Thomas W Allen

Extremist Islamic Terrorist Organizations: Dangers for the Present and Future Thomas W Allen

Extremist Islamic Terrorist Organizations: Dangers for the Present and Future Al Qaeda (AQ), an Extremist Islamic Terrorist Organization (EITO), conducted a series of then unimaginable terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001 all without the benefit of any non-traditional Muslim recruits. AQ has since indicated that they want to continue to attack the United States (US) directly in their "jihad" against the West. Thus, future attacks within the US are a near certainty. US counter-terrorism efforts to date have been reactionary and occur only after terrorists have been recruited, organized, and trained. To develop an adequate counter-terrorism program, the US must make a concerted effort to interdict EITOs before they begin to plan future attacks. Optimally, this means preventing potential recruits from joining EITOs. To accomplish this, analysts need to fully understand EITOs ideological goals, which in turn helps explain what these terrorist organizations are attempting to achieve when recruiting as well as why, how, where, and who they are recruiting. An examination of the history, leadership, and ideological goals of the first EITO, the Muslim Brotherhood as well as AQ, currently the most active and violent EITO, establishes a basic understanding of the ideological goals of most EITOs. Indications are that most EITOs have similar ideological goals calling for the advancement of Islam and a greater Islamic Nation. This postulation warrants additional examination as understanding what each EITO wants to achieve is critical in developing adequate counter-recruiting and counter-terrorism strategies. Analysis reveals EITOs conduct a multifaceted recruiting campaign.