Jump to content

Egyptian Islamic Jihad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 2a00:23c7:5e10:5600:f9d8:e00c:77d1:85fa (talk) at 21:09, 18 February 2022 (Spelling error. Missing information). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Egyptian Islamic Jihad
الجهاد الإسلامي المصري
LeadersMuhammad abd-al-Salam Faraj Executed
Ayman al-Zawahiri
Dates of operation1979–present (As of June 2001, merged with Al-Qaeda)
Merged into Al-Qaeda[1]
HeadquartersEgypt, then Afghanistan (unknown after 2001)
Active regionsWorldwide, but especially in:
IdeologyQutbism
Sunni Islamism
Salafist jihadism
Wahhabism
Anti-Communism
Anti-Zionism
Notable attacksAssassination of Anwar Sadat
AlliesState allies:

Non-state allies:

OpponentsState opponents:

The Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ, Arabic: الجهاد الإسلامي المصري), formerly called simply Islamic Jihad (Arabic: الجهاد الإسلامي and "Liberation Army for Holy Sites"[4]), originally referred to as al-Jihad, and then the Jihad Group, or the Jihad Organization,[5] is an Egyptian Islamist group active since the late 1970s. It is under worldwide embargo by the United Nations as an affiliate of Al-Qaeda.[6] It is also banned by several individual governments worldwide.[7] The group is a Proscribed Organisation in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000.[8]

The organization's original primary goal was to overthrow the Egyptian Government and replace it with an Islamic state. Later it broadened its aims to include attacking American and Israeli interests in Egypt and abroad.

The EIJ has suffered setbacks as a result of numerous arrests of operatives worldwide, most recently in Lebanon and Yemen.[citation needed] In June 2001, Al-Qaeda and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (which had been associated with each other for many years) merged into "Qaeda al-Jihad".[9] However, the UN states that there was a split in the organization when the merger was announced.[6]

Following the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, former leaders of the group in Egypt formed a political party, called the Islamic Party, which became a member of the Anti-Coup Alliance following the 2013 Egyptian coup d'etat.[10]

Activities

The organization specializes in armed attacks against high-level Egyptian Government personnel, including cabinet ministers, and car-bombings against the official US and Egyptian facilities. The original Jihad was responsible for the attempted assassinations of Interior Minister Hassan al-Alfi in August 1993 and Prime Minister Atef Sedky in November 1993. Egyptian Jihad and the rival armed group launched a wave of violence against Egypt's secular government in 1992, a campaign they only abandoned at the end of the decade. Nearly 1300 people died in the unrest, including policemen and government officials. It is responsible for the Egyptian Embassy bombing in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1995. In 1998 a planned attack against the US Embassy in Albania was thwarted by a roundup of suspects who are now called the Returnees from Albania.[citation needed]

Leadership

Although Ayman al-Zawahiri was "the one in front", Al-Sharif was the actual leader.[11] Nabil Na'eem was the leader of the group from 1988 until 1992.[12]

The al-Zawahiri faction subsequently formed an alliance with Al-Qaeda leading over time to the effective merger of the two groups operations inside Afghanistan. Even though al-Zawahiri was frequently referred to as a 'lieutenant' or 'second in command' of Al-Qaeda, this description is misleading, as it implies a hierarchical relationship.

The modern Al-Qaeda organization is the combination of bin Laden's financial resources with al-Zawahiri's ideological and operational leadership.

External aid

The extent of its aid from outside of Egypt is not known. The Egyptian Government claimed[when?] that both Iran and Osama bin Laden support the Islamic Jihad. It also may obtain some funding through various Islamic nongovernmental organizations, cover businesses, and criminal acts.[citation needed]

Unlike other militant counterparts, EIJ was noted for condemning only the government as apostate, and seeking to recruit soldiers, reporters and government workers who were untainted by jahiliyya.[13] Iraq agreed in March 1993 to renew relations with the group.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Man Behind Bin Laden". 9 September 2002.
  2. ^ Gerecht, Reuel Marc (7 January 2009). "Iran's Hamas Strategy". Wall Street Journal.
  3. ^ "Iran's Partnership with al-Qaeda and Unanswered Questions". 19 September 2015.
  4. ^ Global Briefings, Issue 27, September 1998, “Osama Bin Laden tied to other fundamentalists”.
  5. ^ Wright, Lawrence, Looming Tower, Knopf, 2006, p. 123
  6. ^ a b The Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, United Nations Security Council Committee 1267
  7. ^ "'Terror' list out; Russia tags two Kuwaiti groups". Arab Times. February 2003.
  8. ^ Terrorism Act 2000 (11, Schedule 2). 2000.
  9. ^ "The Man Behind Bin Laden". The New Yorker. 16 September 2002. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Pro-Morsy alliance considers presidential elections boycott". Egypt Independent. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  11. ^ Lawrence Wright (2 June 2008). "The Rebellion Within, An Al Qaeda mastermind questions terrorism". The New Yorker. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Egyptian jihadist leader: Bin Laden blew himself up to avoid capture". Gulf News. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference sacredcows was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ http://a.abcnews.com/images/pdf/Pentagon_Report_V1.pdf

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Egyptian_Islamic_Jihad&oldid=1072660625"