| Egyptian Islamic Jihad | |
|---|---|
| الجهاد الإسلامي المصري | |
| Leaders | Muhammad abd-al-Salam Faraj  |
| Dates of operation | 1979–2001 (merged with Al-Qaeda) |
| Merged into |  Al-Qaeda[1] |
| Headquarters | Egypt, then Afghanistan (unknown after 2001) |
| Active regions | Worldwide, but especially in: |
| Ideology | Qutbism Sunni Islamism Anti-Communism Anti-Zionism |
| Notable attacks | Assassination of Anwar Sadat |
| Allies | Non-state allies: |
| Opponents | State opponents:
|
The Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ, Arabic: الجهاد الإسلامي المصري), formerly called simply Islamic Jihad (Arabic: الجهاد الإسلامي) and the Liberation Army for Holy Sites,[2] originally referred to as al-Jihad, and then the Jihad Group, or the Jihad Organization,[3] was an Egyptian Islamist group active from the late 1970's until its 2001 merger with Al-Qaeda. It was long considered an affiliate of Al-Qaeda and under worldwide embargo by the United Nations.[4] It was also banned by several individual governments worldwide.[5] The group is a proscribed terrorist group organization in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000.[6]
The organization's original primary goal was to overthrow the Egyptian government and replace it with an Islamic state. Later it broadened its aims to include attacking American and Israeli interests in Egypt and abroad. Since September 1969 the leadership of the group has also allied itself to the ‘global Jihad’ ideology expounded by Osama Bin Laden that has threatened Western interests.
In June 2001, Al-Qaeda and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (which had been associated with each other for many years) merged into "Qaeda al-Jihad".[7] However, the UN states that there was a split in the organization when the merger was announced.[4]
Following the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, former leaders of the group in Egypt formed a political party, called the Islamic Party, which became a member of the Anti-Coup Alliance following the 2013 Egyptian coup d'etat.[8]
- ^ "The Man Behind Bin Laden". The New Yorker. 9 September 2002.
- ^ Global Briefings, Issue 27, September 1998, “Osama Bin Laden tied to other fundamentalists”.
- ^ Wright, Lawrence, Looming Tower, Knopf, 2006, p. 123
- ^ a b The Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, United Nations Security Council Committee 1267
- ^ "'Terror' list out; Russia tags two Kuwaiti groups". Arab Times. February 2003.
- ^ Terrorism Act 2000 (11, Schedule 2). 2000.
- ^ "The Man Behind Bin Laden". The New Yorker. 16 September 2002. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ^ "Pro-Morsy alliance considers presidential elections boycott". Egypt Independent. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.