Was ist Econo-Jihad?
Vor einigen Wochen veröffentlichte das Online-Magazin „Al Yaqeen“ einen Artikel über die asymmetrische Kriegsführung der Al-Qaida, wo insbesondere die wirtschaftliche Kriegsführung detailiert dargestellt wurde. Gabriel Weimann, israelischer Medienwissenschaftler und Experte für Online-Jihadismus, analysiert nun in der Yale Global diesen „Econo-Jihad“.
War by Other Means: Econo-Jihad
“We were patient fighting the Soviet Union with small humble arms for ten years, we depleted their economy till they vanished, all grace be to Allah. You should take a lesson from that, we will be patient fighting you, Allah’s willing, till either one of us dies.” – Osama Bin Laden, January 21st, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC: Al Qaeda, known for its spectacular attacks on US embassies, Navy ships and symbols of military and economic power may be fine-tuning its targets to cause maximum damage to the western economy. Recent Jihadi chatter on the Internet suggests both exultation about the economic crisis gripping the west and a call for what can be labeled as “Econo-Jihad,” targeting Western financial systems and economic infrastructure. This not simply a new propaganda spin . Monitoring Al Qaeda’s online statements, videos, audio messages, letters and press releases reveals that Jihadists see Econo-Jihad as a promising weapon of terror and the current financial crisis as a result of their activities. In fact, crippling the Western economy may now be the primary goal for the Jihadis.
While not a new idea for Bin Laden and his supporters, Econo-Jihad has certainly become more appealing for them recently. As long ago as 2002, Al Qaeda claimed that its strategy was to reduce America to economic ruin. On its now defunct website, alneda.com, the movement’s propagandists assured its followers that even though the September 11 attacks had failed to deliver the knockout blow Bin Laden had intended, they needn’t despair. Just as the Mujahideen had triumphed against all odds over the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, defeat of the United States was inevitable.
In 2004 Bin Laden referred to the 9/11 attacks as economic: in his videotape broadcast on Al Jazeera and posted online, he bragged that Al Qaeda spent $500,000 on the event, while America lost, „according to the lowest estimate, $500 billion … meaning that every dollar of Al Qaeda defeated a million dollars [of America] … besides the loss of a huge number of jobs.“ „America is a superpower, with enormous military strength and vast economic power,“ he concluded, „but all this is built on foundations of straw. So it is possible to target those foundations and focus on their weakest points, which, even if you strike only one-tenth of them, then the whole edifice will totter and sway.“
The Jihadi calls for Econo-Jihad are well accepted and further promoted by their numerous online forums and chat rooms. The concept of jihad, dating back to the earliest stages of Islam, has always been open to various interpretations. Jihad as a requirement for all Muslims was presented and discussed in various dimensions, including military, spiritual, political, religious and more. Islamist discourse, as is evident in Islamist forums and websites, is increasingly proposing the use of Econo-Jihad. In this variation, jihads aim primarily at undermining the Western economy, particularly the US economy, with the ultimate goal of bringing about the total collapse of the West.
In March 2004, the Al Qaeda online magazine Mu`askar al-Battar (Issue No. 7), presented a list of economic targets, arguing that “The goals of hitting those targets are to create a disruption in the stability required for moving the economic sector towards progression…” Another goal is to withdraw or force the withdrawal of foreign capital from the local market. The magazine wrote: “This was accomplished by hitting the petroleum wells and pipes in Iraq, which kept foreign companies away from touching the oil, or at least created an absence of security and stability needed to steal the Muslims’ wealth”. The bulletin suggested these actions: attacking international corporations, experts in economics, the investment operations of Jews and Christians in Muslim countries, the imports brought from enemy crusader countries, and raw materials stolen from the Muslim countries.
In what can be seen as shifting the emphasis from causing military to economic damage, in September 2005, a 69-page magazine published by the “Media Committee” of the mujahedeen in Afghanistan, titled: “The Vanguards of Kharasan,” was posted on the Internet. The publication includes articles which emphasize the economic consequences of the Jihadi campaign. The July 7, 2005 London bombings are presented as a success due to their impact on the global economic situation. Such articles, as “We Have Won a Decisive Round,” explains in 10-pages, that these bombings, which are to coincide with other “victories” in New York City and Madrid, had a great impact upon the world economy, as well as having symbolic significance for future as the attacks occurred a day after London was chosen for the 2012 Olympics. Another article, “Global Jihad – and the Afghani Front,” emphasizes that Afghanistan is important on a global scale, not only because it was the first in the “wagon of jihad,” but it also is allegedly placing a great strain on America’s military and financial faculties.
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