"Al-Qaeda in Iraq"

When people hear the news of insurgent attacks in Iraq, they wonder, "Why are these people trying to destroy this country?"

by Dr. Mark A. Gabriel

To understand the situation, you need to recognize that "insurgents," as they are referenced in the media, are not all the same. There two kinds of motivation for insurgents: (1) those who are motivated primarily by nonreligious reasons (such as politics, money, power, etc.), and (2) those who are motivated primarily by Islamic teaching. Those in category 1 are open to negotiation and compromise. Those in category 2, the religiously motivated insurgents, are not going to negotiate.

Any person or group is a blend of category 1 and 2, but you can almost always determine their primary motive-whether it is a religious or not. Al-Qaeda's operation in Iraq is a perfect example of a religiously motivated group.

Why Al-Qaeda Fights
Al-Qaeda has three main reasons for fighting in Iraq.
1. Fulfilling the law of Islam. America and allies invaded Iraq, a Muslim country, and according to Islamic law, when a Muslim nation is invaded by a non-Muslim nation, every Muslim man and woman must defend the country.
2. Staying on strategy. In Afghanistan America's battle with Al-Qaeda is all but won. The allied forces have almost destroyed them, and Al-Qaeda wants a new front for fighting America. The reason for Al-Qaeda's existence right now is to fight America and the West, and Iraq presents a good opportunity to do this.

3. Resisting non-Muslim government. Al-Qaeda does not want Iraq to succeed with a non-Islamic government. If democracy works in Iraq, then the United States may help other Muslim countries try it, and the Islamic world will move further and further away from Islamic law and government. Egyptian radicals are willing to destroy Egypt while attempting to install Islamic government, and they will not hesitate to do the same in Iraq. To the radicals, starting a civil war would be ideal.

What Will Stop Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda does not care about the well-being of the nation of Iraq. It is only interested in its own agenda.

The world community needs to understand that they must continue to provide military support in Iraq because Al-Qaeda is fighting on the basis of their Islamic ideology. Al-Qaeda will not stop or go away until their goals are met or they are stopped by a greater force and strategy.

Insurgents want the United States and its allies to run away from Iraq just as the Soviets ran away from Afghanistan. Then Al-Qaeda could use Iraq as its new base for establishing Islamic government and work strategically to restore the caliphate.

If you want to learn more about the strategy of Al-Qaeda, you will want to read my most recent book, Journey Into the Mind of the Islamic Terrorist.