The Monday morning suicide bombings at two prominent metro stations in central Moscow are yet another stark reminder of how widespread the scourge of jihadi terrorism is. At least 38 people are said to have been killed in the bombings with dozens more injured. Though no particular organisation has claimed responsibility for the attacks, authorities in the Russian capital believe that the bombings are the handiwork of female suicide terrorists from the North Caucasus region. The said region is home to several Russian republics that have long witnessed separatist movements that aim to overthrow the yoke of Moscow's supremacy. But what is noteworthy is that most of these separatist movements have been hijacked by jihadi groups of various hues. Indeed, Russian investigators have said that the latest bombings could be in retaliation to the recently announced killings of two radical Islamist leaders by Russian forces, both of whom were linked to separatist leader Doku Umarov. The latter, since October 2007, has declared the entire North Caucasus region to be part of a separate Islamic emirate ruled by sharia'h law. Doku Umarov and his cohorts are presently leading an insurgency that encompasses the Russian republics of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
What the Russian experience essentially demonstrates is the ability of radical Islam to easily morph with local conditions; its ability to prey on the grievances of a certain section of people and turn them into jihadis. This is more or less the pattern we have observed wherever jihadi Islam has reared its ugly head. In Afghanistan, for example, to say that the fight is against a group of backward-looking Islamic radicals would actually be an oversimplification. Criss-crossing tribal loyalties, corruption and opium are factors that are as much intrinsic to the Afghan situation as the Taliban's medieval ideology and barbaric ways. Yet, the Islamists have been able to take all these things and prepare a seemingly homogenous concoction. The fundamental problem is the Islamist world-view, which is completely opposite — as opposed to different — to ever other world-view out there. It is also this opposing set of beliefs that jihadis have been able to successfully use to create a global network that can assimilate a wide spectrum of grievances and local movements. As a result, even though they have absolutely nothing in common, Islamists in Indonesia feel they have a common bond with Islamists in Chechnya. The only way to deal with this multi-headed monster is to treat it as the sum of its parts. Russia, as well as the international community, must realise that the problem it faces stretches far beyond any geographically bound territory. There needs to be a truly global war on terror. Distinguishing between 'good' jihadis and 'bad' jihadis is counter-productive and will only embolden the terrorists to continue with their nefarious deeds.
