Jihadi tourism
Encyclopedia
Jihadi tourism, also referred to as jihad tourism or jihadist tourism, is a term sometimes used to describe travel
to foreign destinations with the object of scouting for terrorist training. US diplomatic cable
s made public by WikiLeaks
in 2010 have raised concerns about this form of travel. Within intelligence circles, the term is also sometimes applied dismissively to travellers who are assumed to be seeking contact with extremist groups mainly out of curiosity.
by homegrown terrorists
, Mohammad Sidique Khan
and Shehzad Tanweer
, as jihad
i tourism, and doubted that they were actual terrorists. Sidique Khan and Tanweer were reported to have met Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, one of al-Qaeda
’s most experienced commanders, in November 2004, when he tasked them to plan an attack in England
. Khan and Tanweer were later two of the four suicide bombers in the 7 July 2005 London bombings
.
Neoconservative author Laurent Murawiec
has alleged that wealthy young men from Saudi Arabia
have travelled to Afghanistan
and Pakistan
for jihadi tourism.
in Hamburg
, where Mohamed Atta
often prayed, became a hub for jihadi tourism prior to its closure, as Islamic militants gathered to meet those with connections to terrorist organizations in Afghanistan
. It was discovered by German authorities that 10 of the mosque's members had travelled to the border region of Pakistan
and Afghanistan
. In 2010, the mosque was closed by German security officials following suspicions that the mosque was again being used as a meeting place for Islamic extremists.
to undergo training for terrorist attacks in the UK.
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
to foreign destinations with the object of scouting for terrorist training. US diplomatic cable
Diplomatic cable
A diplomatic cable, also known as a diplomatic telegram or embassy cable, is the term given to a confidential text message exchanged between a diplomatic mission, like an embassy or a consulate, and the foreign ministry of its parent country....
s made public by WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
in 2010 have raised concerns about this form of travel. Within intelligence circles, the term is also sometimes applied dismissively to travellers who are assumed to be seeking contact with extremist groups mainly out of curiosity.
Tourism for terrorist training or connections
British police characterized a visit to PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
by homegrown terrorists
Homegrown terrorism
Homegrown terrorism is commonly associated with an international organization rather than being a ‘lone wolf’ act committed by isolated and disturbed individuals. It constitutes terrorist attacks from within the target nation, often Western...
, Mohammad Sidique Khan
Mohammad Sidique Khan
Mohammad Sidique Khan was the oldest of the four homegrown suicide bombers and believed to be the leader responsible for the 7 July 2005 London bombings, in which bombs were detonated on three London Underground trains and one bus in central London suicide attacks, killing 52 people excluding the...
and Shehzad Tanweer
Shehzad Tanweer
Shehzad Tanweer was one of four men who detonated explosives in three trains on the London Underground and one bus in central London during the 7 July 2005 London bombing...
, as jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
i tourism, and doubted that they were actual terrorists. Sidique Khan and Tanweer were reported to have met Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, one of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
’s most experienced commanders, in November 2004, when he tasked them to plan an attack in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Khan and Tanweer were later two of the four suicide bombers in the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
.
Neoconservative author Laurent Murawiec
Laurent Murawiec
Laurent Murawiec was a French neoconservative figure, member of the Hudson Institute and of the Committee on the Present Danger, and formerly defence analyst at the RAND corporation. Murawiec was an associate of Lyndon LaRouche from 1973–1986, and wrote for Larouche's Executive Intelligence Review...
has alleged that wealthy young men from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
have travelled to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
for jihadi tourism.
Al-Quds Mosque, Hamburg
The Al-Quds MosqueAl-Quds Mosque Hamburg
Al-Quds Mosque Hamburg was a mosque in Hamburg, Germany that preached a radical form of Sunni Islam. Al-Quds is where some of the September 11 attackers including Mohamed Atta, attended and met one another, forming the Hamburg cell.-History:The mosque opened in 1993, and was run by the Taiba...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta was one of the masterminds and the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, crashing the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks.Born in 1968...
often prayed, became a hub for jihadi tourism prior to its closure, as Islamic militants gathered to meet those with connections to terrorist organizations in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. It was discovered by German authorities that 10 of the mosque's members had travelled to the border region of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. In 2010, the mosque was closed by German security officials following suspicions that the mosque was again being used as a meeting place for Islamic extremists.
Somalia
US diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks have alleged that British and American citizens are travelling to SomaliaSomalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
to undergo training for terrorist attacks in the UK.