How do extremist organizations see the October War?

Ahmed Sami Abdel Fattah

Islamic organizations always call for the model of historical Islamic battles in the context of motivating young people to commit violent acts against non-Muslims, as well as to use these battles as means to boost the jihadism of the extremist elements and to attract others.

Although the October War was glorious against Israel, which occupied Arab lands, this war, despite its modernity, was clearly far away from the discourse of the Islamic organizations because of that fact that these organizations considered the war to have taken on a national and not a religious character.

Although jihad as an Islamic concept has something to do with the jihad of the Muslim himself and his attempt to adapt it to good deeds, the most general meaning of this concept is the jihad related to the use of force.

In this context, it should be pointed out that jihad as a concept has taken a religious dimension since its inception. It was associated in its beginnings with the introduction of Islam in new areas in order to spread Islam; which required the use of force to defeat enemies, as well as the preservation of lands that were subjugated or controlled.

Although this concept is not the case, the emergence of wars within the Islamic state in accordance with loyalties has created a kind of confusion about the origins of religious concepts, which were mainly related to directing the killing tool to the enemies of the Islamic state, not against Muslim individuals who disagree with the ruler or other opinions or fatwas.

In the same context, many of the conflicting parties within the Islamic state have attempted to legitimize their actions – with the aim of controlling the sources of governance – by describing the rival as a falsehood that must be dismissed in the service of religion and the nation.

In the same context, the extremist organizations tried to enrich this concept for achieving its own benefit, by using it in its battles with other organizations that contradict its opinions in a certain case.

The idea of national jihad

National jihad means what is carried out according to national objectives. That means moving military forces to liberate part of the territories located in a certain region or even moving troops to occupy part of the territories of another state in accordance with the principles of interest and national security.

In other words, when the forces of a state move in order to achieve an external interest, it is national jihad to achieve national benefits. In the same context, the national jihad of a Muslim state may collide with the national jihad of another Muslim country.

In other words, if two Muslim countries disagree on a mutual interest and each side is forced to use military force, each side will motivate its fighters from a jihadist perspective. Each side’s victims will be martyrs from the point of view of the highest religious authority in each country.

The extremist organizations differ on the concept of national jihad for many reasons, most importantly the rejection by the organizations of the idea of a national state based on a territory that is isolated from other countries by artificial borders.

These organizations highlight the need to prefer Muslim identity over ethnic affiliations in Muslim-majority areas. This explains the reluctance of extremist organizations to commemorate the October War.