Running head: Al Shabaab and Jewish Defense League

Al Shabaab and Jewish Defense League

By
Antonio Stukes
CJM/304
Robert Kirkland
October 26, 2014

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Al Shabaab and Jewish Defense League

Ever since the September 9, 2001 terror attacks on American soil terrorism has become a
major issue across the globe. With the 9/11 attack a crucial message was sent and was very much
received by the world anyone and/or any country could be attacked. The attack brought about
unprecedented action from the United States and other nations, national security became a heated
debate, alliances between nations were formed and a war was waged all with the aim of
defeating terrorism. However events that will occur over the years after the 9/11 attack showed
that there was no defeating terrorism, at least not yet. If anything, there have been increased
terror attacks across the globe; the London train bombings, Madrid train bombings and abduction
and beheadings to mention a few.
International terrorism subsequently became a global concern as the world came up to the
reality that a terror plot planned and nurtured thousands of miles away in another country can be
delivered with precise accuracy and deadliness. States started deploying resources to fight the
new scourge. However, while international terrorism may be gaining all the attention, there is
another form of terrorism that should worry most nation states including the United States
domestic terrorism. Domestic terrorism is particularly dangerous because it is often planned and
executed within the boundaries of a state by persons considered to be citizens of the state so
there is no need to worry about gaining access into the country which could prove difficult for an
international terrorist organization. Also they may not be easily detected as the perpetrators can
easily blend into the society while being able to exploit the system in a manner that boosts their
chances of a successful terror attack.

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This paper will in the next paragraphs, examine the issue of terrorism by close looking at
an international and domestic terrorist group. The international terrorist group is the Al Shabaab
which operates from the failed state of Somalia on the eastern part of the African continent,
while the domestic terrorist group is the Jewish Defense League which operates with the United
States. Issues to be looked at include; the origins of the groups, ideologies, goals, methodologies
and tactics used.
International vs. Domestic Terror Groups
International and domestic terror groups share some similarities and have several
differences. Obviously, they both engage in violent and harmful conduct designed to achieve set
goals. However, both are significantly different in terms of ideology, methodologies and tactics.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (n.d.), international terrorist groups engage in
violent and/or dangerous act that endanger human life, done with the aim of intimidating or
coercing a civilian population or to influence the governments policy though intimidation and
coercion. The activities of international terror groups are mostly committed beyond the borders
of a nation and affect multiple nations. Domestic terrorist groups on the other hand, are groups
that are involved in carrying out actions dangerous to human life with a view to intimidate and/or
coerce a civilian population or which seeks to influence governments policy through
intimidation and coercion. Such groups operate within the boundaries of the given country and
often adopt a variety of means to achieve its goal which may include; mass destruction,
assassination and kidnap (Federal Bureau of Investigation , n.d.)
Origin of the Al Shabaab Group

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The Al Shabaab which translates to the Youth is an international terrorist group that is
concentrates most of its activity in Somalia, the country in which it was founded. However, the
group has also carried out major terrorist attack in other African states particularly the
neighboring states of Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, as well as against western targets and
interests within its reach (Council on Foreign Relation, 2014). The origin of the group can be
traced back to the 1990s and to a militant salafist extremist group known as the Al-Ittihadd AlIslami (AIAI) which is also known as the Unity of Islam. The aim of the AIAI was to establish
an Islamist emirate in Somalia after the fall of the Siad Barre military regime and the outbreak of
a civil war (Council on Foreign Relation, 2014; Wise, 2011).
According to the Council for Foreign Relations (2014), the group also known as Harakat
al-Shabaab al-Mujahedeen, did split away from the AIAI in 2003 after a disagreement between
the leaders of the AIAI who were seeking to create a new political front and radical youth
members who sought a Greater Somalia based on fundamental Islamic rule. The disagreement
led to the ultimate break up of AIAI and the militant youth group pitched their tent with the
alliance of sharia courts which are known as the Islamic Courts Union (ICU). Upon joining the
ICU, the former hardliners within the AIAI became the militia arm of the ICU, fighting in critical
battles for the ICU. After the defeat of the ICU in 2006 by the Somalia Transitional Federal
Government (TFG) with support from the Ethiopian forces, the Al Shabaab militia group started
to wage a guerilla campaign against the Ethiopian forces and the TFG and the success recorded
in its campaigns escalated its quest for a fundamental Islamist state and the its gaining control of
large and strategic territories from which it launched further operations (National Counter
Terrorism Center, 2014).
The Origin of the Jewish Defense League

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The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is an extremist group with far right
political/religious/ethnic leanings (Anti-Defamation league, 2013), the group which has come to
be labeled a domestic terrorist organization has always sought to protect the Jews from perceived
enemies, other adopting a violent approach to achieve its aim. The group adopts a hardline antiArab stance and also targets those with anti-Semitic view. Its stated goal is to carry out acts that
protect Jews from real and perceived anti-Semitism by whatever means necessary (Southern
Poverty Law Center, n.d.). Although the JDL has repeatedly stated that it condemns terrorism
and/or harmful violence in any form and for any purpose, its origin and actions over the years
indicates the contrary.
The JDL was created in 1968 by Rabi Meir Kahane during the time of racial tensions in
neighborhoods around New York City. The racial between the Jews and then predominantly
black opponents, was thrown up during the New York City Teachers Union strike in 1968, in
which the Blacks were demanding more control over community schools and increased civil
service jobs, a demand that threatened the interest a significant population within the Jewish
community. It was amid this tension that Kahane and others created the JDL in 1968 and the
group will later receive support from other groups that shared its ideology (Southern Poverty
Law Center, n.d.; Webber, 1993). By 1971, the alliance between the JDL and other such groups
shifted focus from their opposition of Blacks to the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union. It was
intended that they will bring to the fore the plight of Soviet Jews by carrying out attacks on
Soviet diplomats and establishment and hopefully damage the relationship between the United
States and the Soviet Union. I this regard it was the intent of the group that persistent attacks will
influence the Soviet Union leaders to rescind its anti-Semitic policies.

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The groups started carrying out violent attacks that ensured the groups transition to a
terrorist organization. Between 1970 and late into the 1980s, the group carried out a series of
successful bombings of soviet and Arab properties in America and also launching violent attacks
on Soviets and Arabs, as well as those considered to be enemies of the Jewish people. The
groups attacks were so much that by 1985, the Federal Bureau of Investigation started to
identify the JDL as a terrorist group, while its chapters in other countries also carried out attacks
within their borders (Webber, 1993). Kahane later moved to Israel where he ultimately joined the
local politics, leaving JDLs affairs to other JDL members to manage. The group will later have a
series of leadership crises that will reduce its level of activity, but it was once again in the lime
light when in 2001 its leader Irv Rubin was arrested by the FBI and charged with a plot to blow
up a mosque in Los Angeles, California (Southern Poverty Law Center, n.d.).
Terrorist Ideology
Ideology is a crucial component of a terrorist group; it is capable of influencing several
aspects of a terrorist groups activity from the organizations recruitment of members, its planned
attacks and like targets to its methods and operation. According to the Cragin (2007), ideology
relates to what motivates individuals to become members of a terrorist group and also influences
the type and level of attacks the group carries out, as well as the selection of targets and the level
of support it may get form the public. According to Martin (2012), ideologies are systems of
belief that becomes a source of principle and a means of justifying group behavior. The
ideological views/beliefs of extremist and/or extremist groups will fuel dedication towards
certain beliefs that are sacrosanct and strictly adhered to by the individual or group and which
will be defended by all means if necessary.

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The Al Shabaab group has as its core ideology the establishment of a Somali Islamic
state. According to the Council for Foreign Relations (2014), the group is not monolithic so it
appears that there are different components within the group that have different ideologies.
However, the establishment of an Islamic Somali is a common ideological ground. For some
highly placed Al Shabaab elements, the ideological focus is the one passed down from the ICU
era, which is the creation of a greater Somalia that encompasses all Somalis including those in
Ethiopia and Kenya and this greater Somalia will be established on strict sharia laws. But in
recent times, the leadership of the Al Shabaab has aligned with and pledged allegiance to the Al
Qaeda and this has seen the Al Shabaab embracing the ideological view of a worldwide jihad
like the Al Qaeda (Wise, 2011).
The Jewish Defense League has a Jewish nationalism ideology, which according to the
Southern Poverty Law Center (n.d.), sees the group expressing deep anti-Arab stance. The JDL
has always pursued a goal of removing all Arabs away from the Jewish land while defending
Jews across the world from any form of oppression. Part of the JDLs ideological view embraces
Jewish supremacy and it is this belief that must be protected at all cost. The JDL believes that the
Jews owing to the supremacy are targets for several enemies and that there is a need to defend
Jews from any attack from their enemies even if it entailed the use of violence. Jewish
nationalism has at its core the creation and support for the continued existence of a Jewish
national state in Palestine. This ideology has seen groups like the JDL carry out actions that may
be considered violent and harmful and which can be categorized as terrorist action but which the
group sees as vital to the continued existence of the Jewish state.
Ideologically both the Al Shabaab and the Jewish defense league to an extent, share the
same views. The initial ideological view of the Al Shabaab was to establish a larger Somalia

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which will become the home of all Somalis irrespective of where they are and the establishment
of this greater Somalia on Islamic principles. The JDLs ideology is built on Jewish nationalism
which calls for the creation and continued existence of a Jewish state in Palestine. Hence, both
groups hold a nationalistic view. However, with the Al Shabaabs alliance with Al Qaeda, it has
embraced a new ideology which is Islamic jihad that seeks to eliminate the west.
Goals
The goals of the Al Shabaab and the JDL are different as each group seeks to achieve
certain objective with their actions, although from a particular view, some of their goals are
similar. The goals of the Al Shabaab include the enthronement of Islamic rule in a new Somalia
that encompasses those in Kenya and Ethiopia. To achieve the goal it will have to topple the
Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which currently is peace keeping force and which
according to (Wise, 2011), is looking very much impossible considering the groups recent
decline and infighting. The alliance with the Al Qaeda however, seem to have given the Al
Shabaab new goals reflecting its current ideology of Islamic jihad. The goal now is to launch
deadly attacks at western targets and/or those who are considered infidels in areas within the
easy reach of its operation. It is a possibility that some of the goals of the group may include
teaming up to launch an attack on individuals and establishments linked to the west in areas far
away from its operational base (Wise, 2011).
The goal of the JDL on the other hand, is to rid Israel and its occupied areas of all Arab
presence (Southern Poverty Law Center, n.d.). This to an extent can be linked to the goal of Al
Shabaab in wanting to establish a Somalia for all Somalis, as the JDL wants an Israel of the
Jews. However, in other areas the goals are different. The JDL has as one of its goals the

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protection of Jews and Jewish community wherever they are and it is to this goal that they
carried out attacks against perceived threats to the Jews and the Jewish community. In this
regard, attacks on Arabs or those whose views conflict with that of the JDL are encouraged and
this is evidently clear in the groups mission statement which is to protect Jews from antiSemitism by whatever means necessary.
Method(s) of Operation
Terrorist groups often employ a wide range of methods to achieve their goals, which may
include; the use of explosives, shootings, kidnaping and lone wolf attacks where an extremist
violently attacks a person, group of people or an establishment. Methods used could also involve;
harassment, protests and vandalism. In extreme cases, the terrorist group could launch a military
like campaign against a particular target. Terrorist operations involve careful planning as the
method used is carefully chosen to ensure maximum impact while being capable of generating
much attention which the group can exploit to bring its agenda to the fore. The method used may
also be influenced by the type of target the group selects (Martin, 2012).
The Al Shabaab has used a wide range of methods that are capable of very violent and
which causes serious harm to target. It has even launched large scale operations against military
units and suicide bombing attacks. The group is well known for kidnapping, shooting and the use
of explosives. In 2010, it carried out a bombing of a football viewing center in an attack that
claimed many lives and injured many others. One of its recent, well publicized attacks was the
shooting that occurred at the West Gate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya. The saw many Al Shabaab
militant descend on the male launching a large scale shooting attack that left many dead and
several injured (National Counter Terrorism Center, 2014; Wise, 2011).

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The JDL is not as deadly as the Al Shabaab, but also uses various methods in carrying out
its planned attack. The group has used protests, violent harassments, vandalism, shootings and
bombings to achieve its goals (Anti-Defamation League, 2013). JDL during its very active years,
carried out a series of bombing aimed at different establishments an even private properties or
targeted individual, as was the case of the murder of Alex Odeh (Webber, 1993). In fact, the
groups leader along with an associate was arrested by the FBI in 2001 on the brink of carrying
out a bomb attack on a mosque. Members of the group have also been involved in mass shooting
with the most publicized of such attack having occurred in 1994 when JDL member Baruch
Goldstein opened fire on 29 Palestinian praying at a mosque. In addition, the group is well
known for using violent harassment to intimidate some of its target and also carries out regular
vandalization of property (Southern Poverty Law Center, n.d.).
Tactics of Terrorist Groups
Tactics is a critical component of a terrorist groups operations, lots of tactical planning
goes into the execution of an attack by terrorist groups. The need for tactic is to ensure that the
activities are carried out effectively and to ensure maximum impact. Al Shabaab according to the
National Counter Terrorism Center (2014) employs some guerrilla warfare tactics in its ongoing
campaign against the TFG and support forces. The Al Shabaab also uses guerilla tactics in
carrying out target suicide bombing or the use of improvised explosive devices in areas with lots
of soft targets. The tactic involve causing wide spread damage to lives and property using
extremely dangerous means, which will help grab media attention.
Unlike the Al Shabaab, the JDL does not employ guerrilla tactics. Although the group
makes use of different terror methods such as bombing a shooting, it does not seek out tactical

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target as much as the Al Shabaab. While Al Shabaab is looking to make maximum impact with
its attacks, JDL focuses on targeting an individual murder or a particular establishment. The
JDLs tactic involves being confrontational with several violent harassment and assassination of
identified targets. It also involves carrying out bombings to destroy targeted establishments
(Anti-Defamation League, 2013).
Conclusion
Although both the Al Shabaab and the Jewish Defense League are both considered as
terrorist groups, they are very much different even if certain similarities can be identified. Al
Shabaab is an international terrorist group whose ideology supports cross border operations if
possible and this is clearly demonstrated in its attack in Kenya and Uganda. The JDL on the
other hand, is considered to be a domestic terror group that carries out its attack within the
boundaries of the United States. The groups also operate under different ideologies which has a
major influence on their scope and method of operations. However, both groups are known to
have goals that conflict with a large section of the society and which they pursue fervently
employing any means in an attempt to achieve these goals. This effectively makes both groups
harmful with the need to be curtailed.

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References
Anti-Defamation League. (2013). Backgrounder:The Jewish Defense League. Retrieved October
25, 2014, from ADL.ORG: http://archive.adl.org/extremism/jdl_chron.html
Council on Foreign Relations. ( 2014). Al-Shabaab. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from CFR:
http://www.cfr.org/somalia/al-shabab/p18650
Cragin, K. (2007). Understanding Terrorist Ideology: Testimony Presented to the Senate
Committee on Inteligence. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from Rand Coporation:
http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/testimonies/2007/RAND_CT283.pdf
Federal Bureau of Investigation . (n.d.). Definitions of Terrorism in the U.S. Code. Retrieved
October 25, 2014, from Federal Bureau of Investigation : http://www.fbi.gov/aboutus/investigate/terrorism/terrorism-definition
Martin, G. (2012). Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues, 4th Edition.
Sage Publishing: California.
National Counter Terrorism Center. (2014). Al Shabaab. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from
NCTC: http://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/al_shabaab.html
Southern Poverty Law Center. (n.d.). Jewish Defense League. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from
SPLC: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/groups/jewish-defenseleague
Webber, M. (1993). The Zionist Terror Network, Background and Operation of the Jewish
Defense League and Other Criminal Zionist Groups. THE INSTITUTE FOR
HISTORICAL REVIEW.

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Wise, R. (2011). Al Shabaab. Retrieved October 25, 2014, from CSIS:

http://csis.org/files/publication/110715_Wise_AlShabaab_AQAM%20Futures%20Case%
20Study_WEB.pdf