21/08/2026
An article by the Historion Mr Nissim Moses and his friend Mr Samuel Kurulkar
Islamist Terrorist Organizations Around the World: A Historical Overview Through 2023
Introduction
The history of modern Islamist militancy is complex and involves organizations with very different origins, ideologies, structures and objectives. Some are designated terrorist organizations by governments and international institutions, while others are political or religious movements whose classification varies between countries. It is therefore important to distinguish between Islam, Muslims as a religious community, and violent Islamist extremist organizations. Terrorism is a political strategy used by particular groups; it should not be attributed to an entire religion or its followers.
This overview traces major organizations and movements associated with Islamist terrorism and militant jihadism, with emphasis on their origins, geographical areas of operation and major forms of violence. The historical account concludes with the situation immediately before 7 October 2023, followed by a short postscript describing the human cost of the Gaza war that followed.
1. The Muslim Brotherhood
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded by Hassan al-Banna in Egypt in 1928, rather than in the 1930s. It developed as a broad Islamist movement seeking to make Islamic principles central to political and social life.
The Brotherhood has operated through different political and organizational structures in several countries. Its relationship with violence has also varied over time and between branches. Some governments have designated the Brotherhood or particular branches as terrorist organizations, while other governments and scholars distinguish between the Brotherhood's political organizations and armed extremist groups.
The movement's history in British Mandatory Palestine is particularly important to the later development of Palestinian Islamist movements. The Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood helped provide an ideological and organizational foundation from which Hamas later emerged.
It is important, however, not to attribute a single doctrine of "kill all non-Muslims" to every Muslim Brotherhood member or branch. Such a statement would inaccurately generalize the beliefs of a very diverse movement.
2. Black September
Black September emerged from the conflict between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Jordan following the violent confrontation known as Black September in 1970.
The organization became internationally notorious for attacks, assassinations and hostage-taking. Its most famous operation was the 1972 Munich Olympic attack, in which Palestinian terrorists took Israeli athletes hostage. The operation ended with the deaths of all 11 members of the Israeli Olympic delegation.
Black September subsequently disappeared as a distinct organization, with its personnel and activities becoming associated with other Palestinian militant structures.
3. Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda developed during the Afghan war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s, around Osama bin Laden and his associates. The organization benefited from the international mobilization of Arab volunteers who came to Afghanistan to fight the Soviet forces.
The United States and other countries supported Afghan resistance forces during the Soviet-Afghan war, but the frequently repeated claim that the United States directly created or controlled al-Qaeda is an oversimplification. Al-Qaeda developed its own independent ideology and organization.
After the Soviet withdrawal, al-Qaeda turned its attention toward what it regarded as Western enemies. Its attacks included the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the USS Cole attack in 2000, and the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States.
Al-Qaeda developed affiliated organizations in several regions, including the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, East Africa and South Asia.
The Taliban is not simply another name for al-Qaeda. The Taliban is an Afghan movement that emerged from the Afghan civil war, while al-Qaeda is a transnational jihadist organization. Nevertheless, elements of the Taliban maintained a close relationship with al-Qaeda, particularly before and after 2001.
4. Chechen and North Caucasus Militancy
During the wars in Chechnya, militant groups increasingly incorporated jihadist ideology into the separatist struggle. Some fighters received training or developed relationships with international jihadist networks, including al-Qaeda-linked networks.
Militant organizations in the North Caucasus subsequently expanded their activities into Dagestan and other parts of Russia. Their attacks included bombings, hostage-taking and su***de operations.
Women were also recruited for su***de attacks, a phenomenon that became tragically associated with several North Caucasian militant organizations.
5. Lashkar-e-Taiba and Militancy in South Asia
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is a Pakistan-based Islamist militant organization primarily associated with attacks against India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.
The organization has been accused of conducting and supporting numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which gunmen attacked hotels, a railway station, a Jewish community center and other locations.
Lashkar-e-Taiba has had longstanding connections with Pakistan-based militant networks. Its history demonstrates how territorial disputes, religious extremism and regional geopolitics can combine to create enduring terrorist organizations.
Other militant organizations operating in Kashmir have included Hizbul Mujahideen, which has been involved in the armed separatist struggle in the region.
6. Islamist Militancy in Myanmar and Southeast Asia
Myanmar has experienced serious ethnic and political conflicts involving Rohingya Muslims, Buddhist communities, the Myanmar military and armed organizations.
It is important to distinguish between Rohingya civilians and armed extremist organizations. Claims that all violence involving Rohingya communities represents international Islamist terrorism are inaccurate. Nevertheless, some militant organizations, including the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), have carried out attacks, and there have been concerns about possible connections between regional extremist networks and militant groups.
Southeast Asia has also experienced Islamist militancy involving organizations influenced by al-Qaeda or ISIS.
7. ISIS – Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) emerged from the Iraqi jihadist movement associated with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and later evolved into the Islamic State under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
In 2014, ISIS captured large territories in Iraq and Syria and proclaimed a self-declared "caliphate." It became one of the most brutal terrorist organizations of the modern era.
ISIS carried out:
Mass killings
Su***de bombings
Kidnappings
Sexual slavery
Destruction of religious and cultural sites
Attacks against Muslims and non-Muslims
Persecution of Yazidis, Christians, Shi'a Muslims and other minorities
Terrorist attacks outside Iraq and Syria
ISIS also inspired or supported affiliates in other regions, including the Philippines, Afghanistan, West Africa and Libya.
In the Philippines, organizations such as Abu Sayyaf, the Maute Group and other militant factions became associated with ISIS ideology or networks.
The defeat of ISIS's territorial "caliphate" did not eliminate the organization. Its affiliates and underground networks continued to conduct terrorist activities in several countries.
8. Boko Haram
Boko Haram, formally associated with Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, emerged in northeastern Nigeria and became one of Africa's most notorious jihadist organizations.
Its ideology rejects Western-style education and seeks to establish a society governed according to its interpretation of Islamic law.
The organization expanded its activities across the Lake Chad region, particularly in:
Nigeria
Cameroon
Niger
Chad
Boko Haram has carried out mass killings, bombings, kidnappings and attacks on villages, schools and government institutions.
One of the most internationally known incidents was the 2014 kidnapping of schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria, which generated the global campaign.
The organization subsequently fractured, with factions developing different relationships with ISIS and other jihadist networks.
9. Islamist Terrorism in Europe
From the 1990s onward, Europe experienced a series of terrorist attacks inspired by or connected to jihadist organizations.
Among the most significant attacks were:
Madrid, Spain – 2004
London, United Kingdom – 2005
Paris, France – 2015
Brussels, Belgium – 2016
Nice, France – 2016
Manchester, United Kingdom – 2017
Barcelona and Cambrils, Spain – 2017
Strasbourg, France – 2018
Vienna, Austria – 2020
Other European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Russia, also experienced terrorist attacks or disrupted terrorist plots.
The attacks demonstrated that terrorism had evolved from centrally organized international operations into a mixture of large-scale conspiracies, terrorist cells and individual attackers inspired by extremist propaganda.
At the same time, it is important to distinguish between terrorism and Europe's large Muslim populations. European Muslims have overwhelmingly been victims, opponents and witnesses of terrorism rather than participants in it.
10. Terrorism Against Israel
Israel has experienced terrorism from a number of Palestinian and regional organizations throughout its modern history.
The organizations and movements involved at different times have included:
Hamas
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Fatah-associated armed organizations
Black September
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Hezbollah
ISIS-linked groups operating in the Sinai
Other Palestinian militant organizations
Methods of attack have included su***de bombings, shootings, kidnappings, rocket attacks, mortar attacks, vehicle attacks and attacks against civilians.
Israel has also fought several major wars and military campaigns involving organizations operating from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and other neighboring areas.
Hamas, founded in 1987 during the First Intifada, combines an Islamist ideology with a Palestinian nationalist agenda and has maintained an armed wing. It has carried out numerous attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel and has been designated a terrorist organization by several governments.
11. The Human Cost of Terrorism
One of the most important lessons from the history of terrorism is that its victims come from many backgrounds.
Victims have included:
Children
Women
Elderly people
Soldiers
Police officers
Religious leaders
Journalists
Aid workers
Muslims
Jews
Christians
Yazidis
Hindus
Sikhs
People of no religious affiliation
Terrorism therefore cannot be understood merely as a conflict between religions. It is a form of political violence that frequently destroys the lives of people who have little or no connection to the political objectives of the perpetrators.
Postscript: 7 October 2023 and the Gaza War
The historical section above ends immediately before 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led armed groups launched a large-scale attack from Gaza into southern Israel.
The attack killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, according to the World Health Organization, which described the attacks as horrific and unjustifiable. Hostages were also taken into Gaza.
The victims included civilians as well as members of Israel's security forces. Families were killed in their homes, communities were attacked, and people attending a music festival were among those murdered.
The attack triggered the devastating Israel–Gaza war.
The Palestinian population of Gaza subsequently suffered enormous loss of life, destruction and displacement. By 29 December 2023, WHO reported more than 21,000 fatalities and 55,000 injuries in Gaza, while approximately 1.9 million people—about 85% of the population—had been displaced.
WHO also reported that women and children represented a very large proportion of those killed in Gaza. By the end of December, the humanitarian situation included widespread destruction of homes and health facilities, severe shortages of food and water, and a health system operating under extreme pressure.
Among the victims were also humanitarian and medical workers. WHO reported the death of its staff member Dima Alhaj, who was killed together with her husband, six-month-old son and other family members when the house where they were sheltering was bombed.
The tragedy of 7 October and the subsequent war therefore produced victims on both sides. The Israeli civilians murdered and taken hostage on 7 October must be remembered, while Palestinian civilians who died or were injured during the ensuing war must also be mourned. Recognizing one population's suffering does not require denying the suffering of another.
Conclusion
The history of Islamist terrorism from the late twentieth century through 2023 shows the evolution of militant movements from localized insurgencies into sophisticated transnational networks. Organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS demonstrated how ideology, modern communications, regional instability and international conflicts could be combined to create global terrorist movements.
At the same time, historical accuracy is essential. Not every Islamist political movement is a terrorist organization, not every Muslim supports political Islam, and the overwhelming majority of Muslims are not terrorists. The appropriate focus should be on organizations and individuals who deliberately use violence against civilians and other protected persons for political, ideological or religious objectives.
The victims of terrorism should remain at the center of the historical record. Remembering them—Israeli, Palestinian, Indian, European, African, Asian, Muslim, Jewish, Christian and others—is not merely an act of remembrance. It is a warning about the human consequences of extremism, hatred and the deliberate targeting of innocent people.
The article is based on the article by Mr. Nissim Moses and the addition of the war in 2023 is the addition of Mr. Samuel Kurulkar.
Photo Courtsey: Goggle Wilepedia
