Essay:Global jihad

The global jihad (sometimes referred to as World War III), as the see it, is a struggle between the  and the  for control of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, effectively all of Islam, and ultimately. The victor is also granted the right to exploit the assets of the world's richest corporation, now known as.

There are four primary groups:
 * Various disparate groups adhering to Al Qaeda's "teachings",
 * the Islamic State and its protectorates,
 * Iran and Iranian proxies,
 * and global infidels (everyone else).

This Essay is a summary categorization of the four dominant belligerents, their allies and proxies from what may be called a common 'Islamist' mindset.

Dar al-Harb
Dar al-Harb (the Realm of Conflict), according to Salafist, is made up primarily of what they claim is 'the New World Order' organized within the kufr member states of the United Nations. Iran is a recognized, sitting, and participating member of the United Nations. Despite its official name - the Islamic Republic of Iran - is considered by Salafists to be among the unbelieving  kufr nations.

Global infidels
From the Salafi-jihadist perepective, global infidels are a diverse group who have either not embraced the Prophet's message after 1400 years, or are Muslim lands ruled by tyrants.

Global infidels broadly follow alliance schemes set down during the Cold War, with a few alterations. China, Japan and India are also reckoned among global infidels.

Global infidel alliance
Sheikh, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1993 until his death in 1999 and a prominent Salafi-Wahhabi scholar, was ostracized by radical Salafi-jihadists for his support of the Saudi regime. His rulings allowed the basing of a non-Muslim Army in the Islamic Holy Land and an attack on a neighboring Muslim country from the land of the Two Holy Mosques with troops that included Christians, Jews, and women. This amounted to replacing Shariah with secular rule and made the Saudi regime, in the radical Salafist's view, partners in the New World Order and the global infidel alliance (also known as the "Crusader Alliance").


 * United States
 * Zionist Israel
 * Saudi Arabia - (a certified )
 * Jordan
 * Morocco
 * Great Britain
 * France
 * Pakistan
 * Afghan satellite regime
 * Afghan satellite regime

Junior Nato Crusaders
The Global jihad impacted outcomes of democratic elections in some countries. For example, the 2004, killing 192 persons three days prior to a national election, caused Spain to withdraw its forces fighting the Islamic State's predecessor group.

By the later half of 2015 more than twice as many refugees of the Syrian war entered Germany (484,000 ) than the size of Germany's standing army (184,000 ). Of the estimated 5000 EU citizens fighting for ISIS, some concern has been expressed about trained jihadis returning home as Syrian refugees. In the case of the November 2015 Paris suicide attacks which killed129 civilians, that's what happened.

The Nato organization also consists of these member states:

Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Croatia.

Nato Muslim partners
With the second largest fighting force in the Nato organization, Turkey deferred granting assistance to the Kurdish Peshmerga fighting Assad and Daesh. By 2016 it became obvious to the U.S. administration that the Turkish government regarded all Kurdish groups, including those armed by the United States, as a greater national security threat to the Turkish Republic than either the Assad regime or the Islamic State.


 * Turkey
 * Albania
 * Bosnia

Non-Nato members

 * India
 * Philippines
 * Australia
 * Sweden
 * Brazil

Russia and non-Muslim federated Republics
After its founding in 1992 the Russian Federation fought several insurgencies against al-Qaeda affiliates within its borders. By 2012 many veteran jihadis of the Chechen Wars showed up in Syria, playing an important roll as combat leaders and trainers for a younger generation of recruits of the Islamic State during the Syrian Civil War.

By early 2015 Russia was openly providing military assistance to Iran and at year's end intervened to support the Alawite regime in the war against al-Nusra, ISIS, and groups the U.S. State Department dubbed "moderate rebels" of the "Syrian opposition".

By virtue of its position among the of the, and its traditional Christian character, Russia properly belongs to the Realm of Conflict.

Muslim Republics of the Russian Federation

 * Kazakhstan
 * Chechnya
 * Tajikistan
 * Turkmenistan
 * Uzbekistan
 * Uzbekistan
 * Uzbekistan

Others
Although most of these groups are considered 'Muslim' or 'Islamic', some can also be considered secular who practice, i.e., idolaters who worship anything other than Allah, more specifically, people who submit to man-made government. Therefore they cannot be considered as residing in the Realm of Peace and are consigned, along with infidels, to the Realm of Conflict.

Jundallah (Iran) is/was an armed Sunni group inside Shi'ite Iran which received under a Presidential Finding and Executive Order by U.S. President George W. Bush. The covert action, according to reports, was rescinded by President Obama. Jundallah (Iran) members however should not be considered secular or even kufr.



Dar al-Salam
The term, 'Dar al-Salam' is usually translated as 'the Realm of Peace' or 'Abode of Peace'. Three factions within the Realm of Peace are presently at War among themselves and the global infidels to liberate Mecca from Saudi and Western domination and to control the assets of Saudi Aramco.

While al Qaeda and Daesh share the common goal of establishing a, al Qaeda has taken a long view of the problem. It regards the United States as the main impediment to acheiving the end result. Daesh views apostates and infidels in their midst - the Shi'a, Saudis, secular Sunnis, Christians and Jews - as the problem to be removed before Allah will reward them with the restoration of Mecca and the hajj under the Caliph. "Throughout the 1400 years of history...no one has ever been successfully appointed to the Caliphate, and had his appointment legitimized by the bay'ah, or oath of allegience...without such a person having had either actual control, or the capacity to exercise control [emp added], over the Hejaz in general and the Haramayn in particular. The office of the Caliphate, and authority over the Haramayn, have always been inseparably linked in the religio-political consciousness of the Ummah. ¶The inseparable link also had a foundation in the Shariah in so far as the hajj was an institution equally binding on all the members of the Ummah, and hajj required physical travel to the Hejaz. 'No one, therefore could be recognized to be the supreme leader of the Muslims who did not have the authority and the means of exercising responsibility for the organization and administration of the hajj''. And this, of course, included freedom and security of the pilgrims and, hence, required control over the Hejaz''' [emp added]. ...¶Now the enemies of Islam paid very close attention to the study and understanding of the link between the Caliphate, the power of Islam as a world-wide force, and control over the Haramayn, and then planned their diabolical strategy to render Islam powerless, and to confine it to a personal private faith with no authority over public life. In other words, they planned their strategy to secularize Islam and so to reduce Muslims to the godless European way of life. ¶If Western civilization was ever to succeed in finally defeating and controlling Islam, and incorporating the entire world of Islam into the new secular international order that had been established by the West, the strategy required that Hejaz should be subjected to Western influence in order that the Caliphate might be weekend and eventually eliminated. So long as the Caliphate survived it would always remain a sore in the eyes of the West, a manifestation of the authority of Islam over public life, a powerful symbol of the Theo-centric Islamic Public Order and of Pax Islamica, and a rallying point through which the world of Islam could always be mobilized into a potent fighting force..." The Caliphate, the Hejaz, and the Saudi-Wahhabi Nation-State, Imran N. Hosein, Masjid Darul Qur'an, Long Island New York, 1996, p. 14-15 pdf. This is often spoken of as defeating the Near Enemy (apostates and infidels in the region) before conquering the Far Enemy (unbelievers outside the Realm of Peace - Russia, the United States, the EU, the Nato alliance, among others). Daesh wants to fight the Near Enemy, al Qaeda the Far Enemy as the path to retaking Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina.

Iran likewise, wants to see the House of Saud removed, and views itself as the leading Superpower in the region ready to lead all of Islam.

There has been some cooperation between al Qaeda and Iran on some fronts with notable exceptions on the Syria, Iraq, and Yemen In The Management of Savagery, Abu Bakr Naji, Translated by William McCants for the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University, published in 2006, the jihadist manual and playbook, it says of Yemen: "There is no doubt that the power which God gave to the two superpowers (America and Russia) was overwhelming in the estimation of humans. However, in reality and after careful reflection using pure, human reason, (one comes to understand that this power) is not able to impose its authority from the - from America, for example, or Russia - upon lands in Egypt and Yemen, for example, unless these (latter) countries submit to those powers entirely of their own accord." (p.17 pdf) "States designated as (part of) a priority group: Recent studies of the renewal movement [could refer to Islamist or Salafist movement] that are connected with current events have designated a group of states - or, more accurately, regions - which the mujahids should focus on so that their striking power will not be dissipated in states where there is nothing that results from action focused on them. Naturally, this initial, theoretical designation provides the opportunity for close scrutiny by the people of every country and the taking of a position [believer vs non-believer]. Thus, focusing on two or three candidates, in the end, makes it possible to verify the readiness of their people for the initiative. This is with respect to focused action. Therefore, it is worth noting that the studies did not ignore the remaining Muslim bands in the world that are undertaking "vexation" operations in order to disperse the concentration and forces of the enemy (and build) the foundations for the coming jihad beyond the borders after that. ¶ We can say that there is flexibility in the matter, such that it can change according to developments. These studies were distributed in the three years prior to the momentous events of September. After these events and the developments that followed them, the leadership announced some modifications and excluded some of the regions from the group of priority regions, assuming that their inclusion would affect the order of the remaining states. They included two countries, or rather two additional regions - the countries of the Haramayn and Nigeria. Thus, the states initially designated for inclusion in the group of priority regions are the regions of the following states: Jordan, the countries of the Maghrib, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the countries of the Haramayn and the Yemen." (p.36-37 pdf) fronts where Sunnis and Shi'as have been fiercely battling each other. By contrast, the Islamic State does not make alliances, but rather demands submission, control, and strict allegiance.

Iran
Because of its Shi'ite character, the Islamic Republic of Iran is referred to as, or rejectionist of the orthodox Salafi traditions handed down thru , , and others.

Iran has been ruled under the Shi'a interpretation of Shariah since 1979. Within the U.N framework of the "New World Order", as some Islamists refer to it, Iran pursues its foreign policy objectives under the kufr as it covertly promotes terrorism. Western governments have labeled Iran as the leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Iran's foreign policy and Shi'a brand of Islam promotes Muslim unity whereas Sunni Salafi-jihadists consider Shi'ism not as a dissident sect, but rather as treasonous to the people of God and worthy of the death penalty (takfir).

Since the overthrow of its monarchy in 1979, Iran has been in a covert war with the neighboring monarchy of the. After the of hundreds of Iranian pilgrims, the  suggested removal of the  because of their reliance on Western powers and the  for security.

The Shi'a of Iraq and Syria who look to the Islamic Republic have been victims of a genocidal campaign unleashed by the Islamic State since mid 2014. Iran actively supported the Assad regime of Syria against an insurgency by the Sunni Salafi-jihadists of al Nusra (al Qaeda), the Islamic State, and the so-called "Syrian opposition" of "moderate rebels". Iran has forged an alliance of convenience with the kufr regime of Russia, proving they are in bed with global infidels and are traitors to Islam.

As of Spring 2015, Iran was moving on two of the three strategic choke points for control of the flow of Middle Eastern crude oil and the global economy -- the Straits of Hormuz and the Port of Aden. In February, Iran destroyed a mockup U.S. Supercarrier in the Straits of Hormuz during a live-fire ballistic missile test, and in March, Iran's Houthi proxy force toppled the Yemen government which controlled Aden. Meanwhile the third strategic choke point -- Suez, was claimed by the Islamic State as part of its Sinai Province which forms a common border with Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian nuke deal in late 2015 represented a softening of attitudes by Western powers toward Iran's bid for hegemony as the dominate regional power.

Iran has formulated what is known as the Axis of Resistance - resistance against the encroachment of Western civilization, consisting of Iran, the Alawite regime, and Lebanese Hezbollah. Use of the term 'resistance' against the West is common to both Shia and Sunni, usually directed against Israel or American oil drilling technicians in Saudi Arsbia and the Gulf States. Disputes are over who will lead the Resistance. Sunnis generally refer to the Shia resistance movement as the Rejectionist Axis.

Proxies
Unlike the Islamic State, the Islamic Republic of Iran has shown a willingness to organize, train, and fund political movements and armed groups outside of their sectarian beliefs so long as the group has some form of Islamic heritage. The Iranian led by General Qassem Sulemeini is the organization tasked with Iran's external covert, paramilitary, terrorist and intelligence functions. Quds Force also carries out some diplomatic functions.



Shi'a dominated groups

 * regime of Syria
 * Iraqi Baghdad regime
 * Badr Forces Militia [Iraq]
 * [Iraq]
 * Lebanese Hezbollah
 * [Saudi Arabia]
 * [Yemen]
 * Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib [Syria]

Iraqi Islamic Resistance
In the case of Iraq, Jonathan Spyer and Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi report "There are, at the very least, dozens of Shi'a militias in Iraq....They receive training and weapons from the, and are dedicated to implementing Iran’s ideological system of governance in Iraq...Iran, however, does not want any of these groups to become powerful enough to break off and follow its own agenda. To prevent this, it maintains multiple proxy militias competing against each other." There are many more than cited on this list,


 * Saraya al-Salam (Peace Brigades), formerly the Mahdi Army (Jaysh al-Mahdi or JAM)
 * Hizballah Brigades (Kata’ib Hizballah or KH)
 * League of the Righteous (Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqq), aka Khazali Network
 * Brigades of the Coming Imam (Kata’ib Al-Imam al-Qadim)
 * Ramazan Corps
 * Saraya al-Khorasani (Khorasani Brigades)
 * Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
 * Harakat al-Nujaba'
 * Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces
 * Kata'ib al-Ghadab (Absent Imam Battalions) no
 * Liwa al-Shabab al-Risali
 * Liwa Dhu al-Fiqar
 * Saraya Ansar al-Aqeeda
 * Saraya Ashura'
 * Kata'ib Ruh Allah

Sunni and secular groups

 * Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) - General Command
 * Hamas [Gaza]
 * Al Sabirin
 * Palestine Islamic Jihad

The Islamic State
The Islamic State's design for global hegemony dates from a time when the earth was flat. 'In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue'', because of the threat Islamic extremists posed to Western commercial trading interests.

For nearly a millenium prior to Mohammad, between Europe, India, and China was facilitated via the. At this time India and China was known as the "Seres", and yes even in classical times European living standards were affected by world trade. With the rise of Islam, Western merchant caravans often were hi-jacked, their goods looted the tradesman enslaved or beheaded.

The collapse of world trade due to disruption along the Silk Route plunged Europe into a prolonged. After the failure of the Four Crusades to rollback the onslaught of the new faith, Christopher Columbus devised a plan to by-pass Islam and restore global trade. By sailing West to get East, Columbus accidentally 'discovered' a new continent, altered the course of history, proving to be a boon to the of  for the next 500 years.

Modern Salafists aim to resurrect the first three hundred years of Islam (as seen in the map, upper right ) prior to its classic "time of troubles" during the Crusader invasions from the west and Mongolian invasions from the east.

The Islamic State currently is at war with their brother Salafi-jihadis of al Qaeda. The Islamic State's long-term goals are virtually identical to al Qaeda. Tensions between the two groups have always been about leadership and tactics and not about long-term objectives.

The Islamic State is also at war with insolent Sunni tribes allied with the Shi'a-dominated Baghdad regime, the rejectionist Shi'a of Iran's proxies in Iraq and Syria, the Assad regime and Hezbollah. Daesh is seriously anti-Shi'a and views cleansing Islam of this heretical and treasonous sect as the top priority. And they are at war with the Crusader alliance led by the United States. (Salafi-jihadis expound an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that the Crusader alliance is led by Israel which controls the United States and all its crony proxies, stooges, and satellite regimes).

Provinces
Since its formulation, the Islamic State has been divided into administrative districts, or vilayets. Beginning in 2015, non-contiguous areas to Iraq and Syria were added.

Typically a Shariah Council was founded followed by armed marauding bands to enforce the council rulings, however in many instances the armed groups precded the open establishment of a Shariah Council. Groups operating in the 13 contiguous vilayets
 * [Syria]
 * Jaish al-Sahabah in the Levant [Syria]
 * Faction of Katibat al-Imam Bukhari [Syria]

 Non-contiguous vilayets


 * (MSCJ)
 * (MSCJ)
 * (MSCJ)


 * Wilayat al-Yaman
 * Mujahideen of Yemen
 * Supporters for the Islamic State in Yemen


 * [that section of the which consists of Mecca and Medina]
 * Supporters of the Islamic State in the Land of the Two Holy Mosques


 * Wilayet al-Tarabulus [Tripoli]


 * Islamic Youth Shura Council
 * Shura Council of Shabab al-Islam Darnah
 * Shura Council of Shabab al-Islam Darnah


 * Wilayet al-Fazzan [Southern Libya]


 * Wilayat al-Jazair [Algeria]
 * in Algeria
 * al-Huda Battalion in Maghreb of Islam
 * Soldiers of the Caliphate
 * al-Ghurabaa


 * Wilayat al-Khorasan [Afghanistan, Pakistan & India]
 * al-Tawheed Brigade
 * Heroes of Islam Brigade
 * Caliphate and Jihad Movement
 * Tehreek-e-Khilafat
 * Ansar al-Tawhid [India]
 * Ansar al-Tawhid [India]
 * Ansar al-Tawhid [India]


 * Wilayet al-Qawqaz [Caucasus]
 * Central Sector of Karbardino-Balakria of the Caucus Emirate
 * Nokhchico Wilayet of the Caucus Emirate


 * Wilayet Gharb Afriqiya [West Africa]
 * Boko Haram

Other groups that have sworn allegiance (bay'at) to the Caliph

 * Jund al-Khilafah [Egypt]
 * Mujahideen Indonesia Timor (MIT) [Indonesia]
 * Liwa Ahrar al-Sunna in Baalbek [Lebanon]
 * al-Murabitoun [Mali]
 * [Philippines]
 * Ansar al-Khalifah [Philippines]
 * [Philippines]
 * Bangsmoro Justice Movement (BJM) [Philippines]
 * Jemaah Islamiyah [Philippines]
 * al Shabaab [Puntland region of Somalia]
 * al-I’tisam of the Koran and Sunnah [Sudan]
 * Jund al-Khilafah [Tunisia]
 * Mujahideen of Tunisia of Kairouan [Tunisia]
 * Uqba bin Nafi Battalion [Tunisia]

Groups that have voiced support for the Islamic State

 * Jund at-Tawheed Wal Khalifah [Bangladesh]
 * Lions of Libya
 * Liwa Shuhada' al-Yarmouk [Syria]. This group controls a 62 square kilometer area (53 square miles) and a dozen villages along the Syrian border with Israel.

Al Qaeda
The remaining Salafi-jihadis of al Qaeda who refuse to swear allegiance to the self-appointed Caliph are at war with their brother Salafi-jihadis of the Islamic State, as well as the Alawite (Nusayri) regime of Bashar al-Assad, the rejectionist Shi'a of Yemen, the Russian Federation in several Muslim Republics, the government of Pakistan, the Western satellite state of Afghanistan, and France (the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attacks).

Al Qaeda originally was in the forefront of promoting an ecumenical 'Sunni-Shi'a dialogue' and cooperation. American courts have determined Iran and its proxy Hezbollah materially and directly supported al Qaeda in the September 11, 2001 attacks. In late 2004 however, Osama bin Laden abandoned the Shi'a when he accepted the alligience of Daesh's founder, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

With the rise of Daesh, al Qaeda became the Junior Varsity of Salafi-jihadists, as its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was shunted aside as leader of the Global Jihad by the upstart Baghdadi. Power struggles for the sucsessorship to Mohammad are as old as Islam itself. By early 2016, as defections, retrenchment, and economic realities caused Daesh to suffer some losses on the battlefield and prestige among the wider Salafi movement, al Qaeda became resurgent in a limited way in some sectors.

direct and indirect affiliates

 * [Somalia]
 * [Aleppo, Syria]
 * [Somalia]
 * [Aleppo, Syria]
 * [Somalia]
 * [Aleppo, Syria]
 * [Somalia]
 * [Aleppo, Syria]
 * [Somalia]
 * [Aleppo, Syria]
 * [Aleppo, Syria]

Independent or unknown affiliation
And there are groups throughout the world with an "Islamist vision existing within a nationalist framework", as Aymann Jawad al-Timimi observes, unaligned with the three major beligerants discussed in this essay. While these groups may oppose democracy and advocate Shariah locally, they have avoided swearing allegiance (bay'at) to either the Caliph or al Qaeda, nor received weapons transfers from Iran. Here's a partial list.


 * [Iraq]
 * [Syria]
 * Harakat al-Muthanna al-Islamiya [Syria]
 * Furqan Brigades [Syria]
 * Ahrar al-Sham [Syria]
 * Jamaat Bayt al-Maqdis al-Islamiya [Syria]
 * Afghan Death Squad (Marg)
 * Afghan Death Squad (Marg)

Saudi clients
While Saudi Arabia unquestionably has compromised itself with its domestic Wahhabi-In-Name-Only brand of Salifism, some outside true believers and secular combatants have nevertheless accepted funding and arms from Saudi Arabia to carry on jihad at the local level. Despite some of these groups divergent political aims from their Saudi backers, it likewise cannot be said they receive aid without knowing the source.

Saudi Arabia currently has the fourth largest military budget on the planet.