The Dangers of Terrorism for Europe

Brand Georg Tam is an expert on organized crime and terrorism in the Federal Republic of Germany and has written several books on these subjects. He believes that 'Salafi terrorist groups, unlike those supported by the Islamic Republic, claim universality. Despite all the changes and transitions that Al-Qaeda has undergone, for example, the goal of establishing a global caliphate, which is one of Al-Qaeda's ultimate objectives, has not changed in the last thirty years. Al-Qaeda's Salafis operate from the perspective that they must fight all non-believers. Currently, Salafi jihadist terrorists are active on five continents, even in Australia.' Brand Georg spoke in an interview with Radio Farda: What is the ideological root of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Islamic State? We must expect a long-term struggle and war that may last several generations. In today's Iraq, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who calls himself the Caliph Ibrahim, announced on June 29 of this year that he has established a new caliphate. This caliphate is now called the Islamic State. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a pioneer of this Islamic State, which is why Caliph Ibrahim praises Zarqawi. Why did Zarqawi consider himself an enemy of Shiites? Zarqawi believed that Shiites are not Muslims. He considered Shiites apostates and called them 'the treacherous sect.' Why did the Iranian government allow individuals like Zarqawi to stay in Iran for a while? In the early history of Al-Qaeda, the leadership of this organization aimed to create a united Islamic front. That is, Sunni and Shiite jihadists were supposed to carry out a coordinated struggle. It seems that even bin Laden had negotiations in Sudan and southern Lebanon. But this was only a model and never materialized. In any case, bin Laden and Zarqawi had two different views. Zarqawi, who was the emir of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, was completely opposed to bin Laden's theory of creating a common front for Sunnis and Shiites. Zarqawi was never willing to create a common front with Shiites. For this reason, a schism occurred in Al-Qaeda. Zarqawi decided to fight against the Shiites of Iraq until he was killed. Thus, it is conceivable that shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Al-Qaeda jihadists were going to Iraq through Iran, or some Al-Qaeda leaders even stayed there for a while. What is the significance of Zarqawi's political goals for the 'Islamic State' (ISIS)? Zarqawi wanted to prevent a large and powerful Shiite state at all costs. His goal was to create a large Sunni country. One of his most important teachers was a Palestinian cleric named Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, who promoted armed struggle for global jihad. Both bin Laden and Zarqawi pursued this agenda. What dangers do you see for Germany and Europe? The dangers of terrorism have never been this high for Germany and Europe. From the perspective of jihadist terrorists, September 11, 2001, was the day of awakening for armed struggle. After this day, an underground Islamist movement began to grow in all major cities of Europe. From this violent environment, occasionally, young people went to war zones. These young people went to the Caucasus, Chechnya, the Hindu Kush, and the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and even to Africa to support the jihadist struggle. Over time, terrorist infrastructures were created, for example, to facilitate the transfer of fighters from one place to another. Young European men, for example, from Germany, had to be taken to war zones. To transfer these individuals to war zones, facilities had to be provided. In this way, a movement emerged that provided the means to transfer these individuals and supported them. Over time, networks were created that collected money, and the importance of the internet and the use of communication technology increased for them. This process occurred alongside the evolution of Al-Qaeda from a military organization to a social movement, where Al-Qaeda supporters increasingly benefited from terrorist propaganda on the internet. How many young people are currently going from Europe to Syria compared to the past? Since the beginning of the Arab Spring movement, the number of this movement has increased dramatically. According to the Federal Criminal Police of Germany, at least 450 young men and women have gone to jihadist areas in the Middle East. The number of individuals who have gone from Germany may be higher. Moreover, many from England have gone to fight, with at least a thousand French individuals having gone to support the Islamic State. In September, it was reported that 3,000 Europeans were fighting in Iraq and Syria in support of Caliph Ibrahim's Islamic State. We must now account for several thousand individuals from Europe who have joined them in recent months. For comparison, in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989, about 40,000 mujahideen from 40 different countries fought. Today in Syria and Iraq, some say between 15,000 to 20,000 mujahideen from eighty countries are fighting. Today, even Muslim Uyghurs from China, jihadist terrorists from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Afghanistan, North Africa, and Europe are fighting in Syria. These movements did not have a caliphate in the past, but today they go to Syria and Iraq to strengthen the Islamic State. What is the situation of European youth in Syria? Some of these European youths are killed in combat. Some of them develop mental illnesses and lose their hopes, dreams, and delusions. But some of them become stronger in war, and propaganda affects them more. These are individuals who can potentially transfer terrorist jihad to their European homelands and continue their struggle in Europe. For example, the model for these terrorists is a French individual named Mehdi Nemmouche, who fought in Syria, went from Germany to Belgium, and attacked a Jewish museum in Brussels with a machine gun, killing two Israeli tourists and two museum staff. He was subsequently arrested. How many of these jihadists return? Hundreds. This trend has created a security issue for Germany and Europe. New conflicts have arisen in European cities for this reason. For example, it is possible that Sunni Kurds or Yazidis clash with Salafis and their supporters in street fights. Young people of Turkish descent or from Chechnya and Arab countries who are willing to commit violent acts can engage in street battles against each other. Today, we face the biggest security challenge in Germany since September 11, 2001. We must live with this high level of terrorist threat for a long time. Can this threat be fought? This threat must be fought. German security agencies and government officials in France, England, and other European countries have learned new lessons since September 11. For example, Germany is active in Afghanistan and the Middle East. This has increased the likelihood that German citizens will be targeted for terrorist attacks abroad and within Germany. Of course, this issue has security significance for all European societies. Today, small jihadist groups can easily cross European borders and resort to terrorist acts. Even an individual can easily join jihadist violent acts. The ability for terrorist threats in Europe increases every day.