Since the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
frequent references are made to the
existence of a global terrorist network
called Al Qaeda. Headed by Osama bin Laden
and assisted by Ayman al-Zahahiri, Abu
Zubaydeh, Tahir Yuldashev and others, Al
Qaeda is held responsible by the United
States for launching a chain of terrorist
attacks in different parts of the world ,
including the one on the US embassies in
Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998. These
allegations notwithstanding, dissenting
voices have been raised against America's
attempt to use the Al Qaeda threat to
perpetuate its military involvement in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
The book under review discusses five
important themes related to Al Qaeda. First,
is a description of Al Qaeda, its formation,
composition and functioning. Second, there
is a Congressional statement made by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Third there
is information about the Al Qaeda training
manual titled Jihad Manual. Fourth,
is the testimony of Ahmed Ressam and
Zacarias Mousauni, Al Qaeda members, before
the federal district courts of New York and
Virginia. Both the testimonies revealed Al
Qaeda's attempt to carry out terrorist acts
in the United States. Finally, the author
has reproduced articles from the New York
Times and Financial Times
discussing Al Qaeda's command and control
system, curricula, recruitment, intelligence
network, financial transactions and so
forth.
The author, who is an Indian Police Service
Officer, has tried to put the argument
before the readers that "it is high time
that the entire world gets a wake up call
and functions in unison against this form of
terrorism. The global alliance against
terrorism should be as sensitive to the
needs of India, China and Russia as it is to
the American and British interests."
The question is why the author's stress is
on an alliance of non-Muslim powers against
Al Qaeda, when a number of Muslim states
have condemned the activities of the
terrorist organization and are themselves a
victim of religious militarism. By
describing Al Qaeda as an Islamic
fundamentalist organization, the author
reinforces US fears and proves America and
India to be the natural allies in the war
against terrorism.
The credibility of the book is rather
doubtful for two main reasons. First, the
author being an official in the Indian
Police Service, lacks objectivity and
rationality in his arguments. He toes New
Delhi's line on terrorism. Not having even
visited Afghanistan, which was called a hub
of the Al Qaeda terrorist network, the
author has a one-sided approach.
Secondly, a major portion of the book is
based on American and British sources. That
robs it of credibility. The author's
approach is highly subjective. Thus the
appendix of the book (pp. 289-313) which
describes the activities of Al Qaeda and its
involvement with chemical, biological,
radiological and nuclear weapons in
1997-2002 is based on the confession of Al
Qaeda members which is hardly an authentic
source given the methods used by the Federal
Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to extract
such confessions. Other sources should also
have been consulted.
A major contradiction in the author's
argument on the Al Qaeda is his contention
that the organization seeks "to overthrow
the Western influenced, corrupt Islamic
regimes like Saudi Arabia" and at the same
time he claims that the Al Qaeda receives
active support from fundamentalist ruling
elites in Islamic countries. The book, like
many other studies on terrorism written
after September 11, 2001, gives a biased
picture of Islam and links it with
terrorism.
For the sake of intellectual honesty, the
author should not have taken a blindly
pro-American position in his book. Moreover,
he fails to study the causes which resulted
in the creation of Al Qaeda and its resort
to violence against America. However, the
author has examined the linkage between the
Afghan jihad against the Soviets and the
presence of thousands of Muslims from
different parts of the world fighting
against the Soviet Union.
The Soviet withdrawal and the American
apathy towards Afghanistan after 1989
created resentment among the Islamic groups
which were fighting against Moscow's
military intervention in that country and
felt betrayed by Washington. Al Qaeda is
nothing but the outcome of American failure
to understand the issues confronting the
Muslims, particularly the question of
Palestine and the US military presence in
the Arabian peninsula.
As the Al Qaeda continues to resort to
terrorism, more literature on that
organization can be expected. Many books
have already been published on this subject
and for an author to win a substantial
readership, it is essential that he should
be objective in his presentation of facts
and analysis. |
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