Introduction
A terrorist movement is a group of people who use violence, intimidation, or threat to achieve their objectives, mainly political, ideological, or religious (Thefreedictionary, 2010). Terrorist groups have operated in Middle East and Africa for a long time. Middle East in particular has been a haven for terrorist movements for a very long time. These movements have been motivated by politics, religion, and ideological stands.
Similarities between Middle-East and Africa Terrorist Movements
Most of the terrorist groups in Africa today have their roots in the Middle East. They thus operate across the two continents with some of them having bases in the two continents. For example Al Qaeda, one of the most fierce and largest groups, has its bases spread across Middle East and Africa. It has established its bases in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somali, and Algeria and has links in many other African countries (Mills, 2004). In these countries, it has well established cells, which it uses to launch attacks both within and outside the countries. It also has had several other affiliated groups which assist it in its operation in countries like Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, and other North African countries (Schmitt, 2003). Its main goal is to fight against the establishment of Israel and also to challenge the American domination and what they refer to illegal occupation of the holy land and Islamic land. This religious extremist stance is usually their main driving force. As a result they aim to fight and destroy everyone who is sympathetic to Israel and US.
Another goal of the terrorist movement is to overthrow the political establishments in their respective countries and establish religious states. In both Middle East and African countries, terrorist movements have taken advantage of instability, political unrest, and poor governance to establish them selves. Many of the host countries have had political unrests or weak governance which encouraged their establishment. For example, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somali, Algeria, and Lebanon have had political upheavals that provided the groups with a perfect breeding ground. In Somali, the lack of legitimate authority and war has created humble opportunity for establishment of terrorist cells (Menkhaus, 2003). As a result, the groups were able to infiltrate and set up large terrorist cells that have advanced to give rise to other smaller terrorist groups across the world.
Differences
Unlike African terrorists’ movements, many of the terrorist groups in the Middle East are state sponsored (Foreign Policy Magazine, N.d). Authorities in the Middle East such as Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan have been known to sponsor and aid terrorist activities. They have also provided bases for the establishment of these groups, thus creating a safe haven for their activities. This has made sure that these groups continue to thrive in these states unabated despite desperate attempts by the international community to eradicate them. Their goal is usually to establish religious authorities in the region based on religious teachings and also to end Zionism.
Another important difference between the African and Middle East movements is the level of organization. Their goals to create a formidable movement that would challenge the supremacy of the world powers. Unlike the African movements which are small, temporal, and loosely organized, the Middle East groups are usually large, highly organized, and relatively permanent. The leadership is clearly spelt and has a large pool of finance from the international supporters and personal businesses all over the world (Phillips, 1994).
Reference
Foreign Policy Magazine, (N.d.). Middle East Terrorism – State-sponsored Terrorism: The Function of Terrorist Groups. Web.
Menkhaus, K. (2003). Somalia: State Collapse and the Threat of Terrorism. Adelphi Paper, no. 364 London: IISS and Oxford University Press, pp. 72–75.
Mills, G. (2004). Africa’s New Strategic Significance. The Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pp. 157–169.
Phillips, J. (1994). The Changing Face of Middle Eastern Terrorism. Web.
Schmitt, E. (2003). U.S. Military Wants to Increase Its Presence in Africa. Sydney Morning Herald. Web.
Thefreedictionary, (2010). Terrorist group. Web.