Islamic Terror Attack Trends and Analysis

2011 saw the elimination of the world’s two most notorious Islamic terrorists – Osama bin Laden and  Anwar al-Awlaki – and the mostly peaceful uprising of citizens in North Africa and the Middle East against  autocratic rulers who had  held power for decades through institutional terror.  While the Muslim Brotherhood may initially fill the political vacuum left by the despots, the citizen  masses will no longer be patient with government-sanctioned corruption or governments that cannot deliver on promises.  While terrorism continues relatively unabated, much of it is now used to settle scores between factions within the Islamic community -- with most of the victims being Muslims themselves.  Sadly, the toll of Islamic Terror Attacks since 9/11/01 exceeds 18,200 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.:

While several terror attacks were thwarted by authorities 2011, one Muslima was murdered to preserve her family’s honor. 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.  In addition to the al-Qaeda and  the Taliban, other groups are competing for Islamic terror recognition in Afghanistan, including the Shahid (“witness” or  “ martyr”) and  the Fedayeen (“redeemers”).   Also, there is an alarming  increase in assassinations of  coalition troops by supposedly friendly Afghan soldiers.

China:

There are between 26 million and 40 million Muslims in China, comprising 2% to 3% of the total population. In recent years they have become more militant in asserting their Islamic prerogatives.  Their terrorism tendency burst onto the scene in July, 2009, when a rampage in Urumqi resulted in 137 deaths and 800 injured.  Since then there have been numerous Muslim clashes with the Chinese government authorities.  In July, some Muslim radicals hijacked a truck and rammed  it into a crowd of non-Muslim Han, and then they began stabbing people, leaving 8 dead and 22 injured.

India:

In July, an opera house and two other commercial areas were attacked by bombers, killing 26 and injuring 126 innocent civilians.  India is 81% Hindu, 13% Muslim, 2% Christian, and 2% Sikh. 

Indonesia:

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any county in the world, but terrorists continue to target Christians and minority sect Ahmadis. Indonesia is 88% Muslim, 8% Christian, and 2% Hindu.   

Iraq:

U.S. combat operations in Iraq ended  on August 31, 2011, and all troops had left Iraq by the end of the year.  The average monthly number of attacks, killed, and injured has decreased only slightly since August.  Many of the terror attacks are by minority Sunnis against the majority Shiite civilian population.  Most devastating attack was a coordinated  multiple bombing and rocket attack  in November “celebrating” the departure of U.S. troops which killed 72 and injured 217.

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.  Suicide bombing has also been disrupted by security operations.  There were two massacres in 2011, in Eilat, where 8 innocent Jews were killed and 30 injured by terrorists disguised as Egyptian soldiers, and in Itmar, where teen-aged assassins stabbed a baby and  two young  children to death while asleep in their beds.

Nigeria:

The largest numerical increases in terrorism in 2011 occurred in Nigeria, where Muslims are targeting Christians.  Of the 165 attacks, 58 were attributed to the radical Islamist group Boko Haram (Western Education Forbidden).   In April, in Kaduna, Muslims went on a two day rampage, torching over forty Christian churches and burning over 300 Christians to death.  In November, in Potiskum, about 200  militants shouting “Allah Akbar” stormed six churches and a police station, killing 150 and injuring 200.  Christian President Goodluck Jonathan has apparently lost control of his deeply divided nation. 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.

Palestinian Authority (Gaza and West Bank):

Perhaps this reduction in violence is a realization after 60 years that trying to destroy Israel by violence is a fool’s errand.  Now the Palestinians are trying to get ‘de facto’ recognition via the United Nations, a gambit most Western nations oppose.

Pakistan:

Pakistan has clearly lost control of its war on terror.  President Asif Ali Zardari is now threatened with a military-judicial coup.  The only mitigating factors in the rise of Islamic terrorism have been two  devastating back-to-back  monsoon floods that left millions homeless.  The bloodiest attack in 2011 was in Bannu in May, where two suicide bombers yelling “Allah Akbar” murdered 98 innocent people and  injured another 124 in “revenge” for the killing of Osama bin Laden  that month  by U.S. Navy Seals.  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 has made little progress since 2004.  The most horrific attack  in 2011 occurred when two suicide bombers detonated shrapnel bombs inside the Moscow airport killing 35 and injuring 130.

Saudi Arabia:

Sunni gunmen fired into a Shiite funeral in Qatif.

Somalia:

Somalia remains the world’s poster child for a failed state.  The country has not had a functioning government for 20 years, and the current famine has killed between 50,000 and 100,000 people. The only good news there is that neighboring countries, members of the African Union, are pushing the al-Shabab militants out of urban areas and disrupting the terrorism in the region.

Sudan/South Sudan/Chad:

On January 9, 2011, the people in Southern Sudan voted on a UN mandated referendum to secede from  the Sudan.  Most of the terror incidents in 2011 have been attacks by the Islamic Republic of Sudan Arab militias against black non-Muslim civilians and refugees of South Sudan.

Thailand:

Islamic terror attacks remain at a high level in Thailand, where peaceful Buddhists are easy targets. Most of the attacks involve just a few victims. Thailand  is 94% Buddhist, 5% Muslim and 1% Christian.

Yemen:

Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh saw the end to his 33 year rule in June  when he was severely injured in a bombing of the palace mosque.  Since then he has been  negotiating for immunity from  crimes he committed while in office.  Due to this drawn-out departure, Islamic terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda are using terror against soldiers, police, and security personnel to press for a quicker departure. 

CONCLUSIONS FOR 2011:

1.     Islamic terrorism has metastasized into a world-wide problem. While only a few countries are identified in this report, the TROP list of terrorist incidents in 2011 includes 56 countries – both Muslim and non-Muslim.  Three new countries have been added to the score-card  above  – China, Thailand, and Yemen.  

2.     A careful reading of the TROP data  indicates that the modal modes of terror are 1)  attacks on  defenseless individuals or small groups,  and 2) horrific multiple bombings of crowds in markets, mosques, or other public gatherings.    Muslims continue to be the principal victims of Islamic terrorism, except for Nigeria, Indonesia, and Thailand, where Christians and Buddhists are being killed in large numbers.

3.     Terrorism has generally failed to accomplish any political or social objectives.  The biggest development in

the Middle East in 2011 was the “Arab Spring,” which was accomplished for the most part through peaceful demonstrations.  Governments that resisted the will of the people were, and will continue to be, taken down.

4.     The presence or absence of U.S. military forces did not seem to have a significant impact on Islamic terrorism in 2011.

Disclaimer: The articles published on this site represent the view of their writers.