REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, By: Ikhwanul Kiram Mashuri
Four years ago, perhaps we thought terrorist groups had already gone. At that time, on 2nd May 2011, thousands or even millions of people watched the end of Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Or the end of journey of al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. He was killed in an operation by 24 elite members of US Navy forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The body of Osama was then wrapped in a shroud and tied with ballast beneath, and then thrown into the sea and drowned slowly. Thus no one knew exactly where was Osama grave. It might be also the body of the founder and leader of terrorist organization who was feared by the international community, was then devoured by whales and other predatory fishes.
With the death of Osama bin Laden many people assumed, including President Barack Obama, that al Qaeda has gone. Al Qaeda have died with the throwing of the corpse of Osama bin Laden into the sea. Moreover, almost all important figures in terrorist organization were then also eradicated. They were killed or arrested.
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For example, Anwar al Awlaqi, designer of al Qaeda operations. The terrorist who was from US-Yemen offspring, was shot while hiding in Yemen on 30th September 2011. Also Abu Musab al-Zarkawi, al Qaeda field commander, who was killed in Iraq in 2006. Then the designer of military operations Abu Laith al-Liby, a chemical weapons expert Abu Khabab, in charge of finance of al Qaeda Saed al Masry. Included a personal driver, aide, and children of Osama. They were killed or arrested and then thrown into Guantanamo prison.
However, does it mean the arrest and killing of al Qaeda's leaders, terrorism has been completely discharged? Turned out it did not. It was similar with when the troops of United States (US) had been withdrawn from Iraq, which became the reason for the rise of terrorism in the country.
Various analyses were also conveyed by a number of observers in the Middle East. According to them, there were mistakes in diagnosing the problem of terrorism, so that it appeared a group that was calling itself as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria a.k.a ISIS. The terrorist groups that was also often referred to as Daisy (ad Daulah Islamiyah fi al-Iraq al wa as shams) was even more powerful and more dangerous than al Qaeda.
According to observers in the Middle East, Abdul Rahman al Rashid, terrorism was not defined or was not associated with a character or leader. Nor it was related to motivations or reasons that have been put as basis for acts of terrorism.
Terrorism is an ideology. Adherents of ideology of terrorism could from all walks of life. It could be among religious leaders, preachers, businessmen, media, teachers/educators, youth, students, and others. People who believed and then engaged in radicalism/terrorism ideology was more important than Osama bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarkawi, Ayman al Zawahiri, and so on.
They could create new leaders and new organizations with a different name. Including areas of their operations. Look, they have created Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in lieu of Osama bin Laden. They also have formed ISIS or Boko Haram as a replacement for al Qaeda.
They also moved the area of operations to Iraq and Syria instead of Afghanistan or Pakistan. They also took advantage of social media such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp than a videotape of Osama bin Laden era.
As a result, ISIS was actually more dangerous than al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. They have successfully dropped Russian passenger plane simply by planting a kilogram of bombs. They successfully launched a number of attacks in Paris. They had attacked Presidential Security Forces in Tunisia. They have managed to carry out suicide bombings in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. All they did just within a matter of days. Now, they even issued a threat to launch a similar action against the United Kingdom, the US, Thailand, and others.
During this time, we were misunderstood about the existence of terrorist groups. First, we considered terrorist groups would discharge by itself with the death of its leaders. Second, we often got stuck on the reasons delivered by radical groups. For example, the occurrence of terrorist acts was as a result of the injustice of the world/United Nations (UN) to Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In this case, the West - especially the US - always favored the interests of Israel rather than Palestine.
The reason was probably true. However, the real question was what has been done by the terrorist group to liberate Palestinian people from the clutches of the Zionist occupiers? The answer was zero. Not al Qaeda nor ISIS ever attacked Israel and helped the Palestinian.
Third, there was omission of the conflict areas. Al-Qaeda thrived in Afghanistan for many years. ISIS could exist and even set up a state in two regions that were also being hit by conflict, Iraq and Syria.
Fourth, there was omission of development of radical ideology. That was ideology that justifies any means to a destination, including violent ways: kidnap, burn, kill, torture, and so on.
After Adolf Hitler committed suicide and his body was burned, the Allies as the winner of war was not to fly the flag in Berlin, but they also banned the Nazi ideology. Like a carcass, Nazi fascist ideology should be shunned and buried deeply. Anyone who was concerned with the Nazis would be excluded from community activities.
Terrorist ideologies story that were witnessing today was exactly the same as the Nazis. That was a belief based on racial superiority and deny other races. Radical or terrorist ideology was also based on absolute obedience, then hatred and hostility to another person or group.
Therefore, if we wanted to eliminate al Qaeda, ISIS or Daisy, Boko Haram, and other radical groups, then we needed to kill their ideology. Without it, the world would continue to be haunted by brutal acts of terrorists.
