By: Robin Murray-o'hair Re: Fundamentalists/Algeria Islamic Militias Denounce +quot;Atheis

By: Robin Murray-o'hair
Re: Fundamentalists/Algeria

Islamic Militias Denounce "Atheist Entity," Degenerate into Warring
Factions.  Still, They Fight to Establish an Islamic Republic Modeled
After Iran

by Conrad F. Goeringer

     A precarious alliance between competing Islamic movements
is starting to unwind in Algeria.  Both the Armed Islamic Group and
the military arm of the Islamic Salvation Front have been carrying out
a terrorist war against the Algerian government.  Both intend to
establish a so-called "Islamic Republic" on the theocratic model found
in Iran.

     Both militias have several thousand men, and both have
coordinated their activities for the past two years.  Armed Islamic
Group appears to specialize in killing women, foreigners and secular
government officials or intellectuals.  It is estimated that 30,000
people have died during the last three years of the uprising.  The New
York Times (May 11), however, quoted Algerian government sources
who suggested that the respective groups may themselves be
degenerating into smaller bands following the leadership of
self-appointed "emirs."

     AIG called upon the Salvation Front to "come back to the way
of God" and cease any negotiation with "any Muslim or atheist entity
inside or outside the country." That statement is interpreted as a
reference to coalition and dialogue among various opposition groups
in Algeria intent on finding a peaceful solution to the civil conflict.

       "Hard Line" an Alternative to Talk

     One possible explanation for this "hard line" strategy may lie
in the dialogue between Israeli officials and the Palestine Liberation
Organization. PLO has thus far succeeded in "outflanking" Islamic
fundamentalists in groups such as Hamas.  Many orthodox Muslim
leaders are wary of dialogue; it is much easier to see the enemy in
terms of absolutes, especially if it is Zionism or secularism, as is the
case in Algeria.

     And many fundamentalists still embrace the vision of an
Islamic confederation of religious states, modeled closely on the
post-revolution experiment of Ayatollah Khomeni in Iran.  A crescent
of such territory, stretching from North Africa to the subcontinent,
including Pakistan and Afghanistan, remains an inspiring dream to
many, and a geopolitical nightmare to others.

     Armed Islamic Group may also fear that it will be left out of
any peace process due to its early hard-line stance.  The split between
the two groups, however, underscores what may be a trend in Mid
East politics -- rival insurgent factions battling each other.

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