Verdan Street. A shopping district in Beirut, Lebanon.
Zaidaniah District. A district of Beirut, Lebanon, located in the Aisha Bakkar area.
Groups
Al-Assifah. The mainstream armed wing of the Palestinian party and militant group Fatah. It was established in 1964 to protect the political wing of Fatah from reprisals.
Al-Ikhwan. See Muslim Brotherhood.
Al-morabitun (or al-moravids). A dynasty of Berbers (the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley). The al-Moravids were founded by Yusuf Ibn Tashfin in the Sahara and preached a strict respect for Koranic instruction. In Arabic, the group’s name means “brotherhood of warrior monks.”
Al Muhajiroun. Thought by many to be the most extreme Islamist group operating in the West, Al-Muhajiroun, which is Arabic for “the emigrants,” was established in 1996 and based in England. Because the group was banned in England, it may be operating as The Savior Sect.
al-Qaida (or al-Qaeda). An international Sunni Islamist movement founded in 1988. Under the leadership of Osama bin Laden, the group seeks to replace Western-influenced governments with Islamic regimes under the rule of Islamic law. In Arabic, the group’s name literally means “database,” referring to the computer file of thousands of mujahadeen (various loosely aligned Afghan opposition groups) who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians.
Amnesty International. A human-rights organization founded in 1961 by Englishman Peter Benenson. It campaigns internationally against the detention of prisoners of conscience, for the fair trial of political prisoners, to abolish the death penalty and torture of prisoners, and to end extrajudicial executions and disappearances throughout the world.
Baathist. A member of the Arab Socialist Ba’th Party (also spelled Baath or Ba’ath), founded in the 1940s in Damascus. It is the original secular Arab nationalist movement intended to combat Western colonial rule. In Arabic, ba’ath means renaissance or resurrection.
Bedouin. The primarily nomadic Arab peoples of the Middle East. They form about 10 percent of the population and are of the same Semitic stock as their sedentary neighbors (the fellahin), with whom they share a devout belief in Islam and a distrust of any but their own local traditions and way of life.
Black September. A militant Palestinian group, Black September is infamous for the kidnap and murder of eleven Israeli athletes and officials and a German police officer during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. The name is taken from a conflict that occurred on September 16, 1970, in Jordan. The fedayeen had attempted to seize power from King Hussein which caused him to declare military rule. Thousands of Palestinians were killed or expelled as a result.
CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations). A civil liberties and advocacy group for Muslims in North America created in June 1994. Its professed goals are to enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Fatah. The Movement for the National Liberation of Palestine, this organization was founded in the 1960s by Yasser Arafat and is the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which is a multi-party confederation.
Gaza Baptist Church AWANA group. In the Gaza Strip’s only evangelical church, planted about fifty years ago by Southern Baptist missionaries, almost all AWANA (an organization that helps churches and parents worldwide to teach children Christian service) members are Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic and continue to successfully reach their parents, friends, and neighbors with the gospel.
Hamas. An Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization founded in 1987. It seeks to establish an Islamic state in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Hezb-e-Islamie-i-Gulbuddin. One of the major mujahadeen (loosely aligned Afghan opposition groups) in the war against the Soviets. The group, founded in 1974 to fight the government of Mohammed Daoud Khan (the first president of Afghanistan), has long-standing ties to Osama bin Laden. The group has staged small attacks in its attempt to force U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan, overthrow the Afghan Transitional Administration, and establish a fundamentalist state.
Islamic Thinkers Society. A Muslim group based in New York City that seeks to restore the Islamic Caliphate (the rulership of Islam) and create “an ideal Islamic society.”
Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan. A political party in Afghanistan led by Abdul Rasul Sayyaf. Founded in the late 1970s, it was originally an attempt to bring unity among Islamist opposition forces in Afghanistan. The new umbrella organization, however, effectively created a split and IULA became a political party of its own.
Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Israel’s military forces (ground, air, and navy), the IDF is commonly known in Israel as the tzahal.
Jamiat-i-Islami. One of the original Islamist parties in Afghanistan established in the 1970s by students at Kabul University. Its leader, Burhanuddin Rabbani, was a lecturer for the Islamic Law Faculty.
Kataeb. A Lebanese political party founded in 1936 as a national movement to secure Lebanon’s independence and advance the social rights of the Lebanese. Officially a secular group, it is primarily supported by Maronite Christians. The name is an Arabic translation of the Greek word phalanx or battalion.
Lebanese Army. The military forces of the Republic of Lebanon. They are aligned with the Phalangist Maronite Christians.
Maronite Christians. A Christian denomination found mainly in Lebanon. It is currently the largest Christian community in the country. Inside the denomination, religion and politics are inextricably mixed, explaining why the group has played a central role in Lebanon’s frequent struggles over political power.
MAYA (Muslim Arab Youth Association). Until it became inactive in early 2004, MAYA was listed on various Islamic reference websites as an organization set up to sponsor Muslim youth conferences and matrimonial services. In the aftermath of 9/11, the U.S. government placed MAYA on its list of the many organizations to be investigated as to whether they “finance terrorism and perpetuate violence.” MAYA was established in the 1970s and incorporated in Plainfield, Indiana, in 1989.
Mossad. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, the Mossad, which is Hebrew for institute, is responsible for human intelligence collection, covert action, and counterterrorism, as well as the clandestine movement of Jewish refugees out of Syria, Iran, and Ethiopia.
MSA (Muslim Students’ Association or Muslim Student Union, also known as MSA National). A religious organization dedicated to establishing and maintaining Islamic societies on college campuses in Canada and the United States. Established in 1963, it was the precursor of the Islamic Society of North America and several other Islamic organizations.
mujahadeen. A military force of Muslim guerrilla warriors engaged in a jihad. The CIA secretly sent billions of dollars of military aid to the mujahadeen in Afghanistan in a United States-supported jihad against the Soviet Union.
Muslim Brotherhood. Muslim Brotherhood organization established in Egypt in 1928 for the purpose of spreading the principal Islamic idea that Islam is “creed and state, book and sword, and a way of life.” Its first leader, Hassan Al-Banna, purposed to give the organization strong internal rules so that it could carry on independent of any particular leader. It now has branches in more than seventy countries around the world.
Nasseriyeen. A group of fighters loyal to former Egyptian president and PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) cofounder Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Nuristani tribes. Located mostly in Laghman Province and the Nurestan Province of Afghanistan, the Nuristanis are Muslims whose ancestors practiced an ancient Indo-European polytheistic religion until they were forcibly converted to Islam around the year 1895. The Nuristanis were the first citizens in Afghanistan to successfully revolt against the communist overthrow of their government in 1978.
Pashtuns. The Sunni tribe of Afghanistan, which forms the dominant ethnic and linguistic community. It accounts for just over
half the population.
PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine). A violent Marxist faction within the Palestinian national movement. The group conducted a series of plane hijackings for ransom and political extortion during the 1970s.
People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan. A communist party founded in 1965. In 1978, the PDPA overthrew the government of Mohammed Daoud Khan in the so-called Saur Revolution and founded the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. During its years of governance (1978–1992), Soviet troops combated insurgent groups in the country.
Phalangist Party. Led by Maronite Christians, the Phalangist party is primarily pro-Western and opposes pan-Arabism.
Saudis. Citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. The Saudis remain the world’s leading source of money for al-Qaeda and other extremist networks and has failed to take key steps requested by United States officials to stem the flow.
Shia. The second largest denomination of Islam. Though a minority in the Muslim world, Shias make up the majority of the population of Iran and Iraq.
Sunni. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. The word Sunni comes from the word Sunnah, which means the words and actions of the prophet Muhammad.
Syrians. Citizens of the Syrian Arab Republic in southwest Asia. The population is primarily Muslim but with a significant Christian minority.
Taliban. A Sunni Islamic group that ruled Afghanistan from 1996–2001, when it was removed from power by the Northern Alliance and NATO forces. The group re-formed in 2004 as an insurgency movement and has been staging a protracted guerrilla war against the current government. Literally translated, Taliban, also anglicized as Taleban, means “students.”
Wahhabi Muslims. Saudi Arabia’s dominant faith for more than two centuries, Wahhabism is an austere form of Islam that insists on a literal interpretation of the Qur’an. Strict Wahhabis believe that all those who don’t practice their form of Islam are heathens and enemies. Critics say that Wahhabism’s rigidity has led it to misinterpret and distort Islam, pointing to extremists such as Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.
Zionists. An international political movement that originally supported the reestablishment of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, it now provides support for the modern state of Israel.
Events
1967, June. The Six-Day War. Also known as the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the Third Arab-Israeli War, Six Days’ War, an-Naksah (The Setback), or the June War. It was fought between Israel and Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The nations of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria also contributed troops and arms to the Arab forces. At the war’s end, Israel had gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, affecting the geopolitics of the region to this day.
1969, November. Signing of the Cairo Agreement. During talks brokered by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, PLO (Palestinian Liberation Army) leader Yasser Arafat and General Emile Bustani of the Lebanese Army reach an agreement, establishing principles under which the presence and activities of Palestinian guerrillas in southeast Lebanon will be tolerated and regulated by the Lebanese authorities.
1972, May. Hijacking at Lod Airport in Tel Aviv. Five gunmen belonging to the Black September Organization of Palestine guerrillas (a splinter group of the PLO) hijack a Sabena aircraft at Lod airport in Tel Aviv. Twelve Israeli soldiers disguised as maintenance staff storm the plane and release the one hundred people on board.
1972, September. The Munich Massacre. During the Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, eleven members of the Israeli Olympic Team are taken hostage and eventually murdered by members of the Black September Organization of Palestine.
1973, March. The Khartoum Assassinations. Members of the Black September Organization of Palestine kidnap and assassinate three Western diplomats in the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan.
1973, May. The Omagh Car Bombing. Five British soldiers are killed by a car bomb planted by the IRA (Irish Republican Army) at Knock-na-Moe Castle Hotel in Omagh, Ireland.
1973, September. Hijacking of Jewish Immigrants. Three Jewish immigrants from Russia are taken hostage by Arab terrorists aboard a train bound for Vienna, Austria. They are later released after the Austrian government agrees to close a transit camp for Russian immigrants en route to Israel.
1974, October. The Guildford Pub Bombing. Five people are killed and sixty-five seriously injured by bombs planted by the IRA at the Horse and Groom and Seven Stars Pubs (both popular with military personnel) in Guildford, UK.
1975, December. Palestinian Refugees Killed. In retaliation for an earlier attack on Maronite leader Pierre Gemayel, Maronite Christians, members of the Lebanese Phalange militia, ambush a bus carrying Palestinian refugees. Thirty Palestinians are killed.
1975, December. Black Saturday. A series of massacres and armed clashes in Beirut kill as many as one thousand people and spark a Lebanese Civil War.
1975–1990. Lebanese Civil War.
1987, December. The First Intifada. A collective Palestinian popular uprising erupts against Israel in the West Bank and Gaza, now known as the Intifada or “shaking off.”
2001, October. United States Invasion of Afghanistan. In response to the terrorist events of 9/11, the United States invaded Afghanistan with the stated purpose of capturing Osama bin Laden, destroying al-Qaeda, and removing the Taliban.
2003, May. Riyadh Bombing. Twenty-six people are killed at American expatriate housing in Riyadh. The Arab press reports bomb attacks targeting American, Jewish, and Belgian interests in Riyadh and Casablanca.
2003, October. U.S. Convoy Bombing in Gaza. Three American security guards traveling in a U.S. convoy in the Gaza Strip are killed by a bomb detonated by Palestinian terrorists.
2004, November. Van Gogh Murder. Theo van Gogh, descendant of the brother of Vincent van Gogh, is murdered by a Muslim extremist after making a film condemning violence against women in Islamic societies.
2004, August. Attempted Bombing at New York’s Penn Station. A plan to bomb New York’s Penn Station during the Republican National Convention is foiled by police and military personnel during a random search.
2007, October. Palestinian Christian Bookstore Owner Murdered. The Palestinian Baptist manager of a well-known Christian bookstore in Gaza City is kidnapped and murdered by Islamic gunmen for spreading Christianity.
2008, July. Murder of Christian Convert. Twenty-eight-year-old Sayid Ali Sheik Luqman Hussein converts from Islam to Christianity and begins to actively evangelize in the community in which he is working as a teacher. On July 8, near Mogadishu, Somalia, he is gunned down by two Muslim men.
Foreign Words and Weapons
155 mm shell. Standard explosive projectile used by the U.S. Army and Marines.
abbayah (or abayah). A long, robe-like garment with a hood that covers from head to toe except for the eyes. Muslim women often wear a traditional dress, casual clothes, or even a business suit underneath.
abu. An Arabic word literally meaning “father of.” The father automatically takes the name of the oldest son prefaced with abu. If the oldest son is Mike, the father becomes “Abu Mike” or “Father of Mike.”
Adha (or Eid al-Adha). Known as the Feast of Sacrifice, Adha is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar and concludes the pilgrimage to Mecca. The celebration lasts for three days and commemorates Ibraham’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. Muslims believe the story is about Ishmael rather than Isaac.
AK–47. A clip-fed, gas-operated, 7.62 mm assault rifle of Soviet design, used throughout the world by armed forces and paramilitary organizations.
al ashat (or Isha). The fifth of the five daily prayers recited by Muslims. It is also called the evening prayer.
al shayeed (or shaheed). Muslims who die in a legitimate struggle with the sword or Islamic holy war are considered shaheed or
martyrs. The word literally means “witness.”
Al-Toquah (or Al-Taqiyah). Refers to a Muslim military doctrine, which advocates the use of deception to infiltrate the enemy and spread internal strife (working undercover).
al wodoug. An area of a mosque where worshippers cleanse themselves before prayers.
al wudu. The Islamic act of washing parts of the body with water in preparation for ritual prayers and the handling of the Qur’an. Wudu often refers to “partial ablution” while ghusl refers to full ablution.
Allahu akbar. The takbīr or takbeer is the act of saying the phrase Allahu akbar, which translated as “God is great.” The expression is used as both an informal expression of faith and a formal declaration or exclamation.
al-mani. A term Lebanese Muslim Sunnis use to refer to an unbeliever.
amin. The Islamic and Arabic word for “amen.”
Ashura. Meaning “tenth” in Arabic, the Day of Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram, an Islamic day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad on A.D. October 10, 680.
balaclava. A form of headgear covering the whole head, exposing only the face and often only the eyes; also known as a “balaclava helmet” and “ski mask.”
Bata. Chain of shoe stores.
Beluchi (or Belochi). A western Iranian language closely related to Kurdish.
C-4 (or Composition C-4). A common variety of military plastic explosive.
cadeau (or cadout). Borrowed from the French, cadeau means “gift, present or treat.”
calipha (or caliph). Used as a title, calipha refers to a successor to Muhammad as temporal and spiritual head of Islam.
caliphate. The office or dominion of a caliph.
corniche. Borrowed from the French, a corniche is a road built along a coast and especially along the face of a cliff.
dish-dash. Typically worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding countries, this is an ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, similar to a robe. It is most often made of cotton for warmer climates and wool for cooler climates.
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