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Ethnic Identity and National Conflict in China pp 109–134Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Threats to China from Al Qaeda

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Abstract

This chapter gives an overview of the terrorist threat to China from Al Qaeda and its associated and affiliated groups. Despite the pervasiveness of its global jihadist ideology, the threat from Al Qaeda to China has so far been assessed to be low. However, most of these assessments fail to take note of the developments in the global jihadist landscape, especially involving the ideology that is now the strategic center of gravity for Islamist terrorism. Besides, assessments tend to focus on jihadists’ current enemy, which for groups like Al Qaeda is the United States primarily and the West generally. What is ignored is the fact that objectives of the jihadists are zero-sum and for them there is no fixed enemy or fixed set of grievances. Besides, as Al Qaeda has demonstrated repeatedly, wherever there is a conflict involving Muslims, it comes to the aid of co-religionists. This assistance involves commitment of trained fighters to actually taking part in the local conflicts and other types of support such as money, logistics, and training facilities. That is how the group got extensively involved in conflicts in Kashmir, Chechnya, in countries in Southeast Asia and North Africa, and in the Middle East, especially in Iraq.

Keywords

  • Middle East
  • Bilateral Trade
  • Training Camp
  • Chinese Worker
  • Islamic State

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

To the grandchildren of the scholars and the preachers…

To those who hold to their faith in a time that sinks in desires and temptations…

To those who march on the path of light despite the intense darkness…

To the patient and forgotten Ummah…

To the Ummah of East Turkistan…

We dedicate this work in appreciation and veneration…

—In a dedication to Muslims in Xinjiang, Islamic State of Iraq.1

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Notes

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Authors
  1. Rohan Gunaratna
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  2. Arabinda Acharya
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  3. Wang Pengxin
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© 2010 Rohan Gunaratna, Arabinda Acharya and Wang Pengxin

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Gunaratna, R., Acharya, A., Pengxin, W. (2010). Threats to China from Al Qaeda. In: Ethnic Identity and National Conflict in China. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230107878_6

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