theme 4: religion, ethnicity and political minorities Flashcards
(39 cards)
what are the four main terror groups?
-Hezbollah
-Muslim Brotherhood
-Hamas
-Al-qaida
what group were not willing to support Nasser’s rule and who were they?
-Muslim Brotherhood
-founded in 1928, called for a renewed faith in Islam and appealed to the urban masses who had no trade unions to represent them.
what group did Nasser fear?
-influence of the muslim brotherhood as it represents an alternative to his national union and might claim allegiance of muslims.
-so banned in 1953 along with all other political parties.
what did the Muslim Brotherhood do to Nasser?
-Oct 1954 Nasser was shot at by a member of the brother hood, but allowed him to be seen as a further champion of the Arab world when he continued.
how did Sadat differ politically to Nasser?
-he allowed political parties to operate again, but still ensured that his party, the Arab Socialist Union continued to dominate parliament.
how did the Muslim Brotherhood reappear during Sadat’s reign?
-members focused on social work not politics but they expressed their opposition to the increase in western influence in Egypt by alcohol and dress
how did Mubarak differ politically to Sadat?
-president in 1981
-he allowed the press and political parties more freedom and Muslim Brotherhood emerged as the largest opposition party in parliament, however Mubarak’s party always secured majority.
-dependence of US and friendship with Israel led to misgivings among the muslim brotherhood
how did syria have the Muslim Brotherhood?
-had its own branch, which believed that Islam should play a key role in the government and legal system.
-sunni dominated body.
-formed an underground resistance movement and stockpiled weapons in Aleppo and Hons.
what happened in the late 1970s between Hafiz al-Assad in Syria and the Muslim Brotherhood?
-when Assad ordered a crack down they went on the offensive and in 1979 they attacked the military academy in Aleppo killing over 250.
-the gov in response sent 25,000 troops into Aleppo arrested over 8000 and later killed 500 unarmed prisoners in their cells.
what did Hafiz Al-Assad do after 1979?
-membership was made a capital offence and they started attacking members of the government.
-1981 the army launched an attack on city of Hama and killed several hundred men women and children.
what did the Muslim Brotherhood do after it was made a capital offence?
-Nov 1981 a single car bomb killed 200,
-muslim brotherhood called for a Jihad and the army demolished whole areas of the city and 10-20,000 were killed.
what happened during Bashar Al-Assad’s time in office?
-on the day of his fathers death he released hundreds of political prisoners and allowed the press more freedom.
-however the security services continued to detain people without trial and many Islamists were given long prison sentences.
-2011anti-government protests rose and Syria descended into Civil War
what is Islamic Fundamentalism?
-the belief that the state should be wholly based on a particular version of Islamic law as in Muhammad’s time.
what was the difference between Islamic Fundamentalists and Arab nationalists?
-Arab nationalists but more stress on their common language and on historical ties than on religion and was essentially secular.
-Arab islamics wanted no division between religious and political life
why was the Islamic revolution in Iran important?
-1979 not an Arab country
-the Iranian revolution was both revolutionary and Islamic and islamic law was established.
what happened in 1976 in Afghanistan?
-Afghan communists supported by the Soviet union seized control of their country and immediately faced rebellion from a number of Islamist groups who resented the foreign input
-Dec 1979 Soviets sent in troops and over next ten years Mujahideen were to fight the soviet troops.
who did the Mujahideen receive support from in 1979?
-Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia and western countries like the US.
-US provided stinger missiles and Sauds encouraged volunteers to go and fight.
who was Osama Bin Laden? what did he do?
-he was a Saudi volunteer during the soviet war in Afghan.
-son of a owner of a large construction business and used his wealth and expertise to build a vast underground complex for weapons and medical facilities in Afghan.
-he co-ordinated the activities of 15,000 Islamists fighting alongside the Mujahideen.
when did the Afghan Soviet war end?
-1989 finally forced Soviets to withdraw as realised fighting a war they couldn’t win.
example of Islamist activity?
-Egypt 1990s made an increasing number of attacks mostly on police and government officials.
-led to a clampdown by the gov and led to several assassination attempts on Murbarak.
-killing of 58 tourists in 1997 led to execution of 60 ringleaders and detention of 20,000.
-after this too weak to continue their campaign, but some concessions were made by the veil taken by women.
what did Bin Laden do when he returned to Afghan?
-sheltered by the Taliban movement and used wealth to retrieve al-Qaida and build a ‘Jihad camp for the world’.
-1998 called on Muslims to fulfill their duty to kill Americans and their allies to liberate the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and the Holy Mosque from their grip.
-hatred towards US ensured steady stream of recruits to al-Qaida.
what reason did Bin Laden give for his want for Jihad?
- presence of US military bases in the Arabian peninsula.
-the destruction of Iraq by the USA.
-US backing for Israel.
who was Ayman al-Zawahari?
-Laden’s second in command and became leader after Laden’s death.
how did al-Qaida start to attack the US?
-late 90s
-1996 truck bomb targeted US military barracks in Saud killing 400.
-1998 nineteen suicide martyrs bombed the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killing 12 American diplomats and 200 Africans.
-2000 boat packed with explosives rammed into the side of the USS cole off the coast of Yemen killing 17 US sailors.
