According to Gale Thomson, Al-Jihad (also known as Egyptian Islamic Jihad; Jihad Group; Talaa'al al-Fateh—the Vanguards of Conquest) is an Egyptian Islamist extremist group. They have been involved in a variety of atrocities throughout the years. Egypt, during the time of Gamal Abdel Nasser, was very oppressive to Muslims. The new President Anwar Sadat attempted to make relations between Egypt and Muslims better. He started by embracing the Muslim Brotherhood. He hoped this would widen his support and legitimacy as President. In 1971, Gale Thomson says that thousands of Brotherhood members and other Islamists were released from prison and in subsequent years, restrictions on meeting, publications and other rights of association were lessened. Regardless of these efforts, Sadat’s relationship with the Islamists remained very shaky. According to Gale Thomson, the economy was dislocated and the Camp David Accords of September 1978 (which afforded recognition of and peace with Israel) led to popular dissatisfaction. Because of this, a large number of extremist groups emerged. Harsh measures to stop these groups from emerging were implemented by the Egyptian Government, though the groups continued to grow. Gale Thomson says that the most dangerous of these appeared in the late 1970s, and was known as al-Jihad, or the Jihad organization.
Al-Jihad was the most radical offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. They broke away from the Brotherhood because they didn’t agree with their nonviolent tactics. According to Salama and Bergoch, it began as a small underground group based out of the Cairo districts of Boulaq, Nahia, and Kerdasa, under the leadership of jihadi ideologue Muhammad 'Abd al-Salam Farraj. Al-Jihad absorbed many people, including leaders from a number of other groups. Farraj provided the groups ideological background. Military expertise was provided by an Egyptian Army Colonel by the name of Abbud Abd el-Latif al-Zumor. Members of al-Jama’a al-Islamiya joined up with Al-Jihad. A consultative council was also created for the group. According to Salama and Bergoch, the organizational and decision-making structure of al-Jihad al-Islami was thus finalized by the end of the fall of 1980, complete with Upper and Lower Egyptian branches, and multiple cells throughout Egypt's urban centers. The group’s motivation is to overthrow the Egyptian government and to replace it with an Islamic state. Ted Thornton says that Farraj wrote in a pamphlet; in this, he argued that apostates ruled Egypt and an apostate has to be killed. Farraj believed that these apostates or infidel leaders needed to be killed and replaced by an Islamic Order. Military.com says that the group split into two factions sometime in the late 80s. The old faction has receded in recent years due to many members arrest. The newer group, led by Al-Zawahiri, has merged with Al Qaeda.
Anthony Keats says that Egypt has long claimed that both Iran and Sudan provided assistance to al-Jihad. These countries have been accused of providing arms to al-Jihad. Financial ties have been linked to al Qaeda. It is believed that Osama bin Laden provided resources for al-Jihad. Also, Anthony Keats explains that many members of al-Jihad have trained at al Qaeda-financed Kunar and Khost terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. Al-Jihad is believed to receive funds from non-governmental Islamic organizations, cover businesses and criminal acts.
The al-Jihad is known for many different incidents. They have carried out assassination attempts on the Egyptian Interior Minister Hassan al-Alfi and the Prime Minister Atef Sedky. Information from Gale Thomson supports that al-Jihad has been involved in the Luxor massacre that killed 62 people, 58 were western tourists and 4 were Egyptians. U.S. Embassies have also been bombed by al-Jihad. The assassination of President Sadat and the September 11th World Trade Center attacks are the most prominent incidents. The plan to assassinate Sadat was proposed to Farraj. Khalid al-Islambouli had been in command of the armored transport vehicle that would take part in the military parade. Some of the group leaders argued that the timing of the Sadat assassination was off and were against the idea. They believed they needed more time and members, though the council ultimately overruled objections. According to Salama and Bergoch, on October 6, 1981, as al-Islambouli’s vehicle approached Sadat’s reviewing stand, he and his accomplices opened fire and advanced toward the president. Killing Sadat had immense impact, though this was only one element in a larger strategy. The other part of the plan was to seize control of the Army’s operation room and the Central Security headquarters. Next, they were to gain control of the Radio, Television and Telephone Exchange buildings to communicate the beginning of an Islamic Revolution. The last part was to assault the city of Asyut in central Egypt. The uprising in Asyut did not occur on time and the government suppressed the attack.
After the split, Al-Jihad was greatly weakened. The original group was destroyed because most of the members were arrested. The newer group, lead by Ayman al-Zawahiri, became known as The Vanguards of Conquest. They still carried the name of al-Jihad but they used the other name as an alias. Jonathan White says that in 1998, Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) was absorbed into al Qaeda when Osama bin Laden announced that he was forming the World Islamic Front against Jews and Crusaders. At this point, al-Jihad was taken over by al Qaeda. Also, Jonathan White says the experiences of al-Jihad evolved al Qaeda into a more sophisticated international network. Due to this merger, al-Jihad is stronger then ever.
Works Cited: Keats, Anthony. In The Spotlight: Al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad). Center for Defense Information. 1779 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036-2109. 2002. http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/aljihad.cfm
Military.com. Al Jihad (aka Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Al-Jihad, Al-Islami Al-Jihad, Islamic Jihad, Jihad Group). 2009. http://www.military.com/Resources/ResourceFileView?file=AlJihad-Organization.htm
Salama, Sammy & Bergoch, John-Ryan. Special Section: Terrorist Attacks on America, Al-Jihad al-Islami. James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies. 2008. http://cns.miis.edu/research/wtc01/aljihad.htm
Thomson, Gale. Al-Jihad. The Thomson Corporation. 2006. http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/exgi_0001_0001_0/exgi_0001_0001_0_00019.html
Thornton, Ted. History of the Middle East Database: Al-Jihad. 2007. http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/jihadorgan.php
White, Jonathan R. Terrorism and Homeland Security. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA 2009.
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