The Abrahamic traditions known as Islam and Christianity share a wealth of fundamental similarities and values. There are also notoriously violent religious groups that grossly misinterpret them. These organizations have committed massive atrocities, taking innocent lives in the name of God and recruiting more members under a banner of terror and hate. Two of the groups most well known for their legacy of extremist violence are the Ku Klux Klan and Al-Qaeda. Their agendas are different; the Ku Klux Klan is a national white supremacist group, and Al-Qaeda is an international jihadist movement. Nevertheless, they have parallels in their fanaticism, favor towards violence, and origins.
Origins
The Ku Klux Klan was founded by ex-Confederates in the aftermath of the Civil War. They banded together in defiance of Reconstruction in the South. Terrorizing freed slaves and black sympathizers, they murdered, lynched, and burned their victims. Republican voters were also targeted in acts of political violence. The Klan was a fierce obstacle during the Civil Rights Movement. They resorted to intimidation and murder in an effort to disrupt voter registration drives in southern states and to prevent blacks from voting. They were responsible for the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, which spread outrage and helped the Civil Rights Movement gain momentum, leading to the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
Al-Qaeda was established by Osama Bin Laden during the Soviet-Afghan War. The organization helped finance, recruit, and train fighters to join the Afghan resistance movement against the Soviets. Once the Soviet invasion was expulsed, Al-Qaeda broadened its agenda to an international holy war in protest to the growing western presence in the Middle East. Al-Qaeda's targets are usually of western interest as well as Muslim governments they see as corrupt and immoral. Several of there attacks include the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the 9/11 attacks in the US, and car bombings on three residential compounds in Saudi Arabia.
Corrupt Views
The violence carried out by the Ku Klux Klan and Al-Qaeda is motivated by a very distorted view of their own respective religions. This corruption has seeped into their daily lives, rituals, and tactics. Al-Qaeda is known for their suicide-bombing attacks. There are two accounts as to where the practice came from, both of which were during the 1980s. An article by the Muslim Public Affairs Council states it originated from the Lebanese Civil War, when Hezbollah gained international attention using the tactic against Israeli forces. Newsnation.com says it came from the Iran-Iraq War, with the ruling priests of Iran preaching it as a form of martyrdom. They compared it to the martyrdom of Hussein, grandson of Mohammed. This has led Al-Qaeda operatives to believe that they are killing themselves in the name of God, and in doing so will spend eternity in Paradise. This, of course, is contradictory to the teachings of the Quran, which condemns suicide.
...And do not kill (or destroy) from yourselves: Surely, to you God has been Most Merciful! And if any does that in hate and injustice, soon shall We throw him in the Fire, and it is easy for God (to do).-The Quran, Suras 4.29 and 4.30.
A typical ritual for the Ku Klux Klan is the burning of crosses. In doing so, they believe that they are searing the power of Jesus Christ into their souls. Klan members also place burning crosses in the front yards of black and Hispanic residences as an act of intimidation. The practice originated from ancient Scottish clans who used a burning cross as a declaration of war and a rallying point for allied clans. The Klansman, a novel written by Thomas Dixon Jr., romanticized the Reconstruction-Era Ku Klux Klan as orginating from Scottish ancestry and portrayed a fictional cross burning. The book would later be adapted into the film The Birth of a Nation by DW Griffith, and led to a revival of the Klan in the early 20th century with the practice integrated into their organization.
The mutually violent views of the Ku Klux Klan and Al-Qaeda have led them to attack factions within their own religion as well. The Ku Klux Klan, being Protestant, have done many attacks on Catholics. Al-Qaeda is Sunni and has on many occasions attacked Shiites.
Power and Influence
Both the Ku Klux Klan and Al-Qaeda have had and maintain a great deal of influence in their own respective regions. The Ku Klux Klan was highly influential throughout the late 1800s and the first half of the 20th century. The Klan reached the peak of its power in the 1920s, gaining membership by the thousands in many cities. These members were mostly white nativists who felt threatened by the growing influx of immigrants into their cities. Gaining a number of public officials in their pocket, the Klan had control over the governments of Tennessee, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Oregon. However, with the rise and success of the Civil Rights Movement decades later, the Klan gradually lost support and influence. Despite their complete loss of power, the Ku Klux Klan continues its violence toward ethnic and religious groups, and spreads their message of hate wherever they can.
Al-Qaeda maintains most of its influence in the Middle East and North Africa. So strong is their influence, that they were able to hide Bin Laden only a few miles away from one of the most prestigious military schools in Pakistan. They usually have training sites in the tribal regions along the Afghan-Pakistani border; however, the military crackdown from US and Pakistani forces may have moved their powerbase to the southern region of Yemen, where they have been openly engaging government troops. That said, it is quite possible that Al-Qaeda will, over time, lose its influence. The Arab Springs currently on the rise are democratic protests, not jihadist uprisings. These protest groups are displaying the flags of their respective countries, not the green flags of Islam. An article in the New York Times states that Al-Qaeda's newest leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, will attempt to connect Al-Qaeda's agenda with the numerous uprisings sweeping the Middle East, though it is possible that he may be too late. Clearly, it would seem that Al-Qaeda for the most part is losing its ideological grip on the Arab people, and with time, it may become a group as small as the Ku Klux Klan is now.
Some might argue that Al-Qaeda is more violent than the Ku Klux Klan and their tactics are more advanced. That still does not excuse the Ku Klux Klan from the horrific atrocities they have committed against innocent people because of their racial and religious differences. Men, women, and children have all died at the hands of both these groups. No amount of religious faith should be able to justify those deaths. The Ku Klux Klan and Al-Qaeda are equally deadly, frightening, and terrible. They are fanatics compelled by hatred and ignorance, with twisted and abhorrent ideals and the willingness to use violence to uphold them.
Sources:
Al Qaeda-The New York Times (updated June 30th 2011)
Digital History-The Jazz Age: The American 1920s (updated July 24th 2011)
globalsecurity.org (updated July 11th 2011)
Council on Foreign Relations (updated June 17th 2011)
The Fiery Cross: the Ku Klux Klan in America by Wyn Craig Wade
Neal Simons - Neal Simons is a resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He is quite vocal about the media arts, as well as history and philosophy.
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