Counter-jihad (also known as thecounter-jihad movement)[1] is a self-titledanti-Muslim[2] political movement loosely consisting of authors, bloggers,think tanks, demonstrators, and other activists across theWestern world. Proponents are linked by afar-right[3][4][5] view ofIslam as an actively destructive ideology rather than a religion, arguing that it constitutes an existential threat toWestern civilization. Consequently, counter-jihadists consider all Muslims as a potential threat, especially when they are already living within Western boundaries.[6] Western Muslims accordingly are portrayed as a "fifth column", collectively seeking to destabilize Western nations' identity and values for the benefit of an international Islamic movement intent on the establishment of acaliphate in Western countries.[7][8] The counter-jihad movement has been variously described asanti-Islamic,[3][9][10]Islamophobic,[11][12][13][4] and inciting of hatred against Muslims.[14] Influential figures in the movement include the bloggersPamela Geller andRobert Spencer in the US, andGeert Wilders andTommy Robinson in Europe.[15][16][17]
While the roots of the movement go back to the post-Iranian Revolution era, it did not gain traction until after theSeptember 11 attacks.[18] As far back as 2006, bloggers such asFjordman were identified as playing a key role in forwarding the nascent counter-jihad ideology.[8]Bat Ye'or'sEurabia conspiracy theory published in her eponymous book in 2005 also played an important factor in influencing the movement. The first official counter-jihad conferences were held in 2007. The movement received considerable attention in 2011 following thelone wolf attacks byAnders Behring Breivik, a neo-Nazi who disguised himself with a manifesto that exploited and extensively reproduced the writings of prominent counter-jihad bloggers,[19] and following the emergence of prominent street movements such as theEnglish Defence League (EDL) andPegida.[8] The movement has adherents both in Europe and in North America. The European wing is more focused on the alleged cultural threat to European traditions stemming from immigrant Muslim populations, while the American wing emphasizes an alleged external threat, essentially terrorist in nature.[3]
According to some academics,conspiracy theories are a key component of the counter-jihad movement.[20] The movement is also strongly pro-Israel,[8][21] praising the country as a bastion of Western culture against its surrounding Muslim countries.[22] On a day-to-day level, it seeks to generate outrage at perceived Muslim crimes.[23]
Counter-jihad is a radical right-wing movement[24] that operates, according to Toby Archer, via the "sharing of ideas between Europeans and Americans and daily linking between blogs and websites on both sides of the Atlantic",[25] and, according to Rasmus Fleischer, "calls for a counterjihad against the supposedIslamisation of Europe".[24] Two central counter-jihad themes have been identified, namely that Islam and Muslim immigration poses a threat to Western civilisation,[5][25] and a lack of trust in political "elites", focusing especially against theEuropean Union.[25] While the roots of the movement go back after theIranian Revolution, it did not gain significant momentum until after theSeptember 11 attacks.[26]
The authors ofRight-Wing Populism in Europe: Politics and Discourse describe the movement as heavily relying on two key tactics:
The first is arguing that the most radical Muslims – men likeOsama bin Laden – are properly interpreting theQuran, while peaceful moderate Muslims either do not understand their own holy book or are strategically faking their moderation. The second key tactic is to relentlessly attack individuals and organizations that purport to represent moderate Islam...painting them as secret operatives in a grand Muslim scheme to destroy the West.[27]
Benjamin Lee describes the "counter-jihad scene" as one where
Europe and the United States are under threat from an aggressive and politicized Islamic world that is attempting to take over Europe through a process of "Islamification" with the eventual aim of imposingSharia law. In this process, the threat is characterized by the perceived removal of Christian or Jewish symbols, the imposition of Islamic traditions, and the creation ofno-go areas for non-Muslims. The construction ofmosques in particular is seen as continued reinforcement of the separation of the Muslim population from the wider populous[sic]. As strong as the threatening practices of Muslims in descriptions of the counter jihad are images of a powerless Europe in decline and sliding into decadence, unable to resist Islamic takeover. The idea that European culture in particular is in a state of decline, while a spiritually vigorous East represented by Islam is in the ascendancy in civil society, is a common sentiment in some circles.[8]
One of the first organizations of the counter-jihad movement (CJM), the 910 Group (later renamed to theInternational Civil Liberties Alliance) was founded in 2006 and announced onGates of Vienna, "a principal blog of the CJM since 2004". Its stated purpose was to defend "liberties, human rights, and religious and political freedoms [that] are under assault from extremist groups who believe in Islamist supremacy".[28] In April 2007, the counter-jihad current became visible as a movement operating in northwestern Europe with "The UK and Scandinavia Counterjihad Summit", organised by a transatlantic network of anti-Islam bloggers inCopenhagen, Denmark.[29] The conference was hosted by American blogger Edward May, Danish activistAnders Gravers Pedersen, and Danish blogger Exile, and included participants such as Norwegian bloggerFjordman.[29]
In October 2007 a second summit, "Counterjihad Brussels 2007", was hosted by the BelgianFlemish-nationalist partyVlaams Belang in theEuropean Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium.[24][30] This conference has been regarded as a crucial event in the movement's history[31] and featured speakersBat Ye'or[24] andDavid Littman followed by "country reports" from delegates Paul Beliën andFilip Dewinter (Vlaams Belang, Belgium), Stefan Herre (PI blog, Germany),Nidra Poller (Pajamas Media blog, France),Gerard Batten (UK Independence Party, UK),Ted Ekeroth (Sweden Democrats, Sweden),Lars Hedegaard (International Free Press Society, Denmark),Jens Tomas Anfindsen (HonestThinking blog,Human Rights Service, Norway),Kenneth Sikorski (Tundra Tabloids blog, Finland),Johannes Jansen (Netherlands), Adriana Bolchini Gaigher (Lisistrata blog, Italy),Traian Ungureanu (Romania),Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff (Austria), Matyas Zmo (Czech Republic), with further speeches byArieh Eldad (Moledet, Israel).Patrick Sookhdeo (Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity, Barnabas Fund, UK), DrMarc Cogen (Professor of International Law, Vesalius College, Belgium),Sam Solomon (Islamic Affairs Consultant,Christian Concern),Robert Spencer (Jihad Watch,David Horowitz Freedom Center),Andrew G. Bostom, and Laurent Artur du Plessis.[32][33]
From 2009, theEnglish Defence League (EDL) street movement began holding rallies with thousands of protesters. A March 2012 counter-jihad conference in Denmark drew 200–300 supporters from throughout Europe. Ten times the number of left-wing protesters staged a counter-demonstration.[34] The 2012 conference in Denmark was claimed by its organisers, the EDL, to mark the starting point of a pan-European movement.[35] There have been no official CJM conferences since 2013, pointing to a decline in the original movement.[28] However, a high-point in the European street movement came in January 2015 when 25,000 people attended aPegida rally in the German city of Dresden.[36] In June 2018, 10,000 protesters attended a "Free Tommy" rally in London.[37] It has been argued by Christopher Othen that, after a fallout following the 2011 Norway attacks, the movement was reinvigorated by events such as theArab Spring, a series of Islamist terrorist attacks, and theEuropean migrant crisis, and to have influenced the success ofDonald Trump in the2016 United States presidential election.[38] The counter-jihad movement has also been seen to have had numerous links with theTrump administration, and to have influencedTrump's ideology.[39][40][41] Aspects of the movement has thus been seen to have entered mainstream right-wing politics in the United States, as well as in European countries.[42][43][44]
Blogs such asGates of Vienna,Jihad Watch,Atlas Shrugs,Politically Incorrect, andThe Brussels Journal are central to the transatlantic counter-jihad movement. Notable figures include the editors of these blogs, respectively Edward 'Ned' May (pseudonym Baron Bodissey),[25]Robert Spencer,Pamela Geller, Stefan Herre, andPaul Beliën. Notable writers in the counter-jihad movement areBat Ye'or,David Horowitz andFjordman.[3][26][45]
Think tanks such as theInternational Free Press Society and theDavid Horowitz Freedom Center have had an important role in providing funds and establishing international links.[46][47] TheCenter for Security Policy is also a part of the movement and operates a counter-jihad campaign.[48] In time, a network of formal organisations has been established, with its main centres in Europe and the United States.[10] A transatlantic umbrella organisation,Stop Islamization of Nations (SION) was established in 2012.[49]
The International Free Press Society lists representatives from many parts of the counter-jihad spectrum on its board of advisors.[30][50]Eurabia conspiracy theorist Bat Ye'or is on the board of advisors, while owner of the blogGates of Vienna, Edward S. May, serves as outreach co-ordinator on its board of directors.[30][51]
The U.S.-basedStop Islamization of America (SIOA) is led by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.[52][53] SIOA has been accused by theAnti-Defamation League of "promot[ing] a conspiratorial anti-Muslim agenda under the guise of fighting radical Islam. The group seeks to rouse public fears by consistently vilifying the Islamic faith and asserting the existence of an Islamic conspiracy to destroy 'American' values".[54]
In 2010, a workgroup dubbed "Team B II" published a report titledShariah: The Threat To America which has been cited as influencing the movement's discourse and the public's perception. The report was published by theCenter for Security Policy.[55][41]
With theelection ofDonald Trump to the United States presidency in 2016, it has been claimed that the American wing has achieved some influence in the US administration. This is focused on the influence fromFrank Gaffney, President of the Center for Security Policy, andBrigitte Gabriel, President ofACT for America.[41]
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An umbrella organization,Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE), was founded byAnders Gravers Pedersen,[56][57][58] who also sits on the board of the Stop Islamisation of Nations.[59] and there are affiliated groups in several European countries, among themStop Islamisation of Denmark andStop Islamisation of Norway.[10] TheEnglish Defence League was a prominent street movement in the United Kingdom, formerly led byTommy Robinson.[60]
The counter-jihad movement has connections to, and has influenced the ideology of European right-wing populist parties such as theSwiss People's Party,Vlaams Belang,Sweden Democrats,Lega Nord,Alternative for Germany,National Rally of France,Freedom Party of Austria, and Hungarian Prime MinisterViktor Orban, while Dutch politicianGeert Wilders is the most important figurehead for the movement.[61][62][63]
In the words of Toby Archer, a scholar of political extremism and terrorism,
"Counter-jihad discourse mixes valid concerns aboutjihad-inspired terrorism with far more complex political issues about immigration to Europe from predominantly Muslim countries. It suggests that there is a threat not just from terrorism carried out by Islamic extremists but from Islam itself. Therefore, by extension, all European Muslims are a threat."[64]
Arun Kundnani, in a report published by the International Centre for Counter-terrorism, writes that the counter-jihad movement has evolved from earlier European far-right movements through a shift from race to values as identity markers: "In moving from neo‐Nazism to counter‐jihadism, the underlying structure of the narrative remains the same." Continuing on this note, he writes that comparing the counter-jihadist worldview to the older, neo-Nazi one, "Muslims have taken the place of blacks and multiculturalists are the new Jews."[46]
Cas Mudde argues that variousconspiracy theories with roots inBat Ye'or'sEurabia are important to the movement. The main theme of these theories is an allegation that European leaders allow a Muslim dominance of Europe, whether by intention or not, through multicultural policies and laximmigration laws.[52] According toHope not Hate, counter-jihad discourse has replaced the racist discourse of rightwing, populist and nationalist politics in America and Europe "with the language of cultural and identity wars".[65]
Toby Archer detects a difference between the European and American wings of the movement. The American wing emphasizes an external threat, essentially terrorist in nature. The European wing sees a cultural threat to European traditions stemming from immigrant Muslim populations. While Archer notes that the perceived failure of multi-culturalism is shared across much of the political spectrum, he argues the counter-jihad movement is a particular conservative manifestation of this trend. He acknowledges the movement's conservative defense of human rights and the rule of law but he believes by rejecting progressive policy it rejects much of what Europe is today.[3]
The views of the counter-jihad movement have been criticised as a source of support for the anti-Muslim views of individuals inspired to take violent direct action.[45]Anders Behring Breivik, responsible for the2011 Norway attacks, published a manifesto explaining his views which drew heavily on the work of counter-jihad bloggers such asFjordman.[26][66]Daniel Pipes argues that a "close reading of his manifesto suggests" that Breivik wanted to discredit and undermine the movement's dedication to democratic change to further Breivik's "dreamed-for revolution" as the only alternative.[67] Breivik has later been identified as aneo-Nazi,[74] and has stated that he had exploited counter-jihad rhetoric in order to protect "ethno-nationalists", and instead start a media drive against what he deemed "anti-nationalist counterjihad"-supporters.[75][76]
Executive director of theInstitute of Race Relations,Liz Fekete, has argued that although most of the counter-jihad movement "stops short of advocating violence to achieve their goals", the most extreme parts share much of Breivik's discursive frameworks and vocabulary. She contrasts this with more mainstream counter-jihadists, that warn of Islamisation as a result of naïvety or indecisiveness, whom she identifies as a source of legitimacy for the former.[47]
PhilosopherMarius Mjaaland has described the role given toChristianity in some parts of the counter-jihad movement and has identified some aspects of the movement's ideology that he says links it tofascism-like conspiracy theories, claiming that the movement draws heavily from theCrusades.[77][78]
Counter-jihad has sought to portray Western Muslims as a "fifth column", collectively seeking to destabilize Western nations' identity and values for the benefit of an international Islamic movement intent on theestablishment of a caliphate in Western countries.[7] Much of the Eurabia literature and Counter Jihad forums describetaqiyya as a manipulative strategy used bymoderate Muslims to infiltrate and eventually overthrow society.[79]
The movement has been compared to theanti-communism of theCold War. TheSouthern Poverty Law Center compares both as similar exaggerated threats. "Like the communists that an earlier generation believed to be hiding behind every rock, infiltrated 'Islamist' operatives today are said to be diabolically preparing for a forcible takeover."[80]
The clearest case of violence linked to the CJM is that of Anders Breivik; the commonalities between Breivik and the CJM have been noted by several writers (Kundnani, 2012: 4; Jackson, 2013; Meleagrou-Hitchens & Brun, 2013:2; Goodwin, 2013: 4; Titley, 2013).
A neo-Nazi who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011 is suing the country in a bid to end his years in isolation.
Neo-Nazi Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks, was sentenced in 2012 to 21 years in prison, which can be extended as long as he is considered a threat.
A neo-Nazi, Breivik killed 77 people, most of them teenagers, in shootings and a bombing attack in Norway's worst peacetime atrocity in July 2011.
