DETACHMENT OF TERRORISM FROM RELIGION CASE STUDY OF AL-SHABAB IN KENYA

Abstract

Kenya has been attacked several times in the last five years by Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group originally from Somalia. Kenya is accused of meddling with the group’s affairs, which include the establishment of a sharia state in Somalia. Al-Shabaab which means youth, is an Islamic group that uses religion (Islam) to justify their aims and activities which comprise of terrorism among other inhumane activities just like the other Islamic terrorist groups. Terrorism has been associated with some ideologies, but after the 9/11 attacks, religious ideologies become the predominant. Despite there being many religions, the main focus was narrowed down to one religion that is Islam, this is the consequence of the Islamic terrorist groups like Al-Qaida, Boko Haram and the al-Shabaab, who all have one analogy, Islamic faith. The connection between the Al-Shabaab (the group which has been culpable for many deaths in Kenya alone) and the Islam religion which also means peace, was reviewed. Furthermore, the review on other two Western religions (Christian and Jew) has disclosed their perspective on terrorism. The reviewing also involved the impact of terrorism and religion on global politics, Kenya’s domestic and foreign policies The literature research which consists of, written books, journal, and the Holy Scripts acknowledge that, no western religion advocates of terrorism. Al-Shabaab has been conducting their callous activities against Islamic teachings with killing innocents and destroying of properties, this is evidently shown in the Quran verses and the Islamic teachings which value human lives above all. Al-Shabaab is a political group which uses religion to attain support from the locals for manpower support and foreign sympathizers mostly for financial support. Their attacks on Kenyan soil are not religious as they claim, it is clearly due to the military operation of the African Union led by the Kenyan troops in Somalia. Islam and the other two western religions don’t promote or encourage terrorism therefore al-Shabaab’s claim that they are fighting for Islamic cause is unfounded. The Kenyan government underestimation of al-Shabaab made the group have many successful attacks which almost brought religious tension in Kenya affecting the domestic politics. Since al-Shabaab group has only targeted Kenyan citizens the foreigners in Kenya have not been affected that much which might be the reason the foreign politics isn’t affected.