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Al-Qaeda 'losing Muslim support'
08/09/2006 11:33 - (SA)
London - Al-Qaeda is losing sympathy among the world's Muslims five years on from the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, a report said on Friday.
But al-Qaeda's status as a global player has been unintentionally enhanced by the way the United States and its allies have reacted to the attacks, said the study published by Chatham House, a respected London-based foreign affairs think-tank.
Osama bin Laden's global terror network has forced Western policies towards the Muslim world to be examined and sparked a rise in home-grown terrorism in Europe, said the report titled Al-Qaeda Five Years On: Threats and Challenges.
Mixed fortunes
And it has scored a propaganda gain by ingraining the link between terrorism and regional crises such as the war in Iraq or the Israel-Palestine conflict, it added.
Dr Maha Azzam, the report's author, said that five years after al-Qaeda crashed planes into the World Trade Centre in New York and The Pentagon defence headquarters in Washington, a mixed picture of the network's fortunes was emerging.
"Although its image as a powerful terrorist organisation has been enhanced, its leaders hide in caves and have lost the broad support of Muslims," she told AFP.
Consequences of policies
"Al-Qaeda's biggest success is that it has put on the table very clearly the link between regional crises and terrorism. Policy-makers are still in denial.
"It has forced Muslims and non-Muslims to say much more clearly that the policies of Western governments have consequences - including terrorism."
Challenge to legitimacy
According to the report, al-Qaeda is facing a "very serious challenge to its legitimacy" after its terrorist activities in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, causing a slump in support among Muslims.
"Once al-Qaeda touched Muslim civilians, the message came out loud and clear. The wanton violence became very distasteful and they couldn't support it any longer," Azzam said.
Association between Islam and violence
"Al-Qaeda has failed in its aspiration to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim masses, particularly because there has been a growing discomfort about the association between Islam and violence.
While the message of al-Qaeda resonates politically with many Muslims, there has been a clear withdrawal of support, even among the minority, for al-Qaeda's violent tactics."
Also, moderate, non-violent Islamist movements are witnessing an increase in fortunes, as evidenced by the electoral success achieved by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
Propaganda gain
The report said regional issues had a unifying effect among Muslims, including perceived injustices against the Palestinians, the war in Iraq, and the recent conflict in Lebanon.
Because these are seen as justifying forces behind suicide bombings, the majority of Muslims, and some Western governments, increasingly accept that there is a link between regional crises and terrorism, it said.
That represents a major propaganda gain for Al-Qaeda and has set in motion the most significant potential challenge for policy-makers, the report said.
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