TerrorismDeath of Muslims used by extremists for recruitment, propaganda
In the last thirty years, conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Chechnya, Somalia, and other countries have caused the death of four million Muslims. The theme of innocent Muslims dying as result of conflicts initiated by Western powers and their allies is a central motif used by Islamic militants to recruit new members. It is a theme which fuels anti-American sentiments in the Middle East and North Africa. Historians and Islamic scholars note that the notion that the West is orchestrating a “genocide” of Muslim is patently false, and that beginning with the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88) and continuing to the present day, more and more casualties are inflicted by Muslims against Muslims. Still, the myth of a non-Muslim genocidal “crusade” against Muslims is powerful, and is one which is effectively used by al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist groups.
Conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Chechnya, Somalia, and other countries have caused the death of four million Muslims.
NBC News analysis, based on data from human rights organizations, academic studies, UN reports, and more, notes that that some of the data may be imprecise, and that some of the information may be politically motivated, but that there is no denial of one central fact: the theme of innocent Muslims dying as result of conflicts initiated by Western powers and their allies is a central motif used by Islamic militants to recruit new members. It is a theme which fuels anti-American sentiments in the Middle East and North Africa.
Ed Husain, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, says that “You can’t go past a single month in the past thirty years without reports of Muslims being killed in some part of the world or another, and that sticks.”
Historians and Islamic scholars note that the notion that the West is orchestrating a “genocide” of Muslim is patently false. Beginning with the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88) and continuing to the present day, “more and more casualties are inflicted by Muslims against Muslims,” says P. J. Crowley, a former State Department spokesman and now a professor at George Washington University. “The prevailing narrative in the [Middle East] remains the faithful waging war against crusaders, but that is not the reality.”
The perception of Western and non-Muslim powers waging war against Islam is widely accepted in the Arab world, to the extent that regardless of how baseless it is, and how unsupported it is by the factual record, it is now considered when setting U.S. foreign policy, according to Steve Simon, who until early in 2013 was head of the Middle East Desk at the National Security Council. “Over time, my impression was that administration became increasingly aware of the reputational costs of the drone attacks, weighing them against their considerable tactical gains,” said Simon. “There was a concern that over the course of the decade too many people were getting killed.” Increasing civilian deaths played a role when setting a pullout date from Iraq. “The sanctions [on Saddam’s Iraq], which the U.S. led, took a heavy toll, then (came) the war,” he said. “We also were aware that our involvement had unleashed internecine warfare that … killed many more.”
