The Lesser Seen Face
of Terrorism: Extortion, Harassment and Crime
Terrorism, as we know, is a multi-faceted
phenomenon capable of taking various shapes and forms. Typically, however, the
public at large gets to see just one of these many faces. It is the face that is
manifested out of the theatrics, the violent act and media representation that
links the horrendous act somewhat implicitly with the terrorist’s stated
ideology and objectives. Incidentally and perhaps a touch regrettably, it is
often precisely the face that the terrorists want to advertise and project to
their primary and secondary audiences as well. Such popular representation of
terrorism frequently serves the dual purpose of intimidating a target audience (through
the violent act) and securing recruits (through its ideology and objectives)
for the terrorists.
“The only face of
terrorism that the public gets to see is one manifested out of the theatrics,
the violent act and media representation that links the horrendous act somewhat
implicitly with the terrorist’s stated ideology and objectives”
While such popular representation of terrorism
is not necessarily inexact, it has however a strong tendency to obscure and
conceal the many other faces of terrorism. One of such face is terrorism’s
inherent propensity to rely on activities like extortion, harassment and petty
crimes. Such activities, though typically associated with criminals and thugs,
are more fluid in nature and are frequently taken up by terrorists and
insurgents for furthering their own respective goals. In addition to it being a
primary motivation, extortion, harassment and petty crimes, are also a major
part of terrorist strategy to acquire additional funding. In this vein,
extremist and terrorist groups operating in Pakistan are no exception. Score of
them rely on similar tactics to further their nefarious agendas. In fact, for
many such groups’, financial gains from criminal activities take precedence
over their stated objectives and alleged ideologies.
Extortion and harassment of business owners and
public enterprises in particular, is a standout feature of terrorist and
extremist organizations in Pakistan like Fitna Al Khawarij (formerly known as
Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan) and Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP). Incidents such
as these are reported on a regular basis but owing to less publicity value,
they hardly ever make headlines.
Extortion and harassment for money, as we know,
is typically considered a criminal act and is distinguished from terrorism
proper. Recurring terroristic incidents of criminal nature are nevertheless a
harsh reminder of how they still constitute an important part of the terrorist
repertoire. However, since such acts of extortion are not as newsworthy and
headline grabbing, they are either ignored or simply brushed aside. The criminal dimension of Fitna Al Khawarij
(FaK) and the likes is largely overshadowed by their brutal and violent
bombings and attacks that are more theatrical and draw the attention of media
in particular. Conveniently for the terrorists, such attacks only draw the
public attention to the seemingly random attack and the group’s stated
extremist ideology.
“The criminal
dimension of Fitna Al Khawarij (FaK) and the likes is largely overshadowed by their
brutal and violent bombings and attacks that are more theatrical and draw the
attention of media in particular”
In order to change the popular perception that
these actors are not necessarily ideologically motivated as they otherwise claim
and contend, it is imperative to draw attention to the extortion, harassment
and other crimes committed for monetary gains by all such groups. It is also
crucial to remember that in some cases, such criminal activities are a group’s
real raison d’être and its stated objectives and professed ideology is merely a
smokescreen. To expose such groups for what they really are, it is necessary to
draw attention to their lesser seen yet more profound real face. All those
citizens, who may have some sympathy for such groups on any grounds, must know
and see their real face. Such groups are a major hurdle in peaceful development
of societies all over the world.