Terrorist group Al Qaeda Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Terrorist group Al Qaeda - Research Paper Example Many claim that the origins of the group go back to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, giving us a glimpse of the basis for the group from its inception. It is basically a stateless army made up of mostly Sunni Muslim’s who are willing to die for their cause. This paper is designed to explain Al Qaeda and to educate the reader about the dangers of the organization and what the global community is doing to protect itself from the radical group moving forward. Numerous attacks have been attributed to Al Qaeda, including embassy bombings, that attacks in Bali, and the horrific events that occurred on September 11, 2001. These, and other events like them, were brazen attacks that the organization proudly took credit for. There have been hopeful signs in recent years, however, of a weakened organization in light of numerous leaders being killed by enemy forces, such as Osama bin Laden. Whereas previously Al Qaeda had a strong leadership at the top that directed nearly movement of its followers, the group today lacks strong top-down management, resulting in many splinter groups that are formed in response (Fariborz, 2010). In addition, many members of Al Qaeda have branched off on their own, opting to carry out their own ideological principles that might be in conflict at some level with the organization as a whole. With all of the signs pointing to a weakened Al Qaeda today, the possibility exits to think that the danger is over, but this would be a mistake. Let us now take a look at the historical basis of Al Qaeda and why the future will most likely see a resurgence in the group purporting acts of terror throughout the world. Going back to the beginning, we know that Al Qaeda began largely as a result of Afghans rising up to fend off the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. In order to win this war, multitudes of volunteers from across the Middles East arrived to fight in Afghanistan. These individuals were known at the Mujahideen, and they were known to be f ighters that would go to any length to defend their Muslim brothers. Naturally, a movement like this need tremendous capital resources, chief among them money. This is where Osama bin laden entered in. He quickly rose up to the person primarily responsible for bankrolling a new organization whose primary responsibility was infiltrating Mosques around the world to recruit Muslims to join the cause. The Mujahideen, then, more than any other factor, was largely responsible for defeating the Soviets and keeping Afghanistan a sovereign nation (Jones, 2012). With the war over, Osama bin Laden did return to Saudi Arabia, which is where he is from. While there, he worked feverishly in establishing a group that was designed to aid the veterans of the Afghan War. Many of these individuals had now moved on from Afghanistan as to fight in other wars that were going on around the world, all of which was viewed as a fight for the Muslim cause. As Osama bin Laden began to develop this organization , the need for recruiting more fighters and to raise more money became apparent. Out of this resolve was the basis for forming the organization we know today as Al Qaeda. While back in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden began studying on an even deeper level with various radical Islamic thinkers in the region. Many of these clerics and leaders were very interested in what he was doing, and indications are that he was starting to grow an elaborate organization even before the Iraq invasion of Kuwait in 1990.