World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders

Definition/Scope: (DoS) The World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and Crusaders, which consisted of a tacit alliance between Osama Bin Laden, his supporters, and a number of regional Islamic militant groups. Bin Laden issued the fatwa, or religious edict, on 23 February 1998 that claimed that the United States had made "a clear declaration of war on God, his messenger, and Muslims" through its policies in the Islamic world. The fatwa made use of the principle of defensive jihad to argue that U.S. aggression made armed resistance and the targeting of American civilians and military personnel incumbent upon all Muslims.

Use:

Al-Qaida

Broader Terms:

foreign terrorist organization
Islam

Related Terms:

Al-Qaeda
counterinsurgency
Egyptian Islamic Jihad
Jihad
Network
Yemen Islamic Jihad