traditional Theories in Terrorist Recruitment ................................................... 35 Frustration-Aggression and Negative Identity Hypotheses.......................... 37 Narcissistic Rage Hypothesis ..................................................................... 39 Bridging the Theoretical Gap ..................................................................... 39 4. Scale-Free Network Theory .............................................................................. 43 Network Analysis in Terrorism: The Path to Scale-Free ............................. 47 5. Our Working Theoretical Position..................................................................... 49 V. TERROR RISING: THE CULTURE OF JIHAD – ISLAM, MARTYRDOM, AND REVOLUTION FEVER................................................................................................. 53 1. Husayn’s Martyrdom at Karbala ....................................................................... 53 The New Tactic: Martyrdom ...................................................................... 55 Husayn’s Legacy........................................................................................ 57 2. Traditions in Shahadat...................................................................................... 58 3. The Old Man of the Mountain & Hashshashin Devotion ................................... 59 Nizari Tradition.......................................................................................... 63 4. The Islamic Revival and Wahhabism ................................................................ 64 5. The Revolutionary Age of Terrorism ................................................................ 66 Anarchy as Terrorism................................................................................. 70 The Russian Brand of Terrorism ................................................................ 71 vii February Revolutions: The Birth of 20th Century Terrorism........................ 74 6. June 2005, London...........................................................................................
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