Takfir wal-Hijra was founded as an Egyptian terrorist group in the 1960's. It has members or supporters in several other countries. It is said to be allied to Al-Qaeda. In Spain the group is also known as Martyrs for Morocco. Hardly anything is known about the organization or hierarchy of the group. It is quite possible that several groups which adher to the same ideology have used the name independently of each other.

Ideology

The group has a fundamentalist Islamic ideology. Salafism is the binding factor in this ideology. The ideologist of the group, Abu Muhammad Asem al-Maqdisi , says he has been influenced by the writings of Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab, founder of Wahabism. Takfir wal-Hijra takes fundamentalism a step further than most islamic fundamentalist groups. It advocates armed battle against jews, christians and apostate muslims to restore the unity of the islamic world order (ummah). The ummah is to be led by a Caliph, who rules according to the Sharia. The group's warriors should blend in with Western society and are allowed to disobey all rules of the Islam for the goal of destroying Western civilisation from within. According to this ideology the warriors will be martyrs in Paradise after death.

Activities

• Takfir wal-Hijra is connected with hit-and-run attacks in Algeria.
• In Sudan in 2003 alleged members of the group wrote a death-list of prominent local politicians and journalists.
• In the fall of 2004 in Spain a terrorist network was uncovered with suspected links to Takfir wal-Hijra. It had been planning to blow up a Court of Law.

Alledged members and supporters

• Shukri Mustafa , founder.
• Abu Muhammad Asem al-Maqdisi , the group's alleged ideologist.
• Hijra Abdellah Al Rifaee (Abu Issa ), accepted as the group's Kalif .
• Mohammed Atta, leader of the 9/11 attack.
• Ayman al-Zawahiri, second man of Al-Qaeda.
• Mohammed Bouyeri, the alledged assassin of the Dutch film director Theo van Gogh, was influenced by Takfir wal-Hijra's ideology.
• The Hofstad Network, the alledged fundamentalist cell of which Mohammed Bouyeri was a supporter, was influenced by Takfir wal-Hijra's ideology.

(Sources: NRC; Planet News; Politics.be)