The Muslim Brotherhood has a branch of their Sunni philosophy throughout the Mideast, Africa, in the West, Russia and the Indian subcontinent.
Zawahiri is a Sunni Isalm (Qutbism). Qutbism is a theology of activism written by Sayyid Qutb (click here). Sayyid Qutb was the former leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood. It is he believed to change the definition of jihad within the teachings of Mohammad. Qutb promoted the idea of jihadism, in particular, armed jihadism to promote the advance of Islam.
Zawahiri, (click here) however, has now bested bin Laden in an important category: He has survived. Zawahiri has certainly been through the fire before. He was imprisoned and tortured by the Egyptians in the early 1980s for his involvement in the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. After his release, he fled to Pakistan and then survived repeated threats in Sudan, Afghanistan, and finally Pakistan again. Meanwhile, he has become one of the chief architects of al Qaeda's mergers-and-acquisitions strategy, supporting a formal relationship with al-Shabab and encouraging al Qaeda to exploit the Arab Spring.
To list all the organizations is nearly impossible, but, the USA State Department has listed those viewed as a direct threat to our national security.
Zawahiri, (click here) however, has now bested bin Laden in an important category: He has survived. Zawahiri has certainly been through the fire before. He was imprisoned and tortured by the Egyptians in the early 1980s for his involvement in the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. After his release, he fled to Pakistan and then survived repeated threats in Sudan, Afghanistan, and finally Pakistan again. Meanwhile, he has become one of the chief architects of al Qaeda's mergers-and-acquisitions strategy, supporting a formal relationship with al-Shabab and encouraging al Qaeda to exploit the Arab Spring.
To list all the organizations is nearly impossible, but, the USA State Department has listed those viewed as a direct threat to our national security.
Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) (click here) are designated by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). FTO designations play a critical role in the fight against terrorism and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities.
Legal Criteria for Designation under Section 219 of the INA as amended:
- It must be a foreign organization.
- The organization must engage in terrorist activity, as defined in section 212 (a)(3)(B) of the INA (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(3)(B)), or terrorism, as defined in section 140(d)(2) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. § 2656f(d)(2)), or retain the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism.
- The organization's terrorist activity or terrorism must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security (national defense, foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the United States.
