#islamic warlords | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sunnycanvas · 8 months

Note

Could you write a story about Salah ad-Din's daughter and Baldwin?

After surviving the disastrous seventh crusade, a weary and battered crusader found himself lost and alone in the aftermath of the war. He realized that God had spared his life for a purpose: to reclaim Jerusalem from what he saw as heretical hands. With great effort, he limped along, using a makeshift stick as a crutch and desperately in need of medical attention.

As he trudged forward, rain began to pour from the heavens, soaking him to the bone. Exhausted and seeking refuge, he came upon a modest house and decided to take shelter beside it. It was at this moment that an elderly man appeared, recognizing the crusader's attire and his own past as a fellow crusader.

"Ah, a fellow crusader," the old man began, a wistful smile forming on his weathered face. "I, too, used to be one of your kind. But age eventually forced me into retirement."

The crusader was taken aback by the old man's revelation, realizing that he must have served during the era of King Baldwin's reign. Reading the young man's thoughts, the old crusader continued,

"I have seen a time when King Baldwin of Jerusalem, the one who was a leper, beat Saladin although he only had 300 armed men against Saladin's 3,000. But now your sins have come to such a pass that we round you up in the fields like cattle."

The bewildered crusader couldn't fathom the reference to "sins" made by the old man. Confused, he inquired, prompting the old man to knowingly explain, "Your sins date back to the first crusade, where innocent lives were brutally taken, staining the streets of Jerusalem with so much blood that it reached ankle-deep. It was during that time that two souls, (Y/N) Salahuddin's sister and King Baldwin IV, fell in love. Their affection for each other was evident in their eyes, but it's a tragic tale of love lost amidst the chaos. Few dared to speak of their love within the palace walls, as the nobility largely despised them."

The crusader was taken aback by the old man's sympathetic view of (Y/N). After all, he had always heard rumors accusing her of using witchcraft to seduce King Baldwin IV. The old man, sighing, seemed to understand the young crusader's inner turmoil. He retreated into his house briefly and emerged with food and medicine, tending to the crusader's wounds with care.

As the old man tended the crusader back to health, the old man nostalgically reminisced about his own youth. He began recounting his own story:

Year 1180

"My memories take me back to my childhood, where my parents spoke passionately of the Holy Land and the divine duty to protect the birthplace of our Lord from heretics. Back then, I longed for adventure and dreamed of becoming a Knight Templar, wielding wooden swords while my parents toiled and prayed. I proudly proclaimed myself a future knight to my friends. While my friends mocked me my parents encouraged my aspirations. I soon fulfilled my dream and became a knight to say I was sad would be understatement leaving my hometown especially my friends and parents would be understatement. Alas! there was nothing to be done

"As a young adventurer in the Holy Land, I served as a Knight Templar under the command of Reynald de Chatillon, a notorious warlord who was a Crusader lord based in the Kerak castle known for his ruthless raids. Some claimed his actions were meant to tarnish Salahuddin's reputation in the eyes of the Islamic world. However, his actions took a grave turn when he captured Salahuddin's sister, who was traveling in a caravan from Egypt to Syria .Salahuddin was furious when he learned of the attack. He saw it as a personal insult, as his sister was among the prisoners.

The old man's voice held the weight of history as he recounted these events. He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing.

Reynald looked at me and said "You, new comer" I nervously pointed to myself and he said "Yes, you. Go and inform Guy de Lusignan about my capture of prisoners especially our enemy's Salahuddin sister". "Be quick as possible before the news reaches the king" he commanded. I hurriedly mounted my horse and raced toward the palace. Sadly, I arrived too late. The news had already reached the castle, and they were embroiled in heated discussions."

I was afraid to turn back and face the wrath of my lord, for the failure of my work.

"My friend, recognizing my predicament, suggested I join the Knight's Templar during the discussion.

"The king will appreciate your presence, it will show him that you are loyal to crown not your lord"

"Besides lord Reynald is going to be punished" Heeding his advice I entered the room and saw the hall was already dissolved in aggression.

The old man's voice grew intense as he recalled the heated debate within the castle's walls.

The king who was patiently listening to all arguments noticed me entering and nodded as if to acknowledge my presence

“Guy de Lusignan and Reynald de Chatillon, with the Templars, have attacked a Saracen caravan" exclaimed my friend entering first and I followed behind him

“It was no caravan. It was an army headed for Bethlehem to desecrate our Lord’s birthplace.” Guy defended himself

“Reynald, with the Templars, have broken the King’s truce. Salahuddin will come" Tiberias interrupts

“Tiberias knows more than a Christian about Salahuddin’s intentions.” Guy challenged while Tiberias says “That I would rather live with men, than kill them. Is certainly why you are alive.”

“That sort of Christianity has its uses, I suppose.” Guy mocked with his followers in the army who laughed along with him

“We must not go to war with Salahuddin!” Tiberias exclaimed. “We do not want it, and we may not win it.”

‘Blasphemy!’ Knight Templar yelled with protest and fought with Knight Hospitallar who were arguing back as well.

"There must be war, God wills it!" Guy agreeing yelled as well "God, wills it".

"Amidst the heated discussions, there were clashes between Templars and Hospitallers. Some cried out for war, invoking God's will, while others, like Tiberias, urged restraint. The King Baldwin IV, sat patiently while reading letter."

The old man's eyes sparkled with memories of that fateful day. Suddenly Baldwin IV raises his hand Tiberias noticing yells

"SILENCE"

Making the whole hall quite. Baldwin IV looked at the crowd and spoke in his raspy voice "I had sent a word to Reynald to let go of prisoners but he refused" As he said this the king tried getting up from his throne. Tiberias offered his hand worried about the king. However Baldwin IV raised his hand to as if signal he is capable of this much. As he got up the King whispered in his advisor’s ear. "We must be quick as possible before news reaches Salahuddin or else there will be war"

“My Lord, if you travel you will die" Tiberias voiced his concern

“Send word to Balian to protect the villagers.” the King in commanding tone yelled “Assemble the army.” which was followed by cheers of the knights

The king arrived to the place where Reynald had supposedly taken Salahuddin's sister. King displaying extraordinary dignity ridding in his horse went forwards my lord. As he got down his horse he headed towards my lord. Reynald went pale in fear. When the king reached him he took off one of gloves and extended his leprous hand and declared,

'I am Jerusalem, and you, Reynald, will give me a kiss of peace.' Reynald kissed the King's hand desperately, knowing the gravity of his actions. But the King, without hesitation, began to administer punishment. After he was done the king asked "Where is the princess?". A knight informed him that she, along with others, was held in prison. The King nodded and headed toward the castle, but suddenly, he stumbled. Several knights, myself included, rushed to his aid. Despite our pleas for him to rest, the King was determined."

(Y/N) was there in the cell crying but she got quite when she heard footsteps coming towards her. "No, matter what I won't allow you to hurt me"

"Princess" Baldwin IV said in his gentle voice. Realizing it was not Reynald (Y/N) came out of the dark and went into the light

I looked at the king and saw he seemed to be smitten with the girl but also had hint of pity in his face. "She must be truly terrified" I heard him mumble

"Princess, I apologise for the conduct of my knights". "May I please get the pleasure of knowing your name". (Y/N) who was surprised at gentleness of king mumbled her name in whisper "It's (Y/N)". Baldwin IV nodded at her and commanded the knights to treat the prisoners with outmost respect. "The princess shall get her own residence in palace" Baldwin IV commanded but the princess yelled "And get assaulted by your fellow murderers!" "I would rather live and die in prison than to submit to you and besides" (Y/N) face darked in anger and she leaned forward and said with outmost animosity "Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion". "There is no way I would stay in the palace of leper". The place had gotten awfully quite . You could fear the sound of drop of water easily until a crusader shouted "You ungrateful wrench, how dare y-" but the king lifted his hand shutting him up. The king turned towards (Y/N) and said

"People said that the diesease is the punishment for the vanity of the kingdom, if it's true I call it unfair" As the king said this he quietly laughed at the end of the sentence. The king suddenly seemed lost in thought and (Y/N) noticed how beautiful his blue eyes were and got lost in them. The king then said "I am aware of the sins commited I can't change what happened but I can change what will happen" "Please come and live in the comfort of the palace"

The crusader looked at pity at old man as he looked at the old man who appeared to be on the brink of death. Death had been a familiar companion on his crusading journey, but this stranger had stirred something within him in the short time they had spent together. The old man managed a feeble smile and softly spoke, "I wish I could share more with you, but I can feel my time has come."

The crusader responded, "I believe you've been a good man, and I have no doubt that our Lord will grant you the kingdom of heaven."

The old man's eyes twinkled as he continued, "When I first saw you, you reminded me of the king. Gentle, non-judgmental, and wise. I'm grateful I trusted my instincts and shared part of the story with you. There's much more I could have shared, but alas, my time has arrived."

With a tinge of sorrow, the crusader whispered, "Don't worry; I believe. I believe that (Y/N) and King Baldwin IV were good people who became victims of their circumstances."

As the old man heard these words, he seemed to find peace, a burden lifted from his weary soul. He must have carried these stories with him for so long, yearning to share them but having no one to confide in.

In the fading light, the old man slowly passed away in the crusader's arms.

The old man slowly died in crusader's arm and the crusader felt the rays of sunshine on his face. "The heavy rain had stopped" he thought. In that solemn moment, the crusader felt a rush of warmth and energy. He knew this day and the stories he had heard would remain etched in his memory forever.

Fast forward to present day:

"Both Christian sources and Arab sources have hostile opinions of Salahuddin's sister (Y/N) and Baldwin IV respectively, William of Tyre was said to be trusted resource but historian like Bernhard Hamilton spent lot of time proving otherwise. Now it's a well known fact that William of tyre work is biased with political agenda" (Y/N) said excitedly. "You are such a history nerd" your friend teased. "King Baldwin IV was said to understand the concept of chivalry" (Y/N) replied dreamily. "Of course, you like chivalrous knight while I like rough and aggressive man like my boyfriend" your friend said lost in dreams on her boyfriend.

"Are you borrowing that book, I need that as well. I am searching for this book for so long". Baldwin IV mumbled hesitantly.

"Isn't it Baldwin IV? He is said to be sickly but popular among his peers" Your friend giggled leaned down near your ear whispered "He is said to be gentle man, perfect for old romantic like you". You playfully shoved your friend.

"BEEP". You turned towards the sound and saw your friend's boyfriend with his bike. Your friend giggled "I gotta go" "Meanwhile you enjoy your date with your new boyfriend" and rushed away

You playfully rolled your eyes and turned towards the boy and said "Sorry about that"

The boy gave a bright smile and said "No worries. It's refreshing to meet someone who shares my passion for history." "How about a cup of coffee and a discussion on the history of the crusades?

#baldwin iv #baldwin iv imagine #baldwin iv x reader #kingdom of heaven #kingdom of heaven 2005 #kingdom of heaven fanfic #kingdom of heaven fanfiction #kingdom of heaven fandom #kingdom of heaven headcanons #king baldwin iv

81 notes · View notes

1americanconservative · 27 days

Text

When most Westerners, especially the secular ones, think of religion they think of something they have seen in their own cultures and societies, i.e., Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

And quite naturally, since most of them lack the insight and knowledge to understand Islam properly, they tend to lump it in with the other religions. That is a big mistake.

Islam can be properly described as a totalitarian way of life and a highly effective system of conquest, disguised as a religion.

Islam is totalitarian, not just in the sense of theocratic and dictatorial regimes, but also in the sense that there is virtually no part of a believer’s life that is not touched or influenced in some manner by it.

Virtually everything a Muslim does is influenced or guided by his faith, by Sharia law, or both.

In this sense, free will as Westerners and other non-Muslims understand it, is anathema to those inhabiting Dar al-Islam, the “House of Islam.”

Likewise, there is no real analog to the Western notion of liberty or freedom. The Arabic word most closely corresponding to “freedom” is typically said to be “hurriya,” but this is false for the term does not correspond to “liberty” or “freedom” in the sense that an American, for example, would understand it.

It instead means “freedom” to do as “Allah wills” for that individual.

Many traditional religious faiths and systems have laws or codes of law which attach to them.

What makes Sharia (Islamic) law unique, however, is that in theory, it applies not only to Muslims but to non-Muslims as well. At least that is what the Koran, the Hadith, and the Sira command.

Non-Muslims or kafirs, also known as infidels, ~ are denied the most basic of human rights under Islamic suzerainty.

They are most often akin to slaves, serfs, or supplicants, and even those non-Muslim dhimmis who serve a useful purpose to the sultan or caliph and survive on that basis, are still treated with inhuman brutality and can be beaten or slain at the whim of any Muslim male.

Most Westerners are familiar with the history of slavery, but how many know that Muslims have been the greatest slavers in history?

Which is to say, the most prolific takers, buyers, and sellers of slaves in history.

Even today, in many parts of the Islamic world, the Arabic word for slave, “Abd,” is synonymous with the slang or informal word for a black man.

Although the Muslims took many millions of black Africans as slaves, they likewise took many millions of Europeans and other peoples as slaves from temperate climates further north, venturing as far north as Ireland and Iceland on slave-taking raids.

As some of you may know, the very first war fought by the United States as an independent nation was the Barbary War of 1801-1805 (with a brief flare-up in 1815), fought against Islamic raiders and pirates off the coast of North Africa.

These nautical jihadists had been seizing American shipping and holding the passengers and cargo for ransom.

President Thomas Jefferson grew tired of their demands and sent the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to Tripoli to teach them a lesson.

Various Islamic potentates, rulers, and warlords have infamously slain infidels by the multitudes down through the centuries.

According to the work of historians and political scientists who have studied such phenomena, the greatest or largest single genocide in human history was committed by the Islamic Mughal Empire in what is now the Indian sub-continent over years in the 15th century.

During that time, an estimated 270 million Hindus and other non-Muslims were put to the sword.

So many were slain that the streets ran with blood and giant pyramids of human skulls were erected by the soldiers of Allah.

Of course, many other empires and nations have committed acts of genocide, but such wanton bloodletting is impressive even by the standards of the worst tyrants of the 20th century, who had modern industrial warfare and weapons at their disposal but did not manage to even approach the totals of the Mughal Empire.

Historians consider the Armenian genocide (1915-1921) to be the first “modern” genocide since it was the first such atrocity that was recorded by still and motion-picture photography.

The Sunni Muslim Ottoman Empire in what is now modern-day Turkey was responsible for it and even today, under the government of Recep Erdogan, the president of Turkey, it is still a crime to speak or write of the extermination of the Armenians and Greeks, most of whom were Christians.

Anyone who has seen the haunting photos of young girls, Christian virgins, crucified by their captors and slowly dying in the hot sun in the desert, will never forget them.

These basic historical facts about Islam used to be widely known and taught across the West, but they have been politely airbrushed out of our history in recent decades, and now few people know of them …. or the danger presented by the soldiers of Allah.

25 notes · View notes

bobemajses · 1 year

Text

Bukharan Jewish boots from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, ca. late 19th century

Many Samarkand Jews describe themselves as indigenous to the region, having arrived prior to the advent of Islam, and long before the Uzbek dynasts conquered the territory. In 1168, renowned medieval Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela wrote that 50,000 "Israelites" resided in Samarkand, among them "very wise and rich men." In the 14th century, many Persian Jews were welcomed by Tamerlane, the great Turkic warlord and founder of the Timurid dynasty, to boost trade and production in materials which were weaved and dyed. Thus, Samarkand, the city Tamerlane adorned as his capitol, became a major Bukharan Jewish center.

#bukharan jews #uzbekistan #jewish #clothing #folk art #central asia

280 notes · View notes

paperlunamoth · 1 year

Text

I can't believe that some people still need to hear this: Islam is not compatible with feminism. Islam is not compatible with LGBT+ rights. Islam is not compatible with any component of any form of liberal or leftist ideology. The founding "prophet" of Islam was literally a child molester, slave owner, warlord, and all around absolutely shit human being. The hijab, niqab and burkha are blatant and profound symbols of female oppression. You cannot complain about rape culture and then claim that there is nothing wrong with how Islam expects women to present themselves and why. The reason for Islamic modesty is literally the explicit belief that women are responsible for how they are sexualized by men and that women are responsible for men's actions. As in, this explanation is part of the religion's scriptural canon.

Stop defending a religion that passionately despises you, people like you, and people you care about.

#islam #anti religion #atheism #ex muslim #feminism #radical feminism #radfem #radblr #luna's

167 notes · View notes

beardedmrbean · 6 months

Note

People say Arab colonization was peaceful?

The crusaders, Vlad Tepes, and even the hard push for the USA navy pop up out of nowhere. Also why are the Jews in Israel so trigger happy then?

Several of the Crusades were defensive wars ya, also several of them were Roman Catholic vs Eastern Orthodox aka Rome vs Constantinople.

But ya no if you look at the history of Islam, and the guy that started it, dude was a warlord, among many other things, and they went around spreading Islam by the sword.

That's how it all went and that's historically verifiable fact that they spread it 'by the sword'

Not saying Christianity isn't guilty of that either, but nobody ever tries to handwave away the historical injustices and atrocities committed by them, that and we're not doing anything like that anymore on any grand or approved scale at least.

Everyone agrees that the wbc is a bunch of assholes I think.

If Israel was as trigger happy as people try to make them out to be, there wouldn't be any "palestenian" people, if they wanted to do a genocide gaza would be a big parking lot.

Fun how hamass puts rocket launching infrastructure in the middle of fruit orchards and then complains that Israel is destroying their crops, but that's a different ask I think.

#anonymous

39 notes · View notes

postoctobrist · 1 year

Note

Hey this is a weird thing to ask but you seem like you would know (based on the time on WTYP you started explaining Wahabism): what ARE the Taliban? What's up with them philosophically, who/what is Talib(?), etc. All the American education system ever taught me was "the Evil Government of Afghanistan who we are righteously overthrowing, oo-rah, USA!, etc."

So a ‘talib’ is a student of an Islamic religious school, ‘taliban’ just means ‘students’. That’s where they started out, a network of religious schools in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

Who they are and what they believe is sort of the same question - when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, they provoked a huge resistance that was essentially Islamist in character, both because Afghanistan was already a conservative and religious place, because it was now suddenly full of Russian atheist communists doing war crimes, and because the intelligence services of the US, Pakistan and several Arab countries saw an opportunity to stick it to the Soviets. You can loosely call all of these insurgents ‘mujahideen,’ ‘guys who do jihad,’ and like a lot of insurgencies it depended on individual leaders holding together coalitions of tribal and ethnic loyalties. A lot of these leaders were also not what you might call good guys themselves.

The insurgents win, the Soviets get forced out of Afghanistan, and what follows is an immediate and brutal civil war to determine who gets control of what’s left. The Taliban are in an interesting position because they hate all the warlords equally and have been themselves propped up by particularly Pakistani intelligence, who see them as controllable. They also benefit from a lot of the traditional popularity fascists get: they seem personally clean, orderly, they’re going to restore tradition and brutally punish the right people. They actually seem serious about being Muslims, which matters if you are a serious Muslim and have previously been beholden to a bribe-taking rapist blasphemer. We saw some of these dynamics again with the rise of Daesh/ISIS/whatever. And while they’re mostly Pashtun they’re far less tribalist and far more able to incorporate members of other ethnicities. Yeah, they seem a bit weird and foreign and alienating and they have this look in their eyes, but you should see the other guy.

Anyway, the Taliban win the civil war and establish the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. It’s really bad. Their idea of government is extremely strict, theocratic, and perhaps most of all misogynistic. You get a lot of executions, women being stoned to death in football stadiums, things of this nature. They rule Afghanistan in this way for years but resistance continues from former warlords, most notably a guy called Ahmad Shah Massoud, ‘Afghanistan’s George Washington.’ They successfully assassinate Massoud on September 10th, 2001, with a bomb concealed in a TV camera during an interview.

Unfortunately for the Taliban, they had also welcomed back into Afghanistan an old Saudi mujahid called Osama bin Laden so that he had somewhere to do his side hustle, something called ‘the base,’ ‘al-Qaeda,’ and the day after their big triumph he does something else.

[REEL MISSING] Anyway now they’re back and Afghanistan is an Islamic Emirate again. Foreign policy feels great, doesn’t it?

#afghanistan #taliban #history #please correct me I’m sure I have some of this wrong

279 notes · View notes

religion-is-a-mental-illness · 1 year

Text

Her story is as follows. According to Ibn Humayd- Salamah- Ibn Ishaq-'Abdallah b. Abi Bakr, who said: The Messenger of God sent Zayd b. Harithah to Wadi al-Qura, where he encountered the Banu Fazarah. Some of his companions were killed there, and Zayd was carried away wounded from among the slain. One of those killed was Ward b. 'Amr, one of the Band Sa'd b. Hudhaym: he was killed by one of the Banu Badr [b. Fazarah]. When Zayd returned, he vowed that no washing [to cleanse him) from impurity should touch his head until he had raided the Fazarah. After he recovered from his wounds, the Messenger of God sent him with an army against the Banu Fazarah. He met them in Wadi al-Qura and inflicted casualties on them. Qays b. al-Musaliliar al-Ya'muri killed Mas'adah b. Hakamah b. Malik b. Badr and took Umm Qirfah prisoner. (Her name was Falimah bt. Rabi'ah b. Badr. She was married to Malik b. Hudhayfah b. Badr. She was very old woman.) He also took one of Umm Qirfah's daughters and 'Abdallah b. Mas'adah prisoner. Zayd b. Harithah ordered Qays to kill Umm Qirfah, and he killed her cruelly. He tied each of her legs with a rope and tied the ropes to two camels, and they split her in two. Then they brought Umm Qirfah's daughter and 'Abdallah b. Mas'adah to the Messenger of God. Umm Qirfah's daughter belonged to Salamah b. 'Amr b. al-Akwa', who had taken her-she was a member of a distinguished family among her people: the Arabs used to say, "Had you been more powerful than Umm Qirfah, you could have done no more." The Messenger of God asked Salamah for her, and Salamah gave her to him. He then gave her to his maternal uncle, Hazn b. Abi Wahb, and she bore him 'Abd al-Ral}man b. Hazn. -- "The History of Al-Tabari"

#islam #religion of peace #religion of violence #islamic violence #Umm Qirfah #Umm Qirfa #prophet muhammad #muhammad #islamic warlord #religion #this is islam #religion is a mental illness

13 notes · View notes

trans-girl-nausicaa · 11 months

Text

Radicalization and Deradicalization

Prelude:

The New York Times, Sunday, December 21, 1924:

BERLIN, Dec. 20 — Adolph Hitler, once the demi-god of the reactionary extremists, was released on parole from imprisonment at Fortress Landsberg, Bavaria, today and immediately left in an auto for Munich. He looked a much sadder and wiser man today than last Spring when he, with Ludendorff and other radical extremists, appeared before a Munich court charged with conspiracy to overthrow the Government.

His behavior during imprisonment convinced the authorities that, like his political organization, known as the Völkischer, was no longer to be feared. It is believed he will retire to private life, and return to Austria, the country of his birth.

The United States of America is a cannibalistic nation.

Its businesses consume their workers, its extractive industries consume its natural resources, its prisons consume their prisoners, its “law” enforcement agencies consume their jurisdictions, its military-industrial complex consumes the available budget of its nation, its borders consume prospective refugees & immigrants, its occupying forces consume their protectorates. Its economic policies are eating up civil society’s ability to reproduce itself. Food, housing, education, medical care, bodily autonomy: The share of the US population who can access these basic necessities is shrinking.

As an empire it is running out of frontiers. Its ability to wield power on the world-stage to consume other countries’ economies through economic-imperialism seems to be rapidly coming to an end.

When the current political-economic order loses legitimacy in the eyes of civil society, or rather, loses its material ability to reproduce civil society, alternate forms of power rush to mind, and counter-establishment groups rush to grab power. When a dynasty loses the Mandate of Heaven, peasants revolt and warlords rise up.

In the USA, the prospective warlords already have established subcultures and power structures and many of them are eagerly awaiting “their day.” They have many names for it, including The Day of the Rope, when Shit Hits The Fan (SHTF), Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo, Racial Holy War (RAHOWA). But even before “their day,” and even if “their day” never comes, and even outside of formal groups, some people become “radicalized” and adopt a white supremacist “extremist” ideology that results in violence against innocent people.

Definitions within this text:

Legal: According to the de jure, or by the letter, laws of the United States of America, even where they contradict international laws.

Terrorism: The use of violence or the threat of violence against a population to instill fear, especially for ideological or political purposes.

Extremism: Any ideology where extralegal violence or terrorism against one’s political enemies is acceptable. This includes cases where one wishes to legalize violence or terrorism against certain people.

Radicalization: The process by which someone adopts an extremist ideology.

Deradicalization: The process by which someone rejects an extremist ideology.

Desistance: The process by which a person ceases extremist activities, regardless of whether they have an extremist ideology or not.

Former: A former member of an extremist group.

Left-wing extremism will not be addressed by this essay. The author is a Communist and opposes all false equivalences drawn between right-wing violence and left-wing violence. Violence can be used to terrorize and oppress, but it can also be used to defend and liberate.

Fundamentalist Islamic extremism (Salafism et al.) will largely not be addressed as it is beyond the scope of this essay. In the US, post-2001 it has been associated in far fewer acts of violence than white supremacists, hence it is considered to be less of a threat domestically.

Further uses of the word “extremism” and “radicalization” should be assumed to apply to white supremacist groups and ideologies unless otherwise specified.

Part 1: Radicalization

When Americans commit acts of extralegal terrorism, it is not because of a particular mental illness. There is no mental illness described in the DSM-V where becoming a Nazi and murdering people is a symptom. Certain mental illnesses can be one of many possible risk factors for radicalization, but it is radicalization itself that is required for acts of terrorism.

Radicalization is a process based on material circumstances.

Some of these circumstances can be understood through studies on former members of extremist organizations.

Brown, Ryan Andrew, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt, What Do Former Extremists and Their Families Say About Radicalization and Deradicalization in America? Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2021:

Who Is at Risk of Joining Violent Extremist Organizations?

The interviews suggest that there is ultimately a wide range of factors, such as family dynamics and social backgrounds, that put some people at risk of radicalization. Three factors were mentioned most frequently.

Financial instability (noted in 22 of the 32 cases) Seven individuals noted that financial challenges pushed them into extremist beliefs. Interviewees also mentioned that they faced financial challenges when they participated in extremist organizations, which prompted some to work in jobs tied to the organization itself. This involvement led to delays in leaving the organization. Mental health (noted in 17 of the 32 cases) Mental health challenges were cited as obstacles that individuals had to cope with throughout their lives. Some interviewees identified overwhelming anger and other symptoms as drivers of joining an extremist organization. Trauma or posttraumatic stress disorder, substance use, and physical health issues were also mentioned, but less frequently. Victimization, stigmatization, marginalization (noted in 16 of the 32 cases) Many interviewees described how they felt one or more of these when growing up and that those experiences contributed to their radicalization. Most often, individuals mentioned feeling isolated and lonely in institutions (e.g., schools) or communities in which they were the minority race. Former white supremacists cited this factor, as did one former Islamic extremist. Only a few interviewees noted that their families held radical beliefs.

Pauline G. M. Aarten, Eva Mulder & Antony Pemberton (2018) The Narrative of Victimization and Deradicalization: An Expert View, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 41:7,557-572, DOI: 10.1080/1057610X.2017.1311111:

…experiences, perceptions, and narratives of victimization frequently inspire perpetrators’ behavior. Retaliation for past victimization often underlies violence, where a sense of entitlement caused by victimization can provide adequate justification for one’s own acts. This seems particularly true of group-based violence, such as in political violence and terrorism: narratives of victimization ranging back through the years can still provide motive and cover for violence and bloodshed in the present. As Volkan shows in his book Bloodlines, these so-called chosen traumas form a moral nucleus for politically motivated action, including violence. The experience of being righteously aggrieved is a particular strong motivation for morally motivated violence, particularly if this sense of historical victimization can be connected to a present-day threat. The link between victimization experiences and radicalization can be direct, with victimization experiences serving as a causal factor in the development and extremity of religious and political views that may motivate political violence and terrorism. For example, McCauley and Moskalenko describe how personal victimization is one of the pathways, and one of main explanations given by suicide terrorists, to individual radicalization.

These risk factors must combine with another ingredient to radicalize people: Ideology.

From The Narrative of Victimization and Deradicalization: An Expert View:

Ideology as Meaning-Making Ideology is a way of making meaning: it is a way of explaining the causes of the event, the consequences on him or herself and the further development of their story. In other words, ideology is the narrative attention that is needed in certain events—such as victimization—to help construct the radical’s life story. Indeed, the way that a person responds to these key personal event memories is important to the way the person subsequently defines his or herself. An ideology becomes part of someone’s identity, but is also a means to incorporate victimization experiences in a manner that does not denote passivity and helplessness. In other words, victimization as such is often rejected as being part of the radical’s narrative identity. Instead, the victimization experience itself is transformed through embracing ideology as a way to give meaning to and deal with such negative events.

Ideology is introduced to potential extremists through various means. In some cases, they are radicalized before joining an extremist group, and in other cases they directly recruited and are radicalized via their membership in such a group.

From What Do Former Extremists and Their Families Say About Radicalization and Deradicalization in America?:

How Are Individuals Recruited into Extremist Groups? Research shows that online propaganda and recruitment are key pathways to joining extremist groups. Interviewees participating in this project cited these and other paths that led them in. "Reorienting" event (noted in 17 of the 32 cases) Most interviewees described a dramatic or traumatic event that prompted them into reconsidering previously held views and considering alternative perspectives. These included a gun possession charge, rejection by the military, a friend's suicide, and an extended period of unemployment. Some white supremacists discussed events involving black individuals. Direct and indirect recruitment (noted in 25 of the 32 cases) The cases of four white supremacists and three Islamic extremists involved top-down recruitment—that is, recruiters from extremist organizations formally and proactively recruited them. The cases of 15 white supremacists and three Islamic extremists involved bottom-up entry, in which the individuals radicalized on their own and then sought membership in an extremist group. Propaganda (noted in 22 of the 32 cases) Individuals described consuming online materials, as well as music and books, during the time of their radicalization. Social bonds (noted in 14 of the 32 cases) Interviewees described how they were motivated to join a group by the social bonds they experienced with the group. Most noted feelings of family and friendship among group members, and some discussed how they felt a new sense of power as a member of a group. Some noted how they felt rewarded for contributions to the cause and group. Several cases were identified in which individuals "graduated" from one organization to a more extreme organization.

There is no mystery of where people are being directed in their path of radicalization.

A list of some of these groups has been collected by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Part 2: The Failure of The Conventional Response

In a liberal democracy a governed population expects the State to maintain “order” as the State necessarily maintains a monopoly on the use of force and violence.

The history of US foreign policy yields many cases of support for extremism abroad. One can refer, for example, to Operation Gladio, Iran-Contra, Operation Condor, Operation Cyclone, the 1953 coup in Iran, and US support for General Suharto.

The U.S. government continues to grapple with this issue today.

James Carden, The Nation, January 14, 2016:

Congressmen John Conyers of Michigan and Ted Yoho of Florida drew up an amendment to the House Defense Appropriations bill (HR 2685) that “limits arms, training, and other assistance to the neo-Nazi Ukrainian militia, the Azov Battalion.” It passed by a unanimous vote in the House.

And yet by the time November came around and the conference debate over the year-end appropriations bill was underway, the Conyers-Yoho measure appeared to be in jeopardy. And indeed it was. An official familiar with the debate told The Nation that the House Defense Appropriations Committee came under pressure from the Pentagon to remove the Conyers-Yoho amendment from the text of the bill.

Fortunately, Congress was able to ban sending arms to the Azov Battalion in 2018.

However, the fact that the Pentagon was opposed to such a restriction raises serious questions. Why was the Pentagon opposed to such a restriction? Did the US military provide arms or training to the Azov Battalion before 2018? Given the fact that the US has sent billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine, has the Azov Battalion acquired any American weapons? What will the consequences of a well-armed Azov Movement be for postwar Ukraine?

Only time will tell.

The U.S. government itself has apparently done an abysmal job of preventing extremist ideology among its own personnel as well.

Meghann Myers and Leo Shane III, The military knows it has a problem with domestic extremists, white supremacists, Jan 14, 2021

…a Military Times poll found that about one-third of all active-duty respondents said they saw signs of white supremacist or racist ideology in the ranks.

This tendency applies not only to ideology, but also to acts of terrorism.

Olivia Rubin, Number of Capitol riot arrests of military, law enforcement and government personnel rises to 52, April 23, 2021

At least 52 active or retired military, law enforcement, or government service employees are among the over 400 suspects arrested for their alleged actions at the Capitol, according to an ABC News investigation based on military records, court records, interviews, and publicly available news reports. The arrests include over half a dozen ex-police officers and multiple former elected officials -- and represent some of the most significant and violent charges brought in connection with the deadly insurrection.

Former military and law enforcement are valuable recruits for extremist groups, as they can provide combat training to the rest of the group.

From White Supremacists Speak:

As was also shown in the Capitol Hill riots, some white supremacist groups recruit from both active duty and retired members of the military and police hoping to benefit from their weaponry knowledge and skills which can be imparted to the group, possible access to weapons and for their already developed sense of discipline.

Similarly, both active duty and retired military and police recruits serve to lend an air of prestige and legitimacy to such groups, reinforce the idea that the groups are patriotic in nature and these members are also good recruiters as a result.

The police and military are dismal at preventing extremism, and the FBI is also dismal at investigating extremism.

The FBI has a trend of engaging in entrapment, particularly against vulnerable individuals.

The practice can be seen in this especially egregious case:

Murtaza Hussain, THE FBI GROOMED A 16-YEAR-OLD WITH “BRAIN DEVELOPMENT ISSUES” TO BECOME A TERRORIST, June 15, 2023

…according to the government’s own criminal complaint, Ventura had never actually funded any terrorist group. The only “terrorist” he is accused of ever being in contact with was an undercover FBI agent who befriended him online as a 16-year-old, solicited small cash donations in the form of gift cards, and directed him not to tell anyone else about their intimate online relationship, including his family.

The arrest has shaken his family, who denied allegations that their son was a terrorist and said that he had been manipulated by the FBI. Ventura’s father, Paul Ventura, told The Intercept that Mateo suffered from childhood developmental issues and had been forced to leave his school due to bullying from other students.

“He was born prematurely, he had brain development issues. I had the school do a neurosurgery evaluation on him and they said his brain was underdeveloped,” [Paul] Ventura said. “He was suffering endless bullying at school with other kids taking food off his plate, tripping him in the hallway, humiliating him, laughing at him.”

Other than baiting innocent people into terrorism, the FBI also engages in domestic spying programs so incompetently that their own informant was reported for being suspicious.

Nina Totenberg, Supreme Court to hear arguments on FBI's surveillance of mosques, November 8 2021

It all started in 2006, in Orange Country, Calif. A home-grown terrorist on the FBI's most-wanted list had come out of a mosque there, and relations between the faithful and the FBI had become so fraught that the head of the Los Angeles FBI office, Stephen Tidwell, decided he should do a town hall at one of the Orange County mosques.

He picked the Islamic Center of Irvine, and repeatedly sought at the meeting to assure the audience that the FBI was not monitoring them. If the bureau is going to come to the mosque, he told them, "We will tell you we're coming for the very reason we don't want you to think you're being monitored."

But even as he was saying that, the FBI was recruiting an undercover informant to infiltrate the mosque and catch anyone who might be recruiting and training terrorists. The informant was named Craig Monteilh, a trainer at a local gym who had a checkered past. He posed as a Muslim convert at the Irvine mosque, one of the largest in southern California.

As Sam Black reported for This American Life, "The FBI later confirmed in court that Craig was an undercover informant. A district attorney also stated in court that Craig did work with Agent Kevin Armstrong and that Craig had given the FBI 'very very valuable information.'"

The bureau also has confirmed that Monteilh secretly recorded tons of audio and video of the people he was making friends with at the mosque.

'You're doing the right thing'

Soon he started pummeling his new friends with questions about jihad, Black reported, to the point that some people from the mosque started to hear complaints about it.

Monteilh would subsequently confirm that he eventually did much more than ask questions about jihad.

"I said we should carry out a terrorist attack in this country," he told This American Life. "We should bomb something."

Monteilh said that to two of the men he'd been hanging out with, and they freaked out. They wanted to report what they had heard, but they didn't know how to go about it. So they contacted Hassam Ayloush, director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Southern California.

"I told them, 'Calm down...you're doing the right thing. You're calling authorities. So even if the guy is planning on anything, you have nothing to worry about. You're not accomplice,'" Ayloush recalled.

Now, Ayloush was the person who had arranged that earlier town hall with Los Angeles FBI chief Tidwell, so he called Tidwell to report Monteilh's threats. But oddly, Tidwell, after thanking him for the tip, didn't even ask for the alleged terrorist's name.

In case you didn’t catch that, Tidwell didn’t ask for the alleged terrorist’s name because he already knew that it was his own informant who was being reported.

It is obvious that white supremacist extremists should not receive leniency in investigation or sentencing for acts of violence and terrorism, but suffering state violence can also serve as re-radicalizing experiences for them.

Incarceration of those at risk of recruitment by white supremacist extremists feeds into another huge problem: white supremacist prison gangs.

Anti-Defamation League, White Supremacist Prison Gangs: 2022 Assessment, October 24 2022:

There are currently more than 75 different white supremacist prison gangs in at least 38 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as well as in major county jails. They range from relatively small local gangs all the way to multi-state gangs with a thousand or more members.

Today, white supremacist prison gangs are one of the most active and violent segments of the white supremacist movement in the United States. Most states have at least one organized white supremacist prison gang; many have more. Such prison gangs are typically larger than other types of white supremacist groups, with memberships that often are in the hundreds, with a few, like the Aryan Circle and Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, reaching 1,500 or more members. Moreover, most prison gangs have substantial numbers of associates (including women) and hangers-on in addition to formally admitted members.

White supremacists are responsible for the majority of extremist-related murders in the United States almost every year—and members of white supremacist prison gangs commit a substantial number of them. In the last decade alone, as noted in the COE report Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2021, white supremacist prison gang members were responsible for nearly a third (76) of white supremacist-related killings. Moreover, because murders behind prison walls are not always well reported, the true number is likely higher still.

Over the years, prison officials have tried breaking gang members up across different prisons—or even different prison systems—only to see such tactics result in gang spread. Other officials have tried to segregate gang members in a particular facility or to put documented gang members in administrative segregation—i.e., solitary. These tactics have had some success but are less feasible now due to lawsuits and administrative decisions limiting solitary confinement. More progressively, some prison systems have instituted gang exit programs, but though they may benefit individuals, they do little to hinder the overall operations of such gangs.

The original Aryan Brotherhood, based primarily in the California and federal penal systems, has illustrated the extreme resiliency of such groups, surviving despite every tactic used against it, from racketeering indictments to solitary confinements. Members still found ways to communicate and, using proxy gangs, to continue their operations. Authorities have not yet figured out the best ways to combat white supremacist prison gangs.

From White Supremacists Speak:

Gang and prison-based white extremist groups were the most violent and, in some cases, follow a “blood in, blood out” recruitment strategy meaning one can expect to only exit the group by dying.

The US Government’s efforts at reducing white supremacist (and Islamic fundamentalist) extremism have been inadequate at best and counterproductive at worst.

Part 3: The Endgame

There are various methods by which extremist groups maintain their hold on their members.

Anne Speckhard & Molly Ellenberg, White Supremacists Speak: Recruitment, Radicalization & Experiences of Engaging and Disengaging from Hate Groups, May 17, 2021

Tattooing permanent markers of white supremacy on one’s body is common and makes it more difficult to re-enter society as these marks of hatred are feared and reviled by others. Hence tattoo removal may be an integral part of rehabilitation and reentry.

Of those white supremacists who turned to psychotherapy for help exiting and rehabilitating from white supremacy groups, some found their therapists afraid of them and lacking relevant knowledge. Others deeply benefitted from addressing both the adverse traumatic experiences that had led them to being vulnerable to join in the first place as well as those they encountered in the group.

Reciprocal radicalization plays an important role in further radicalizing white supremacists and keeping them involved in their groups. Many referenced violent interactions with Antifa as further radicalizing events that influenced them.

Doxxing has a serious effect on white supremacists causing some to leave their groups for fear of losing jobs, being arrested, etc. Likewise, the effect of significant others threatening to or actually leaving their white supremacists partners caused some to reevaluate the worth of staying with their group.

White supremacist extremists have to maintain psychological investment in the group, a sense of belonging, a sense of unity against perceived persecution. Getting in fights with antifa reinforces their ingroup-outgroup dynamic and allows them to bond through shared trauma.

Clearly, getting beaten, however badly, does not cure someone of their extremism. The “Fourth Degree” rank for members of the Proud Boys is earned by “get[ting] arrested or get[ting] in a serious violent fight for the cause.”

From White Supremacists Speak:

Lukas Bals, a former member of the German group Die Rechte, similarly articulates,

The reason why I stayed so long in [the] far right after it, they give me a reason, an identity. I know where I belong. If you have an enemy, you know who are your friends. My comrades are my friends, we have the same enemy. From one day to another, you have so many friends, I like it […] Being told I have worth, Lukas, you are worthy, you are worthy by birth. I didn’t have to do something first, I’m just German.

Killing a member of an extremist group could potentially make the rest of the group tighter-knit through shared trauma. Furthermore, it is natural for an escalation of violence to be reciprocated.

However, I am not advocating for pacifism. Certain people, such as members of certain religious orders, are strict pacifists, but these people should be considered especially vulnerable and in need of protection from extremists.

Rather, certain social dynamics are inevitable. Just as a white person with a certain background, with childhood trauma, with substance abuse issues, or other risk factors may be more likely to join a white supremacist group if recruited, being a white supremacist is a risk factor for getting attacked. Engaging in a white supremacist gathering is a direct provocation to violence. It’s the principle of “talk shit, get hit.”

White supremacist marches and gatherings are preludes to violence in and of themselves. Certain extremists, and groups of extremists, attack peaceful counter-protesters and innocent bystanders, particularly persons who are part of marginalized demographics. Therefore it is advantageous for extremist gatherings to be prevented, such as through doxxing and information leaks, or dispersed as quickly as possible, such as through overwhelming force.

Acts of violence and subterfuge against white supremacist extremists are only one aspect of a necessary socio-political struggle that must be undertaken against them.

Beyond the fact that apparatuses such as law enforcement agencies, the prison-industrial complex, and US border security are functionally white supremacist, a growing number of government officials explicitly espouse white supremacist extremist ideologies.

Part 4: Desistance and Deradicalization

The ideal outcome in any case of an individual white supremacist is that they can be deradicalized, that is, that their mind is changed and they reject white supremacist ideals. Failing that, the minimum positive outcome is desistance, that is, that they cease all white supremacist activities and separate themselves from any white supremacist groups they are a part of.

But how is this accomplished?

From What Do Former Extremists and Their Families Say About Radicalization and Deradicalization in America?

Why and How Do People Deradicalize and Leave Extremist Organizations?

To date, there is no standard model of how people turn away from or reject previously held extremist views or why they leave extremist groups. Interviewees cited many reasons and ways they turned away, but two in particular stood out in the study.

Disillusionment and burnout (noted in 14 of the 32 cases) These feelings were noted in cases concerning 13 white supremacists and one Islamic extremist. All interviewees expressed that former members felt disappointment. Hypocrisy or other negative behaviors were cited as reasons for these feelings and, ultimately, for leaving. Individual or group intervention (noted in 22 of the 32 cases) Interventions were typically conducted intentionally in the study sample. Individuals who helped people exit extremist groups were acquaintances, life partners, other former radicals, friends, journalists, children, other family members, religious authorities, current radicals, therapists, and school officials. The interventions consisted of diverse cultural and demographic exposures, emotional support, and financial or domestic stability. Some cases highlighted noxious or negative impact from radical individuals, which could be described as an inadvertent intervention. In 11 cases, the intervention was orchestrated and conducted by an institution, such as religious groups, law enforcement, and secular nonprofits. Twenty-two of the 32 cases also described processes of self-driven exiting from extremism. Deradicalization processes (noted in 20 of the 32 cases) Interviewees discussed how they or their family members or friends had undergone psychological or social processes of deradicalization. Twelve of these 20 cases were activists, currently engaged in helping others deradicalize. Six cases concerned individuals who had formally exited a radical organization but were still undergoing cognitive and emotional deradicalization. Failed interventions (noted in 19 of the 32 cases) When interviewees indicated that some interventions had failed, these cases most often involved family members who tried to intervene. Punitive interventions by law enforcement also often led to increased extremism. Upon leaving extremist organizations, six cases described feeling drawn back to organizations or ideologies. These interviewees discussed how they or their family members and friends missed the thrill and feelings of belonging, as well as other psychological benefits experienced by being part of an extremist group.

There are many activists, especially former white supremacists, who are engaged in deradicalization efforts, focusing on one individual at a time. However noble, these efforts are dwarfed in scale by the problem they are facing. I do not know of any existing program focusing on desistance or deradicalization that could be scaled up to meet the challenge. Even if they had infinite funding, there are a comparatively small number of formers and other activists who are able and willing to engage in such efforts. We must keep in mind that these processes can be long and painful, and each white supremacist who has the potential to be deradicalized is different, with their own unique history and needs. On that note, what percent of white supremacists even have the potential to be deradicalized? That number is unknown, and may be impossible to determine.

Christian Picciolini, a former neo-Nazi and cofounder of the deradicalization organization Life After Hate, offers a different view.

The process of deradicalizing youth needs an overhaul. A former white supremacist explains how, Callum Borchers and Allison Hagan, December 6, 2021:

After 20 years of working one on one with hundreds of people trying to leave hate movements, Picciolini is calling for a shift in focus.

“If we don't switch focus to focus on prevention, the process of radicalization is quickly overcoming us,” he says. “And we're seeing too many people line up at our door for help disengaging when we really should be focusing much more heavily on prevention so future generations aren't moved toward that movement.”

Young people are most at risk for radicalization because they’re searching for “a sense of identity, community and purpose” — but older generations need help too, he says.

People in the U.S. need to get to the source of what’s pushing people toward extremism and shut off what he calls the “bigot spigot,” he says.

“Until we fix that,” he says, “there's no amount of de-radicalization or disengagement work that can put a dent in the number of people that are becoming radicalized.”

Trauma — which Picciolini refers to as life’s “potholes” during speaking engagements — leads people to find toxic identities and communities, he says.

Social media campaigns won’t fix this deeply ingrained cycle, he says: People need resources like access to mental health care, education and job security to fill these voids instead of finding harmful alternatives.

When people deeply immersed in hate groups approach Picciolini for help, he connects with professionals in the communities such as therapists, counselors, life coaches, teachers or even parents, he says.

“We have to learn to utilize the professionals that already exist in our communities,” he says.

Since announcing the end of the Free Radicals Project, Picciolini says he’s received support because people understand the need for a shift toward prevention to cut off the pipeline to radicalization.

“But also, people recognize that doing this work is traumatic,” he says. “Sitting in front of people to discuss their traumas, the things that happen to them in life, can also be a traumatizing effect on the people who listen.”

Poverty, mental health treatment, child welfare, social alienation, substance abuse issues, mass incarceration, far-right propaganda in mass media & social media, underlying structural white supremacy, environments saturated with casual racism and bigotry… All of these issues and more not only raise the risk of far-right radicalization in certain individuals, but they are also general social ills that harm all of us.

It is possible that one of the most effective things we could do to combat radicalization would be good for all of us: Focusing on reducing these risk factors.

But reducing these risk factors relies on broad social, political, economic, and even religious change.

Do you believe that the prevalence of these risk factors is going to decrease or increase in the near future?

If they increase, then the general rate of far-right radicalization should be expected to increase as well.

I'm not going to take the liberal stance and merely state policy recommendations that will never be adopted by the aged capitalists in our government while the culture war threatens to transition into a civil war.

If a civil war is imminent, then we should become ready to defend ourselves from white supremacist extremists with lethal force.

Even if you don't think a civil war is imminent, then you should at least have a plan for what you're going to do in the case that you're present at the scene of a hate crime or an act of stochastic terrorism from a white supremacist extremist.

#long post #radicalization #deradicalization

60 notes · View notes

afghanbarbie · 3 months

Text

The sex-based apartheid against women in Afghanistan cannot be reduced to, "Afghan men saw Afghan women enjoying freedom and got mad, so they established extremist religious governments to stop it." I am really tired of seeing this misconception and oversimplification spread around by leftists, liberals and feminists – it's racist, and simply not fucking true.

The majority of Afghans want a secular government and for the oppression of women to end. The Taliban represent a minority of Afghanistan's people. The deterioration of Afghan society – in particular, women's rights and freedoms – directly results from decades of foreign intervention, imperialism and occupation. Afghans did not destroy Afghanistan, the United States did, and the USSR paved the way for them to do so.

Had Afghanistan never been treated like a pawn in the games played by imperialistic powers, had we not been reduced to resources, strategic importance and a tool for weakening the enemy, extremism would have never come to power.

An overview of Afghanistan's recent history:

The USSR wanted to incorporate Afghanistan into Soviet Central Asia and did so by sabotaging indigenous Afghan communist movements and replacing our leaders with those loyal to the USSR. The United States began funding and training Islamic extremists – the Mujahideen – to fight against the Soviet influence and subsequent invasion, and to help the CIA suppress any indigenous Afghan leftist movements. Those Mujahideen won the war, and then spent the next decade fighting for absolute control over Afghanistan.

During that time period, known as the Afghan Civil War, the Mujahideen became warlords, each enforcing their own laws on the regions they controlled. Kabul was nearly destroyed, and the chaos, destruction and death was largely ignored by the United States despite being the ones who caused and empowered it. This civil war era created the perfect, unstable environment needed to give a fringe but strong group like the Taliban a chance to rise to power. And after two decades of war, a singular entity taking control and bringing 'peace' was enticing to all Afghans, even if their views were objectively more extreme than what we had been enduring up to that point.

When the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, they allied with the same warlords that had been destroying our country the decade prior and whom they had rallied against the Soviets – these are the people that made up the Northern Alliance. The 'good guys' that America gave us were rapists, pillagers, and violent extremists, no better than the Taliban. And that's not even mentioning the horrible atrocities and war crimes committed by American forces themselves.

So, no, Afghan men did not collectively wake up one day and decide that women had too much freedom and rush to establish an extremist government overnight. No, this is not to excuse the misogyny of men in our society – the extremists had to already exist for Americans to fund and arm them against the Soviets – but rather to redirect the bulk of this racist blame to the actual culprits. The religious extremism and sex-based apartheid would not be oppressing and murdering us today if they hadn't been funded and supported by the United States of America thirty years ago. And despite all the abuses and restrictions, many Afghan women prefer the Taliban's current government to another American occupation. I felt safer walking in Taliban-controlled Kabul than I did being 'randomly searched' (sexually assaulted) by American military police in my village as a child.

Imperialism is inextricably linked with patriarchal violence and women's oppression. You cannot talk about the deterioration of Afghanistan without talking about the true cause of said decline: The United States of America. Americans of all political views, including leftists and feminists, are guilty of reducing or outright ignoring Western responsibility for female oppression in the Global South, finding it much easier to place all blame on the foreign brown man or our supposedly backwards, savage cultures, when the most responsibility belongs with Western governments and their meddling games that forced the most violent misogynists among us into power.

(Most of this information comes from my own experience living as an Afghan Hazara woman in Afghanistan, but Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords and the Propaganda of Silence covers this in much more detail. If you want more on the Soviet-Afghan war and Afghanistan's socialist history, Revolutionary Afghanistan is an English-language source from a more leftist perspective)

#afghanistan #taliban #anti imperialism #feminism #radfem safe #america is a terrorist state #america is a failed state #global south #western imperialism #hazara genocide

94 notes · View notes

wrathzy · 11 months

Text

The Execution of Tatiana Usmanova:

The Chechen Wars were a string of vicious conflicts between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. These brutal onslaughts transpired in two stages, from 1994 to 1996 (The First Chechen War) and 1999 to 2009 (The Second Chechen War), producing devastating consequences for the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in terms of significant human suffering, including military and civilian casualties, civilian displacement, and eradicated infrastructure. From 1994 to 2003, as many as 50,000 to 250,000 civilians were killed in the combined Chechen wars, along with thousands more deaths of fighters from both sides.

The spread of technology during the Chechen wars allowed for the filming of various war crimes, and it became a breeding ground for atrocious propaganda footage, mainly by the Chechen rebels. These guerilla warfare-styled fighters employed psychological warfare to strike fear into the hearts of the Russians. One of the tactics they would utilize is recording the executions of captured Russian troops, then leaving the videotape on the body for the enemy to discover. A few of these videos were eventually uploaded on popular snuff hubs like Documenting Reality or Rotten and are considered the original gore videos available to watch online. One such video was the recorded murder of Tatiana Usmanova, which had vanished for some time before emerging on the internet once again.

32-year-old Tatiana Usmanova and her husband, Hassan Edilgireev, lived in the Adreevskaya Dolina village in the Zavodsky district of Grozny. On the evening of October 1st, 2001, Tatiana, Hassan, and her friend, Elena Petrovna Gaevskaya (reportedly paying a visit to the couple), were abducted by five pro-Chechan militants from their home. According to sources, the Chechen militants accused Tatiana of collaborating with local police or other agencies. Tatiana was murdered on camera in front of Hassan, while Elena was shot to death off camera. Hassan was tortured by the rebels; however, they allowed him to live because he was of Chechen descent. All of the killers, except for the cameraman, were around 18 years of age. Tatiana's execution footage was not released to the public until 2004, after the Grozny police obtained the tape, initiating a separate investigation into who was responsible for Tatiana's murder. While everyone who participated was eventually identified, most were already dead.

The killers were identified as:

Islam Chalayev: Killed during an FSB mission in April 2002 Khamzat Tazabaev: Killed during an FSB mission in February 2004 Adlan Barayev: Killed during a special operation in 2004 Arbi Khaskhanov: Official status is unknown (may still be alive) Ilyas Dashaev: Already serving time in prison for past crimes

Sources cite that Ilyas Dashaev was part of the group led by Arbi Barayev, a Chechen warlord who had been explicitly selecting young and ruthless men to join. Dashaev then moved to a different group led by Islam Chalayev at the beginning of 2001. In January 2002, federal troops launched an operation against Dashaev and detained him. By December of that year, the Stavropol Regional Court found him guilty of murdering the heads of administrations for several Chechen villages, and two employees of the Urus-Martanovsky District Department of Internal Affairs, as well as banditry and robbery, earning him a sentence of 20 years in a maximum security penal colony. Finally, in 2007, Ilyas Dashaev was convicted by the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic of the 2001 murders of Tatiana Usmanova and Elena Petrovna Gaevskaya and was sentenced to an additional 22 years. According to Dashnaev's court testimony, he confessed to brutalizing Tatiana and Elena for talking to authorities and dumping their bodies into a river.

Tatiana's Execution Video:

The footage of Tatiana's execution is 17 minutes and 55 seconds long, and it appears the cameraman recorded with a night vision filter inside a dark basement. Upon starting the video, you see a beaten Tatiana sitting on the dirt floor alongside Hassan, and she's interrogated for the first two minutes, occasionally being hit with a flexible rod. Despite the abuse, Tatiana appeared remarkably composed during the interrogation by the rebels.

From 2:30 to 3:50, one of the captors is seen digging a shallow pit for blood to flow in. The camera interchangeably zooms on Tatiana, and the expression on her face is of pure despondency as it seems there is no way out for her. Around 4:58, she began to panic, pleading for her life while they bound her hands together with tape. The video then cuts to Hassan having tape placed over his mouth before shifting back to Tatiana, who is on the ground with her mouth taped.

One of the rebels presses a combat knife onto her throat, not cutting it, but to practice where to cut. At 6:25, one of the rebels cuts the tape off Tatiana's mouth, and she begins murmuring to them, but what was said is not known. From 8:30 to 9:20, Tatiana has her mouth taped again as the rebels prepare for the killing.

By 9:20, the militants place Tatiana on her side by the hole. One holds her head back to expose her neck, while the other begins to sever her throat. A faint squeal leaves Tatiana's mouth as her throat is carved wide open, and her blood is seen streaming into the hole. The killers also took turns lacerating and holding her down against the dirt until she's finally decapitated. At 9:49, the footage cuts to a black screen, but you can hear the rebels talk amongst each other for about a minute or so before it cuts to Hassan at 11:06.

Hassan's head was covered in lumps and lacerations, indicating that the killers badly beat him. At 11:26, the cameraman walks around Tatiana's beheaded corpse as he laughs. One of the killers can be seen at 12:04 boasting with Tatiana's head in his hand before placing it on the floor. The remaining minutes of the footage show the killers probing Hassan, who appears to be in shock due to what he had witnessed happen to his wife, and then the video concludes.

#tatiana usmanova #chechen wars #morbid curiosities #true crime #true crime research #true crime community #beheaded #execution #second chechen war #wrathzy

65 notes · View notes

mariacallous · 3 months

Text

Even if Israel and Hamas agree to a cease-fire and it holds, normalcy will not return to Gaza anytime soon. For the Palestinians living there, the biggest long-term danger they face may not be Hamas or Israel—it could be a lack of government altogether. A postwar Gaza may join the ranks of Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and other states that suffer near-constant low-level strife, endemic crime, and humanitarian crisis after humanitarian crisis. Such states tend to produce waves of desperate refugees and can fuel further violence.

In Gaza’s modern history, different regimes have ruled the strip, rarely doing so for the benefit of its residents. After the British colonial presence ended in 1948 and a war commenced over Israel’s independence, Egyptian troops advanced into Gaza as part of their attack on Israel, and they kept control of the region in the 1949 armistice agreement between Egypt and Israel. In the years after, Egypt sought to both suppress and exploit Palestinian activism and political Islam. Palestinian cross-border raids were an instrument against Israel, but they could create an escalatory spiral. In the 1950s, repeated cross-border raids contributed to Israel’s decision to go to war against Egypt in 1956.

When Israel took power after conquering Gaza in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, it also feared Palestinian activism, though it was more permissive than Egypt in allowing political Islam to develop. Under Israeli rule, Gaza’s economy improved, but the enclave remained poorly governed, with Israel less concerned about the well-being of Palestinians and more worried about their support for Palestinian nationalism.

The Palestinian National Authority, a forerunner of the Palestinian Authority (PA), took over the governance of Gaza and portions of the West Bank as part of the Oslo Accords, assuming control in 1994 under Yasser Arafat’s leadership. Although finally under Palestinian rule, the Palestinian leaders were primarily from the diaspora, not Gaza, and the PA focused more on the West Bank. Again, Gaza remained neglected.

Israel reoccupied Gaza during the Second Intifada, which began in 2000, and it withdrew in 2005. Although Israel’s campaign against Hamas weakened its terrorist capabilities, Hamas won a parliamentary election in 2006 and then seized power in Gaza in 2007. Finally, a Gaza-based organization was running Gaza. In some ways, life for Palestinians in the enclave improved—despite Hamas’s repressive ideology. It cracked down on crime, crushed local warlords, provided health and educational services, and was less corrupt than the PA.

At the same time, Israel and much of the international community rejected Hamas’s legitimacy. The group continued waging sporadic attacks on Israel, and Israeli governments placed severe limits on Gaza’s economic development and regularly engaged in destructive military campaigns in the enclave. Israel tried to balance this with limited economic concessions to Gaza, such as issuing more worker permits and offering greater fishing rights, and allowing millions of dollars in aid from Qatar to go to Gaza if Hamas stopped military attacks—a policy that Israel thought was working until the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, dispelled this illusion.

Whatever limited gains Palestinians in Gaza may have made under Hamas rule have been shattered by Israel’s military response to the attacks committed by Hamas on Oct. 7. The Israeli campaign has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians and displaced 1.9 million people—85 percent of the enclave’s population. More than half of Gaza’s buildings had been damaged or fully destroyed by late January. The United Nations estimates that Gaza will need decades to recover at the cost of tens of billions of dollars—money that may never be provided. And U.N. officials warn that famine and disease will soon sweep the strip.

Some aid does get in, but much of it does not go to the neediest. Hamas has blended in with the population, and much of the day-to-day governance of Gaza, including policing, is gone as Israel continues to target what it considers to be Hamas’s infrastructure in Gaza. Criminal gangs now regularly rob unprotected aid convoys, selling what they steal to desperate Gazans.

Although a cease-fire would reduce some of the suffering, it does not resolve the most important political question: Who will rule Gaza? Israel understandably does not want the Hamas regime that murdered around 1,200 of its citizens to return to power and vows to destroy Hamas. Yet all the other contenders for power are weak, including the PA.

Any non-Hamas government has to worry about two sets of armed actors. Israel is likely to continue at least limited operations against the remnants of Hamas, assassinating its leaders and otherwise trying to prevent the group from reconsolidating. Hamas, for its part, might attack any interim government in order to ensure its political preeminence, and this is especially true if that government cooperates with Israel on security.

As for Gaza’s economy, even massive aid would not restore conditions that existed before Oct. 7—tenuous as they were. Although initial reports claiming that Palestinians from Gaza who worked in Israel had aided the Oct. 7 terrorists appear to be wrong, suspicion toward Palestinians among Israelis will remain high. Israel has accused the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)—which for decades has provided education, health care, food, and other services in Gaza—of being penetrated by Hamas. More broadly, the Oct. 7 attacks discredited Israel’s carrot-and-stick approach of offering limited economic concessions backed up by the threat of force to encourage moderation from Hamas. The future will see few carrots and far more sticks.

Foreign aid, while necessary for daily survival in Gaza, also comes with its own long-term risks for any government in the enclave. Aid from outsiders could have a corrupting effect, making any government less accountable to its own people; ordinary Palestinians in Gaza would have no way to stop officials from siphoning off aid and abusing their power.

This mix of chaos, privation, and conflict poses long-term risks not just for Palestinians, but also for Israel and the rest of the regional states. Many of Gaza’s people will try to leave if they can, with next-door neightbor Egypt being the most likely destination, should Cairo allow it. These conditions are also natural feeders for violent groups, which can easily recruit young men who need a paycheck and are bitter toward Israel and the international community for their role in Gaza’s desperate condition.

The Israel-Hamas war’s end would only mark the end of a chapter in the book of Palestinian suffering: The next chapter may be about the chaotic postwar period. Too often, U.S. and international policy in the region is focused on establishing a cease-fire or beginning negotiations, and not enough on lessening the suffering of ordinary people.

To reduce the risk of long-term state failure, the United States, European Union members, and others hoping for a solution to the conflict should focus on who will rule Gaza and how that entity’s rule will be enforced in the long term.

15 notes · View notes