Islamic Terror Attacks Sputtering Downward

2010 ended with a horrific Al Qaeda car bomb attack on a New Year’s Eve service at a Christian Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt, killing 21 parishioners and injuring another 79.  Similar Christmas bombings occurred in Nigeria and Pakistan, and one was disrupted in Oregon, U.S.A.  So outraged were Muslims and non-Muslims alike in Egypt that subsequent services were protected by Muslims (many of them celebrities and government officials) acting as human shields to protect their fellow countrymen and women.  This tragic incident was characteristic of the trends in Islamic terrorism during the year – a few spectacular attacks with a general decline in terrorism due to opposition by both Muslims and non-Muslims. Sadly, the toll of Islamic Terror Attacks since 9/11/01 is approaching 17,000 on The Religion of Peace (TROP) website (www.thereligionofpeace.com). 

A note about the data:  While the editors of the TROP website would be the first to admit there may be gaps in the data, they have been as diligent as humanly possible to provide an accurate accounting from newspaper articles, tips, and other information sources. If anything, the data grossly understate the true extent of Islamic terrorism.  (See “About the List of Terrorist Attacks” on their website sidebar.) 

Terrorism by Year:

Terror in the U.S.:

2009 year was the worst year since 2002 in the U.S., primarily due to the incident at Fort Hood, TX, where Muslim psychiatrist Nidal Hasan shouted “Allah Akbar” and opened fire on fellow soldiers killing 13 and injuring 31.  The year 2002 was dominated by the Beltway Sniper incidents.

Afghanistan:

Since combat casualties are not included in the data, most of the casualties reported above are Afghan civilians and police officers. The increased military presence and the efforts to train Afghan forces  have not made the people of Afghanistan any safer.

India:

India is 81% Hindu, 13% Muslim, 2% Christian, and 2% Sikh.  The most horrific terror attack of 2010 was an IED left in a bag inside the German Bakery in Pune, a major tourist stop in India.  Seventeen women were killed, along with 37 injured. David Coleman Headly, the American complicit in the Mumbai bombings of 2008, is believed to have conducted reconnaissance on the Osho Ashram and the Jewish Chabad House just across the road from the bakery.

Indonesia

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any county in the world, but it seems to have terrorism reasonably under control. Indonesia is 88% Muslim, 8% Christian, and 2% Hindu.   

Iraq:

The United States began re-deploying troops away from civilian areas in 2009, so insurgency against U.S. forces “occupying” Iraq can no longer be blamed for the high statistics. The Iraqi government was in limbo for 9 months of the year while minority factions tried to knit together a coalition. During 2010 there were increased attacks on Iraqi Christians, culminating when the Islamic State of Iraq Fedayeen invaded a church, throwing grenades and shooting at the congregation. They slaughtered 34 members and three priests, and injured another 80. Christians are emigrating from Iraq in record numbers.

Israel:

Israel’s uncompromising stand against Islamic terrorism, including its formidable containment wall, has drawn complaints, but there is no denying its effectiveness in reducing attacks on the country’s civilians.

Nigeria:

Nigeria is 50% Muslim, 40% Christian, and 10% “indigenous beliefs.” The northern part of Nigeria is predominantly Muslim and some provinces claim to apply Sharia Law. The bloodiest terror attack in 2010 was when 528 Christians, mostly women and children, were hacked to death by Muslim raiders with machetes in a night-time attack on their village of Dogo Nahauwa. The killers shouted “Allah Akbar” as they chopped the victims, many still in their beds.  Most of the other terror attacks were by the Boko Haram (Books Forbidden) Islamists against government officials, including one incident where 32 policemen were assassinated and “roasted like animals.”  It would be hard to surpass the barbarity of these terror attacks.

Palestinian Authority (Gaza and West Bank):

Perhaps this reduction in violence is a realization after 60 years that trying to destroy Israel is a fool’s errand.  Statehood for Palestine is an opportunity the Palestinian leadership alone can accept or reject.

Pakistan:

Pakistan has clearly lost control of its war on terror. The principal reason the statistics declined in 2010 was the July monsoon floods that covered one fifth of the country.  While the natural disaster slowed the terrorist attacks, the senselessness of the carnage did  not abate. On Christmas Day, 47 people lined up for emergency food were blown up by a female suicide bomber.  Another 81 people were injured.  Many of the victims were children. Since Pakistan is 97% Muslim, the attacks there are virtually all Muslim-on-Muslim attacks, both sectarian or anti-government.

Russian Federation:

The data above include Russia, Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia. Russia’s war on terrorism made no progress in 2010.  The most horrific attack occurred when a suicide Shahid from Ingushetia drove a explosives-laden Volvo into a Russian market, killing seventeen shoppers and injuring 123. Ingushetia is predominantly Shafii Muslim, and it is one of the poorest regions in the Russian Federation.

Saudi Arabia:

Four British cyclists are deliberately run down by drivers in two cars. A 54-year-old humanitarian worker dies from injuries.

Somalia:

Somalia is the world’s poster child for a failed state. Not only is there anarchy within the country, but Somali pirates menace commerce along its coastline.  It is only the military force of foreign powers that is containing this haven for international terrorism. Many of the casualties in 2010 were victims of frontal assaults of towns, government buildings, and hotels.

Sudan/Chad:

The high casualty rate for the number of attacks was caused by the Janjiweed militia sweeping through a market in North Darfur on camels killing 74, including eighteen children.  On January 9, 2011, the people in Southern Sudan voted on a UN mandated referendum to secede from the Sudan.  In the run-up to this vote, the acts of terrorism against the non-Muslim, non-Arab south have decreased.

CONCLUSIONS FOR 2010:

1.  Islamic terrorism is a world-wide problem. While only a few countries were identified in this report, the TROP list of terrorist incidents in 2009 includes 40 countries – both Muslim and non-Muslim.

2. Terrorism is increasing in frequency and severity in countries where it is not dealt with directly and with specific concerted government action, namely, Nigeria and Pakistan.  The greatest success stories about combating terrorism come from Indonesia  and Israel, where the governments have taken a firm stance against militant Islamists.

3.  Terrorism has generally failed to accomplish any political or social objectives. The data seem to indicate that it is losing its support as a tactic in India and the Palestinian Authority.

4.  Many of the most horrific attacks in 2010 were against groups of Christians, either worshiping in churches or living in Christian villages.  These mass killings were clearly examples of genocide intended to drive Christians out of “multicultural” areas.

5. Muslim-on-Muslim terror reveals the evil agenda of its perpetrators, where the desired ends justify the means even if it involves killing fellow Muslims.  Examples include Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia.  Islamists are do not represent an alternative form of government as much as they do general anarchy as a precursor to imposing Islamic (Sharia) Law. Somalia is a modern-day example of the end result.

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