Established in the 1970s by Salih Mirzabeyoglu, the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front, known by the acronym IBDA-C, is an Islamist terrorist organization operating in Turkey. While the group's early activities appeared limited to anti-Turkey demonstrations, the IBDA-C has emerged as an increasingly violent organization. The group's philosophy appears to be based on an obscure Islamic revivalist movement founded by Necip Fazil Kisakurek, a Turkish poet and thinker. This philosophy stresses the importance of the "Great Orient," a vaguely defined system of thought that seeks to establish an Islamic state based on uncorrupted Islamic ideals. The IBDA-C uses leftist slogans throughout its publications, possibly indicating that its ideology is leftist as well as Islamic. Unlike other Turkish Islamist groups, the IBDA-C does not have any connections to Iran or Iranian revolutionary thought. <p><br />The IBDA-C's activities have consistently been directed against Turkey and the West. The group rejects the legitimacy of the Turkish government and seeks to use violence to destabilize the regime. Like other Islamist groups, the IBDA-C is also virulently anti-Western, anti-Semitic, and anti-Christian. The group is reportedly highly decentralized, consisting of cells that organize themselves and conduct operations autonomously, a structure which provides greater operational security for both the organization and individual cells. Civilian targets are typically attacked through the use of Molotov cocktails, sabotage, and bombings. <p><br /> In the past, the IBDA-C has cooperated with various opposition elements in Turkey attempting to destabilize Turkey's unique democratic Islamic political structure. The organization also recently boasted of an affiliation with al-Qaeda. One of the IBDA-C's most publicized attacks occurred in the eastern city of Sivas, when group members firebombed a hotel on July 2, 1993, killing 37 people. Turkish police, however, believe the organization has also claimed responsibility for attacks orchestrated by other terrorist groups in order to elevate its image.<br />