Naming The Enemy

A “jihadist” is generally a devout Muslim seeking spiritual transformation. An “Islamist” is usually a political astute Muslim who believes government should abide by religious principles. Neither of these is a terrorist. Why does the West use these labels in "the global war on terror"?

By Hesham Hassaballa.
First Published 2008-09-30,
Last Updated 2008-09-30 08:29:41
Courtesy Of Middle-East-Online

Analysts, pundits, and commentators alike continue to opine over whether Senator Obama or Senator McCain "won" the first debate on September 26. Although the candidates touched upon the current economic crisis, the main focus of the debate was foreign policy, and inevitably, the topic of the "War on Terror" was touched upon. Senator McCain continues to assert that the "central front" of the War on Terror is in Iraq, while Senator Obama calls Afghanistan the "real War on Terror."

Both approaches seem to rely upon a sole military focus when it comes to the fight against the terrorists. But the "War on Terror" is much more than that. It is a battle that must be fought on many fronts: law-enforcement, political, financial, and yes, military.

One important front has to do with the semantics of who the enemy is. Earlier this year, a memo to State Department employees cautioned against using terms such as "jihadist" and "Islamist," saying that such terms honor terrorists and marginalize moderate Muslims. The British government has similarly abandoned such terms.

This has caused ire on the Right, who argue that this is caving in to "Islamist pressure" and "political correctness." In fact, Congressman Peter Hoekstra of Michigan offered an amendment to the 2009 Intelligence Authorization Act to would ban any restriction of the words "jihadist" or "Islamist." The amendment reads:

None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this act may be used to prohibit or discourage the use of the words or phrases 'jihadist,' 'jihad,' 'Islamo-fascism,' 'caliphate,' 'Islamist' or 'Islamic terrorist' by or within the intelligence community or the Federal Government.

The amendment was approved by a vote of 249-180. Quoted by the Detroit News, Rep. Hoekstra said, "I am sympathetic to the argument that if used inappropriately, the words can be counterproductive, but I find that the people who are criticizing this are very short on alternatives. So how do they want us to describe al-Qaida and what they are involved with?"

Apparently, the terms "terrorists," or "criminals," or "murderers," are not forceful enough. But if we should not call them "jihadists" or "Islamo-facscists," then what should we call them?

By their rightful names: khawarij, or "neo-Kharijites."

The Kharijites (lit., "those who went out") go back to the very beginnings of Islamic history. During the reign of the fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib -- the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, and the first Imam in Shia theology -- a dispute raged over leadership, and it ended up causing civil war. The governor of Damascus, Mu'awiyah, was one of Ali's principal opponents, and their forces met during the Battle of Siffin in 658. After this battle, both Ali and Mu'awiyah agreed to arbitration.

The Kharijites rejected this arbitration and rebelled against them both. Their theology was extreme, believing that anyone who commits a grave sin is no longer a Muslim and is to be killed unless they repent. They wreaked havoc on Muslim societies for decades, initiating many rebellions against Muslim authorities. In fact, caliph Ali himself was assassinated by the Kharijites.

The terrorists of Al Qa'ida are very similar to the Kharijites. If you are not a Muslim like them, then you are an "apostate" who should be killed. The terrorists of Al Qa'ida -- just as the Kharijites -- divide the world into the dar al Islam ("realm of Islam") and dar al harb ("realm of nonbelievers"). The terrorists of Al Qa'ida -- just as the Kharijites -- believe that a perpetual war must be fought to turn all areas into dar al Islam, and this can include murder against innocents.

The term khawarij has a particularly negative connotation among Muslims across the world, as this history is well-known and well understood. If the prevailing perception of the terrorists of Al Qa'ida and the Taliban can be changed from "jihadi" to "khariji," i.e., Kharijite, it would go a long way to poison their image and expose them for who they really are: violent extremists.

Modern Muslim scholars, in fact, have appended this term to the likes of Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri, but it has not become widespread. We must make it widespread and offer this as a viable alternative to generic terms like "jihadist" and "Islamist."

The term "neo-Kharijite" does not roll of the tongue as smoothly as "Islamofascist," but it is a much more accurate term, and it will help recruit intelligence assets to help infiltrate terrorist cells, because they will be helping to destroy khawarij, i.e., neo-Kharijites, as opposed to "holy Muslim fighters." Moreover, by continually referring to the terrorists as neo-Kharijites, it will help remove any perception of legitimacy they could have as "defenders of Islam" against the West.

Using the term neo-Kharijite will go a long way to dry up potential future recruits as well as any possible tacit support given to them by local populations.

As our nation recently marked the seventh anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the country is poised to elect a new leader whose primary objective will be to protect the nation from terror, we must realize that the fight against the terrorists must be more than simply military action in Iraq or Afghanistan.

As a recent RAND corporation report stated, "Al Qa'ida's resurgence should trigger a fundamental rethinking of U.S. counterterrorism strategy." Part of that rethinking should include an ideological assault upon our terrorist enemy. Its first shots could be calling them what they truly are: the neo-Kharijites.

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a physician and writer living in Chicago. He is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday).

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