The deadly link between San Bernardino and Pakistan. By Arif Jamal. DW, December 5, 2015.
DW and Jamal:
The link between California shooters and Pakistan has once again highlighted the danger the country poses as a terror exporter. US-based Islamism expert Arif Jamal tells DW why Washington can no longer ignore the threat.
DW: What sort of links did San Bernardino
shooters Tashfeen Malik and Syed Farook have with radical Islamist groups in
Pakistan, and how much did they influence the killings?
Arif
Jamal: We still do not have authentic information on the links between the San
Bernardino mass shooters and radical Islamist groups in Pakistan or elsewhere.
Tashfeen Malik was a relatively liberal and modern woman for her family in
Pakistan’s Punjab province until a couple of years ago. Several members of her
family reportedly belong to the terrorist outfit Ahlay Sunnat Wal Jamaat –
formerly known as Sipah-e-Sahaba (the Army of the Prophet’s Companions) – but
there is so far no evidence that she was also an ASWJ member.
Also,
the Bahauddin Zakariya University in the city of Multan, where Malik had
studied, is a hub of Islamist groups. Although indoctrination must have started
much earlier, we see a radical change in her a few years ago, particularly after
she moved to the United States. It seems the couple was actually indoctrinated
by American Islamic organizations. Islamic organizations conveniently blame
Western foreign policies for the rise of jihadism.
How do you analyze the claim by the “Islamic State”
(IS) that its “supporters” carried out the attack in the US? What does IS mean by “supporters”?
It is
highly plausible that the San Bernardino shooters were influenced by the IS
call to take up arms against the infidel West without the practical support
from the Middle Eastern militant group. In fact, the available evidence is
clearly leading to this conclusion. The IS call for jihad against the West is
actually directed at people who are already indoctrinated and need a push to
carry out violence. The IS seems to be succeeding in its strategy to
destabilize the Western countries.
It’s been reported that Tashfeen Malik had
met with IS supporter and cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz in Islamabad. Why do
Pakistani authorities continue to ignore the threat posed by pro-IS clerics and
organizations in the country?
The
reports of her links with Aziz of Islamabad’s Red Mosque, which is affiliated
with the IS, do not seem to be authentic. They are attributed to nameless
sources in London and appear to be mere speculation. US officials do not seem
to have any such knowledge. As we know that the shooters were influenced by IS
and its ideology, it is quite possible that they had had some links with the
Red Mosque clerics. If there were any links between the shooters and the Red
Mosque, they were more likely ideological.
What is driving Muslims living in the US
toward groups like IS?
The
most important reason behind the Muslims’ fascination with jihadism in the US
and elsewhere is their victimhood syndrome. Jihadism teaches them that the
failures of Muslims as individuals and as an ummah (community) are caused by
the infidels, who must be fought against, as Islamic scriptures order them.
To what extent is Saudi Wahhabism, which
many experts believe provides ideological impetus to global jihadi groups,
influencing American Muslims?
The
Wahhabist and Salafist interpretations of the Quran and hadith are at the root
of the rise of modern global jihadism. Unlike other Islamic denominations,
Wahhabism and Salafism teach the literal interpretation of the Islamic
scriptures. Salafism aims at establishing a caliphate similar to the earliest
time in the Islamic history, when the Muslims were constantly at war with the
rest of the world. The three biggest jihadist organizations – IS, Jamaat
ud-Dawa (or Lashkar-e-Taiba) and Boko Haram – are Salafist.
What, in your opinion, would be the
repercussions of the San Bernardino killings on Pakistanis and Muslims living
in the US?
Muslims
in America have come under severe pressure from the society. There have been
some attacks on mosques and Islamic centers. Muslim Americans have reported
that the atmosphere in their offices has become tense. Some have told me that
they never faced such backlash since the 9/11 attacks. Since one of the two
shooters was a woman, Muslim women have also become suspect in the eyes of
non-Muslim Americans. Muslim women were not subject to such hateful treatment
before.
Will the Obama administration pressure
Islamabad to crack down on Islamist radical groups or will it continue with its
softer approach toward its ally?
The
Obama administration is likely to increase pressure on Pakistan to rein in
jihadist groups and close the jihadist factories, but it is highly unlikely it
will work in the absence of some sort of economic and military sanctions. The
verbal pressure has not worked in the last 15 to 25 years. We may see some
halfhearted action by Pakistani authorities against the Red Mosque group if
there is enough evidence of their involvement in this shooting. Nothing more.
Arif Jamal is an independent US-based
journalist and author of several books, including “Call For Transnational
Jihad: Lashkar-e-Taiba, 1985-2014.”
The
interview was conducted by Shamil Shams.
