AlShabab Hizbul-Islam: A Comparison with Urban Gang Culture

[Hassan6734]

by Abdulkadir Dirie Email: dirie2004@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gang Culture

 

 

Alshabab and Hizbul-Islam Culture

 

Birth and Expansion

 

 

Gangs evolve from being turf and brotherhood oriented to an organization involved with criminal enterprise.

 

 

A group of small clan-oriented courts in Southern Somalia evolved into Islamic courts union which gave birth to Al-Shabab and other religious gangsters.

 

 

 

Leadership

 

 

Leaders issue orders and benefit from the gang's activities.

 

 

Leadership authorizes mass murder and claim credit for the terror activities carried out by loosely connected units.

 

 

 

Law

 

 

Gangs break the law to obtain funding for gang activities or to promote the gang's reputation on the streets.

 

 

 

 

Total disregard for the state sovereignty, and the sanctity of the principles of Islam. Funds come from the Gulf States as well as Alqaa’ida sources in Somalia and in the Diaspora

 

 

 

Slogan

 

 

Certain types of clothing, colors, tattoos, or brands.

 

 

 

 

Emulate Alqaa’ida banners, and slogans (A black flag with the Shahada on it).

 

 

 

 

 

Objective

 

 

Most gang members crave power, or "juice" as it is known in gang slang.

 

 

 

 

Members crave for draconian rule that virtually eradicate every sane, thinking Muslim.

 

Motives for recruitment

 

 

Identity, recognition, belonging, money, disenfranchisement, and general breakdown of social values

 

 

 

 

Very much the same. Most Alshabab/Hizbul-Is.. Fighters are disenfranchised youth who have no education or income. War is a job as well as a short cut to ‘paradise’.

 

 

 

Membership

 

 

Gang members are told they will be killed if they try to get out.

 

 

 

 

Zero tolerance for disobedience and desertion. Alshabab assassinated many runaways from its crime enterprise.

 

 

 

Media

 

 

Gang culture highly glamorizes reports of their brutality by the media.

 

 

 

 

Alshabab glamorizes mass murder of innocent citizens including students, teachers, women and children.

 

Affiliation

 

 

Most gangs align with large major city gangs: Crips, Bloods, Folk Nation, People Nation, Blackstone Rangers, etc.

 

 

 

 

Alshabab is an affiliate of Alqaa’ida, Taliban, and other outlawed organizations.

 

Principle

 

 

Reputation: is based by having the most "juice".

 

Respect: is carried to the extreme.

 

Retaliation: No challenge goes unanswered.

 

 

 

 

Very much the same. Recall the mass killings that took place in Hargeisa, Beledweyne, and Mogadishu.

 

 

 

Graffiti

 

 

Signs drawn in the neighborhood show gang affiliation. Gang members are not all one ethnic group.

 

 

 

 

AlShabab and their affiliates display Alqaa’ida signs and affiliation. Alshabab includes Somalis, Arabs, Afghans, and African terrorists.

 

 

 

Motto

 

 

 

 

“Mess with the best die like the rest”

 

 

 

 

“Undergo the ultimate test of life. Meet Allah before your eyes. Carry out suicidal terrorism, and go to PARADISE!”

 

 

 

The Quran Says: "...If anyone kills a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people" (Qur'an 5:32).

 

 

 

Will the religious thugs in Somalia get the message of this verse and refrain from criminal activity?