Islamic Great East Raiders' Front

IBDAC, IGERF

12/12/2006

Islami Buyuk Dogu Akincilar Cephesi, or the Islamic Great East Raiders' Front, had often claimed responsibility for trying to silence free speech. Established in the 1970s by Salih Mirzabeyoglu, the IGERF is an Islamist terrorist organization operating in Turkey. The group's philosophy was shaped by an obscure Islamic revivalist, Necip Fazil Kisakurek, a Turkish poet and philosopher. His worldview stressed the emergence of the "Great Orient," which he saw as an Islamic state based on uncorrupted Islamic ideals. His reference to the "Orient" for this pan-Islamic state is why the Yasser Arafat's Fatah/PLO/PA headquarters in Ramallah is called "Orient House.".

The Islami Buyuk Dogu Akincilar Cephesi combines Marxist slogans and Muslim verses throughout its publications, indicating that its ideology is similar to the Marxist Muslim dictatorships in Libya, Algeria, Uganda, Iraq, and the Sudan. Unlike other Turkish Islamist groups, the IBDA-C does not have any connections to Iran or its Shi'ite mullahs.

The IBDAC's activities have consistently been directed against Turkey and the West. The group sees the Turkish government as insufficiently Islamic and seeks to use violence to destabilize the mostly fundamentalist regime. Like all Islamist groups, the Great Eastern Raiders' Front is virulently anti-Western, anti-Semitic, and anti-Christian. A spiritual group, they are decentralized, consisting of cells that conduct operations autonomously. Civilian targets are typically attacked through the use of Molotov cocktails, ambushes, and bombings.

The IGERF has cooperated with various Islamic opposition elements in Turkey, including the PKK, in their quest destabilize Turkey's tenuous blend of Islamic theocracy, military dictatorship, and approved-party-only democracy. The organization has recently boasted of an affiliation with al-Qaeda.

One of the IBDAC's most publicized attacks occurred in the eastern city of Sivas, when group members firebombed a hotel in July, 1993, killing 37 people. Turkish police, however, believe the organization has claimed responsibility for attacks orchestrated by other terrorist groups in order to elevate its image - something that is incongruous with moral thought, yet consistent with Islamic indoctrination.

Since the 1990s, the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders' Front has become increasingly violent. In 1998, the Turkish government arrested the IGERF's leader, Salih Mirzabeyoglu. But his detention had no impact on diminishing terrorism. The Turkish government's latest crackdown on IBDAC, code-named "Operation Mould," commenced in May 2006 and resulted in the arrest of a score of suspected members. Yet in spite of these arrests, the Islamic terrorist group remains an active threat to the fragile Turkish government.

Salih Mirzabeyoglu, the founder and leader of the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders' Front, is said to have written over 40 books. He was originally a member of the National Salvation Party, which is a Turkish political organization. Under Mirzabeyoglu leadership, the IBDAC terrorized diplomatic, government, media, and commercial targets. In 1998, Mirzabeyoglu was arrested by Turkish police on charges of attempting to overthrow the government, but was quickly released because he inspired inmates to riot and made a mess of things.

The capture of Mirzabeyoglu was seen as a great blow to the capabilities of the Islamic Great Orient Raider's Front, however, the group has remained active during his incarceration, and has not shown any signs of dissolution or deactivation. A pope dies and a new pope is appointed - such is the life of a religious organization. In this regard killing Osama bin Laden will make no difference. Al-Qaeda is a product of Islam and terrorism is a symptom.