People Against Gangsterism and Drugs

Formed in 1996 as a grassroots attempt to combat gang fighting and drugs in Cape Town, South Africa, People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD) later adopted antigovernment and anti-Western ideologies and used terror to spread its message. It declared a jihad (commonly translated as “holy war”) against Cape Town's gangs and is believed to have murdered about 100 people. Although PAGAD's initial objective was to serve as a broad-based anti-crime group, it has adopted a paramilitary style and is thought to have ties with Islamic extremists in the Middle East. PAGAD now views the South African government as a threat to Islamic values and to Muslims in South Africa.

For many years, criminal gangs and drug dealers troubled the impoverished communities on the outskirts of Cape Town. A mix of citizens, populist moderate Muslim leaders, and Islamic extremists formed what became known as ...