Jihad has been in existence since time immemorial in small enclaves and regional expanses. But never before has it had such a wide ambiance as it does today – from the Philippines in the Pacific Ocean, South East Asia, Indonesia through Han China and multi-ethnic India, Pakistan and Afghanistan where its modern day avatar gained ascendancy, Europe, West Asia and increasingly in Africa where Boko Haram has registered its murderous imprint. Its adherents dream of a return of the Muslim Caliphate far exceeding the power and authority of the Ottoman Empire.
Defence experts from all over the world have meticulously analysed the connotation of global jihad to understand its genesis and why and how it has spread its tentacles to become a global scourge.
Women, long treated as the ‘lesser kind’ in Islamic jurisprudence, have played an integral role in delivering, through suicide missions, the message of jihad. Many, like the ‘Black Widows’ of the Caucasus and the ‘White Widows’ of Africa have embraced the philosophy of jihad wholeheartedly either for monetary benefits or an unforgiving vengeance.
For many years, the role of money in stoking terrorism was ignored largely because of the geopolitics of removing Communist Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the 70s. But since then the role of petrodollars in financing the Wahhabist interpretation of jihad has been ignored and only recently has attention been given to the massive money transfers through the ‘hawala’ transactions. If we try to assess the gamut of terrorism operations in the world today then we will realise just how badly this has been neglected by almost all the governments in all the countries.
Common sense fortifies that ‘financial terrorism’ can be mercilessly handicapped by a hawk eyed monitoring and control of financial exchanges through banks and illegal procedures which will surely result in a strong counter for all terrorist activities across the world. With a barricading of easy and quick financial resources to meet the demands and requirements of cadres, no terrorist outfit will be in a position to operate or expand and diversify their activities. A nexus between some of the anti-national business class, drug mafia and arms dealers are actually the prime accused responsible for the fluidity of funds, ammunition and weapons to these terrorist groups.
It is indisputable, that for an objective of an immediate control of all terrorist activities, it is incumbent upon the United Nations Security Council to urgently introduce a road map with strict and mandatory guidelines for stringent monitoring of all financial and banking transactions around the world. I am sure that some such guidelines are already in place but I am equally sure that they are insufficiently implemented. Let all leading economies of the world unite on this ‘one point agenda’ and develop a counter-measure at the earliest.
I am confident that under the leadership of the most popular Prime Minister that India is fortunate to have today and his carefully selected team for defence and security, the new government has its priorities well articulated to fight this growing phenomenon of global jihad. India’s initiative will most certainly be exemplary for the rest of the world.
Jai Hind!
