Again written in 2004, and published in the Tehran Times. Before publishing they obviously didn't read my other articles about Iran, but were attracted by the fact that it compared OBL's organisation with an African puppet outfit that was trained by the Israelis and others.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=7/11/2006&Cat=14&Num=001
Tehran Times July 11, 2006
Al-Qaeda, the global Renamo By Mostaque Ali-
The Renamo guerrillas and Al-Qaeda had and have only one primary similarity and agenda, and that is death,destruction, and destabilization on behalf of foreignFirst World sponsors, nothing more. Most of their members have been provided with trainingand arms from First World countries.To be brought out of the pocket when convenient, and put back in again when necessary.
Al-Qaeda is in fact another version of the Renamo guerrillas, but a little more global. The basic concept of how it evolved and its core mission aremuch the same.Yes it doesn't sound too exciting, but in reality that is all it is.The Renamo guerrillas were trained by the apartheid security intelligence organization in the eighties to destabilize the neighboring Marxist Mozambican government.They raised hell in Mozambique and massacred innocent civilians left, right, and center. Strangely, as with all destabilization tools, they had no intention of usurping the state but merely destroying as much as they could. They had no clear manifesto for government, as you would expect from most homegrown genuine'revolutionary' insurgency groups. They destroyed railways; blew up highways; assassinated; massacred isolated villages and so forth. Yes, the Renamo guerrillas did not turn around and attack Johannesburg, or have a global reach, but at its core, to put it mildly, that is all Al-Qaeda is. When it achieves its objectives, it too will just as quickly be marginalized, just like Renamo was, or disappear from the scene entirely.
The first primary similarities of Al-Qaeda and theRenamo guerrillas, which separate them from local homegrown ‘revolutionary’ groups, is that both of them had or have no comprehensive action plan for government, beyond vague utterances of this, that, andthe other. By contrast, the PLO, Hezbollah, and the IRA have extensive programs for political government. I am not by any means advocates of the latter three organizations, but merely making a point about revolutionary organizations which are purelyhomegrown, and those that are foreign backed and trained.
The second primary similarity between the Renamo guerrillas and Al-Qaeda is that both of them instituted no social welfare programs for the community that they claimed to represent and fight for. Foreign First World backers find it easier sometimesto train terrorists for the goal of death,destruction, and destabilization than the very expensive and heavier effort of conducting humanitarian programs.
By contrast, without exception, most revolutionaryorganizations had or have extensive social welfare programs - it makes sense that if you are trulyattempting to usurp the government and win over the people, you then should have extensive social welfare programs: informal banking, food distribution, basic health service, and, of course, ideological education. The Renamo guerrillas and Al-Qaeda had and have only one primary similarity and agenda, and that is death,destruction, and destabilization on behalf of foreign First World sponsors, nothing more. Most of their members have been provided with training and arms from First World countries. To be brought out of the pocket when convenient, and put back in again when necessary.
