Sri Lanka Attacks: Are We Seeing The Rise Of The Affluent Jihadi?

Sri Lanka Attacks: Are We Seeing The Rise Of The Affluent Jihadi?

The suicide bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, followed by the release of a video of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, raises questions of whether we are seeing the resurgence of ISIS. Speaking to SNI Opinion Editor Ashwin Ahmad, Dr Adil Rasheed, Research Fellow, IDSA and counter-terrorism expert believes the attacks were a bid by ISIS to rally ‘demoralised crusaders’. On why ISIS has not yet formed a base in India, Dr Rasheed believes India’s more liberal forms of Islam – Barelvis and Deobandi – is at odds with the hardline Salafi/Wahabi brands of Islam practiced by ISIS and Al-Qaeda ensuring these groups have so far ignored India. However, ISIS’s growing desperation and the migration of fighters to the Af-Pak region is a threat. Finally, speaking about the rise of affluent, educated Muslims turning to jihad, Dr Rasheed believes jihadis see themselves as ‘revolutionaries’ and history shows that ‘generally revolutionaries think and read a lot.’ To commit to jihad is not possible without some understanding of geopolitics however twisted that understanding may be.
#India #Srilanka #Terrorism

source

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to Drishtikone: In-Depth Geopolitics, Cultural Analysis, and Hinduism Insights.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.