CTC report: 85% of AQ’s victims are Muslim
I may be the last in the class to see this because of my recent break, but this report from Westpoint’s CTC looks excellent. Not sure how they calculated “Westerners” who were “Muslims” but in fairness I haven’t read the report yet, it’s still in the reading pile. So I guess I’ll find out how these categories are defined when I read it.
A brief excerpt:
Since the inception of al‐Qa’ida, the organization has claimed to represent Muslim interests around the world declaring itself the vanguard of true Islam, and the defender of Muslim people. Unfortunately for al‐Qa’ida, their actions speak louder than their words. The fact is that the vast majority of al‐Qa’ida’s victims are Muslims: the analysis here shows that only 15% of the fatalities resulting from al‐Qa’ida attacks between 2004 and 2008 were Westerners.
This report used Arabic media sources to study the victim’s of al‐Qa’ida’s violence through a non‐Western prism. This allows researchers to avoid accusations of bias associated with Western news outlets or U.S.‐based datasets. Almost all of the major terrorism incident databases utilize Western and English language reporting as primary source material. Al‐Qa’ida and sympathizers consistently argue that Western media outlets are no more than propaganda machines, and therefore, any reports or data they release distort facts or lack accuracy. English language sources lack credibility in certain parts of the world. In order to ensure both the accuracy and credibility of the analysis and conclusions, the report relied exclusively on Arabic language media sources when coding fatalities. All of the sources used in this exercise are available as an appendix to this report to ensure that other researchers can reproduce these results.
The results show that non‐Westerners are much more likely to be killed in an al‐Qa’ida attack. From 2004 to 2008, only 15% percent of the 3,010 victims were Western. During the most recent period studied the numbers skew even further. From 2006 to 2008, only 2% (12 of 661 victims) are from the West, and the remaining 98% are inhabitants of countries with Muslim majorities. During this period, a person of non‐Western origin was 54 times more likely to die in an al‐Qa’ida attack than an individual from the West.The overwhelming majority of al‐Qa’ida victims are Muslims living in Muslim countries, and many are citizens of Iraq, which suffered more al‐Qa’ida attacks than any other country courtesy of the al‐Qa’ida in Iraq (AQI) affiliate.
Link is here.
Thanks for the heads up on the report, ill have to read it. But the main thing I hope this highlights for Westerners, if anything, is that they’ve never really been the primary target or focus of AQ. Their primary concern seems to have always been the “near enemy” (supposed apostate regimes and “soft” Muslims). Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on that assertion, but that’s what I’ve gotten out of their rhetoric and actions these past few years.
This report makes Adam Gadahn’s statement that Jarrett Brachman wrote about a few weeks back even more ridiculous:
http://jarretbrachman.net/?p=248
Blaine,
I don’t know that I would agree that their aim is primarily against the “near enemy”, it’s just that it is so much easier to strike at them than the “far enemy” of the West. It takes far less coordination, travel, and expertise.
It’s also likely that strikes in the ME help maintain the name of AQ in the news (no such thing as bad publicity), shows that they are willing to strike (and have the capability and equipment required), and that they have recruits will to blow themselves up (which helps in normalizing the idea of committing such acts for future recruits).
I don’t think I’d gain a sense of security from the report. I just get a further sense of how bizarre the organization is, but how good they are at spinning their side of the story.
Chris,
I wouldn’t say one should get a sense of security from the report, my main point is simply that.. While its understandable… Looking at things through a “western centric lens” when it comes to AQ isn’t particularly helpful in trying to understand them as an organization. No doubt the “far enemy” or “Crusaders” as they routinely call us feature prominently in their strategy, in so much as their immediate goal regarding the West has been expelling Western powers from the Middle East. But given the fact that their inspiration has been primarily culled from spiritual leaders whose primary focus seemed to be with revolutionizing the Muslim world so as to bring it back to the supposed golden days of Islam, I don’t think its wrong of me to say that the primary target of AQ is and always is and always has been Muslims in the Middle East.
Peace brothers.
I think the al qaeda is a ghost organisation created by the western media to induce fear into the lives of the western public. Everything gets blamed on the al qaeda. Why would majority of the AQ killings are muslims when they are there to supposedly protect the muslims. Something does not make any sense. Oh n the people trying to recapture the islamic golden age, which was beyond doubt a golden era, is the taliban. If u understand islam fully u would know its not a radical or extreme religion. Peace