Sovereign
Citizen Movement: Domestic Terrorist Organization
Ideology
The movement
operates on the idea that its physical presence in the U.S does not amount to
an acceptance of the sovereignty of the U.S government over them (Bjolopera,
2013). Not only do they consider themselves as separate, they also claim to be
sovereign from the U.S. This is exhibited by a rejection of any form of
government authority.
Social, cultural
and Political origins
Sovereign
Citizen traces its origins in the 1970s. It started on a foundation that tended
to hinge on the idea of White supremacy (White, 2011). This supremacist leaning
may no longer be the case given that the group currently admits non whites into
its membership (Bjolopera, 2013).On the political side, the group takes issue
with the Fourteenth Amendment in the American constitution.
Membership
Estimates
suggest that the group could be having an estimated membership of 300,000. Much
of this is comprised of a loose collection of small organized groups
(Bjolopera, 2013). For instance, the Montana Freemen which made headlines in
the 1990s was affiliated to the Sovereign Citizens.
Recruitment
Due to the
absence of a central leadership, the members of the group often act as
individuals (Bjolopera, 2013). Recruitment is mostly done through their broad
networks that include publications and seminars. Leading ideologues in the
group commonly known as ‘gurus’ help in spreading their ideas through
proselytizing in every available media including the internet. Such
publications are aimed at casting the Federal government as an illegitimate
entity.
Sovereign
citizens mainly send their messages by ignoring laws and all many of things
they deem representative of government (Bjolopera, 2013). To this end, it is
common to find members avoiding taxes as well as permit requirements. But the
group has had occasions to engage in violent confrontations with law
enforcement. The 2010 confrontation with West Memphis, TN, police officer left
two Sovereign members dead.
Al
Qaeda: An International Terrorist Network
Ideology
As a network, Al
Qaeda formally came into existence in 1999 when the late Osama Bin Laden and
Egyptian Ayman al Zawahiri agreed to form a common organization. Both men drew
inspiration from the scholarly writings of U.S educated Sayid Qutb. Al Qaeda as
a network operates on a Jihadist ideology which tries to impose an extremist
form of Islam on everybody. It is also
characterized by a peculiar disdain for the West and its institutions.
Social,
cultural and Political origins
Osama Bin Laden
had the intention of creating an Islamic caliphate in the whole world where the
guiding rules would be the strict interpretation of the Islamic Quran. This
explains the global reach of the network as a terrorist organization. Osama
also thought that many Arab Muslim states has strayed from the original teachings
of Islam as should, therefore, be overthrown.
Membership
Al Qaeda draws
its membership from across the whole world (Rollins, 2011). Almost all members
profess the Muslim religion since the network is committed to advancing
extremist approach to the religion. It seems that the nationality of the
recruits is not important in any way so long as one is a follower of Islam.
Even American citizens work with Al Qaeda cells across the world. Although
there are some women in the network, most members are male.
Recruitment
As a terrorist
network, Al Qaeda is very meticulous in its recruitment process. A majority of
its members are recruited as young intelligent men (Rollins, 2011). There is no evidence to suggest that Al Qaeda
targets any particular social class in its recruitment. This is exemplified by
the diversity of classes in its membership. Indoctrination is the main approach
of getting new members. Specific places for finding recruits include mosques,
prisons, madrasas and theatres of war.
In terms of
organizational structure, Al Qaeda achieves its objectives through the various
cells operating in countries across the globe (Rollins, 2011). The cells enjoy
a great deal of autonomy in terms of what their goals and how to achieve them.
The central authority was, merely, inspiration besides helping with finance
whenever that is needed by the cells.
Violence has
been the single most tool of terrorism for Al Qaeda (Rollins, 2011). The 9/11
attacks is the most memorable terrorist act by the network. It was also
responsible for the bombings of the U.S embassies in both Kenya and Tanzania in
1998.
Sovereign
Citizen Movement and Al Qaeda: Main Difference
The two
terrorist groups largely differ in their geographical spheres with Al Qaeda
operating on a global scale while the other is restricted to the U.S. Besides,
Al Qaeda pursues a religious and political ideology as opposed to the other
organization that does not identify with any religious group (White, 2011).
Lastly, Al Qaeda uses violence as the predominant persuasive tool in contrast
to the Sovereigns who mostly ignore laws.
References
Bjelopera,J.P.(2013).The Domestic Terrorist Threat: Background
and Issues for Congress. Congressional
Research Service.
Rollins, J.
(2011).Al Qaeda and Affiliates:
Historical Perspective, Global Presence, and Implications
for U.S Policy. Congressional Research Service.
White, J.R.
(2011).Terrorism & Homeland Security,
Seventh Edition.Belmon, CA: Wadsworth.
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