RUNNING HEAD: TERRORIST AND ASSASSINS

Effie Cane
ENG 122
Sophie Sills
February 25, 2013

There is so much that we do not know or understand about terrorism and assassins. Many things that we may never figure out. This is a subject that I never worried about until that grave day on 9/11. This is when it all really hit me. I was 20 years old and I can remember
RUNNING HEAD: TERRORIST AND ASSASSINS someone running into my college course screaming, “They have killed them. They flew the planes into the tower. Oh my God1” From that day on I knew that terrorism was real and we had all been affect. It has become one of the scariest things in American life. A lot of us are left wondering when, how, and why after a terrorist attack. It is my belief that most attacks are because of religious beliefs. I also belief that the affects that these attacks have on our society can be over whelming and devastating. It can cause people to loose love ones and suffer for the rest of their lives. In this paper I will attempt to understand what is going on in the mind of a person who commits such acts. I will also take a good look into the lives of the many people that they affect.
Even though terrorism and assassination is not something that we worry about on a daily basis, the fact remains that it is very much real and can become a threat at any time. (Mueller 2006) I found this evident while reading an article written in September/October 2006 by John Mueller that states for the past five years Americans have been regularly regaled with dire predictions of another major al Qaeda attack. On the first page of its manifesto, the massively funded Department of Homeland Security intones, “Today’s terrorists can strike at any place, at any time, and with virtually any weapon.” Just this very thought sends my mind racing I feel that there is still a threat to our everyday lives and that we may never know what is going to happen or may not happen. I never knew or really thought much about terrorism until the 9/11 attacks and know that I am doing this research paper on the subject, I have found that there have been many different cases of terrorist attacks. On January 25, 1993, Mir Aimal Kansi, a Pakistani, fired an AK-47 directly into traffic waiting to enter CIA headquarters in Langley,

RUNNING HEAD: TERRORIST AND ASSASSINS
Virginia, which killed two CIA employees. Here is a list of past terrorist attacks on the U.S before 9/11 that was posted in Fact Real QUICK FACTS: Politics, News, Economy, Religion,
History…for busy people! I found this to be unbelievable. It is amazing and to think I never knew that there were so many incidents and it began so long ago. Some, even before I was born.
1979

Iran Hostage Crisis: Islamic militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. (Nov 4, 1979 to Jan 20, 1981)

1983

Bombing of US Embassy, Beirut, Lebanon. (April 18, 1983)

1983

Bombing of US Marine barracks, Beirut, Lebanon. (Oct 23, 1983)

1983

Bombing of US Embassy, Kuwait. (Dec 12, 1983)

1984

Kidnapping,torture, and murder of Political Officer/CIA Station Chief William F. Buckley, Beirut, Lebanon. Buckley died after 15 months of being tortured by the Islamic militants. (Mar 16, 1984 to Jun 3, 1985)

1984

Bombing of restaurant near US Air Force base in Torrejon, Spain. (Apr 12, 1984)

1984

Bombing of US Embassy annex, Beirut. (Sept 20, 1984)

1984

Hijacking of Kuwait Airlines Flight 221, diverted to Tehran: Two American passengers were murdered. (Dec 3, 1984)

1985

Hijacking of TWA Flight 847, diverted to Beirut. An American hostage was killed and dumped on the airport tarmac. (June 14, 1985)

1985

Hijacking of cruise ship Achille Lauro. A wheelchair-bound American is thrown overboard & killed. More than 700 people were taken hostage. (Oct 7, 1985)

1985

Bombing of Vienna and Rome airports. Five Americans were among the dead. (Dec 27, 1985)

1986

Bombing of La Belle disco, Berlin frequented by US servicemen. (April 5, 1986)

RUNNING HEAD: TERRORIST AND ASSASSINS

9/11 and the list above is a good example of the unknown threat that is out there. Many people lost their lives on this day and others were left here to cope with the aftermath of all of this. I live in Louisiana and did not know any of the people that were affected by this and my heart was indeed heavy. (Photo is from Inside 9/11: Zero Hour) We all would like to never think about terrorism and assassins again but the fact remains that it is very real and is a part of our everyday lives. However, with the great government that we have and it’s top priority to this situation, I feel that they have a great handle on the situation. It was stated in the National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 55 edited by Jeffrey Richelson and Micheal L. Evans on September 21, 2001 that terrorism was hardly ignored. “During the last ten days key administration officials, have repeatedly emphasized their long-term objective is the destruction of terrorism - a goal to be achieved by the death or apprehension of terrorists and assassins. We have seen a numerous amount of security changes when flying like taking off shoes, removing belts, and empting pockets. There have also be changes in law enforcement as well. I feel that these changes are not that drastic and it is totally necessary if we want to feel safe. So what if

RUNNING HEAD: TERRORIST AND ASSASSINS

may take a little bit more time for you to get through the airport. We have seen many changes because of terrorist attacks which include changes in Immigration, Tourism and Deportations, government, air travel, and even American Muslims. Anti-Islamic violence in America jumped after the attacks. The country with the most notable drop in visa issuance after 9/11 was Pakistan. In 2002, the number of tourist visas given to Pakistani citizens fell almost 70 percent and immigrant visas dropped more than 40 percent compared to 2001. While the Patriot Act may be the most recognizable piece of legislation relating to Sept. 11, more than 130 pieces of 9/11-related legislation were introduced in the 107th Congress in the year after the attacks, with 48 bills and resolutions approved or signed into law. Government agencies created after 9/11 include the Department of Homeland Security, which consolidated other agencies, including the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. According to The Washington Post, more than 263 government organizations were either created or reorganized following the attacks. I feel that all of these changes were for the best and at the end of the day, it will be all worth it and may even save your life

A question that most people may have about terrorist and assassin attacks is why. At least I know that it is a big question that I have. Why would a person go through so much trouble to hurt so many people, their loved ones, and sometimes even themselves? When reading The Cause of Terrorism by Jim Walker organized on September15, 2001, it was stated that belief was the number one cause of terrorism. “Surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death
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are (all) for Allah, the Lord of the worlds”. Even if this is true, some believe that it greatly underestimates the true reason for terrorism. It was written in Phil for Humanity, A Guide for the Survival of Humankind and Helping the World, Society, and Yourself that Terrorists believe that they have no alternative options for their political, economic, and/or religious grievances and oppression. As a result, terrorists kill and maim random civilians at random places and at random times to give publicity to their causes. In return, terrorist believe this publicity would cause more violence and uprisings. Eventually, terrorists believe this will ultimately force changes in favor to their political, economic, and/or religious demands. When in all reality, it always ends in tragedy and it has also been known to have a number of psychological effects on children and families of the victims. Witnessing these acts from a far has had an effect on me. When I sit and think about the war (also known as the War on Terrorism) that was fought because of terrorism, it saddens me. There were a lot of lives that were lost and a lot of families that have suffered a great deal. I think that this is one of the most important things that we should reflect on. The lives of our brave service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the "War on Terrorism." There has been over 4,000 brave Americans have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) on October 7, 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began with the invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003. Even though we won the war, I feel that we lost a great deal. I wonder what the people who were responsible for this were thinking and how is this going to be handle by the victims and their families. It is evident

RUNNING HEAD: TERRORIST AND ASSASSINS

that terrorist and assassins have had their effect on us mentally and physically from a distance, so the devastation it has on the people who were directly affected would be astonishing. Given the accounts of the attacks that have already taken place and seeing the destruction that it has caused, it is not a wonder that it has had a profound effect on many people and their families. It is unfortunate that this has to be and we cannot live our lives without feeling threaten.
Even though a lot of people believe that religious values and views play a significant role in terrorist attacks, there are many people who do not think that this is so. One writer posted it on Debate.org. No religion, or civilized society can make any justification regarding terrorism. Terrorism is a brain-sickness of those people who commit it and want to outburst what they have inside them. Use of power and belief isn't the solution of any problem, even terrorists should be dealt with the manners other than the use of power. (Bahadur 2012). I personally feel that it can be all of these reasons and more. Let’s face it, we will never have the ability to look inside a person’s mind and see what they are thinking and why they do the things that they do. All we can do is take precaution and try to prepare the best we can for what is it come.
Many people have their own beliefs on terrorism and what causes it. The truth may be that we may never know. As I stated before, there is no way for us to go inside the mind of people who commit these attacks. Therefore we may never know the true reason why. Some people believe it’s a belief. Others believe it is a way to be heard, and others believe that it is just evil. I honestly believe that it is all and it depends on that person and what they are going through at
RUNNING HEAD: TERRORIST AND ASSASSINS

certain moment and time. It is more than a usual crime and war with terrorism will not be easy or quick. It demands lots of time and strength to accomplish, but the results, which are the safety of our children and loved ones, and millions of people worldwide, are worthy it Although terrorist and assassins can be a very scary thought, it is being handled by the best there is and even though it has had a long lasting effect on many, with the support of each other and the government, I feel that it something that we will all get through.

RUNNING HEAD: TERRORIST AND ASSASSINS

Mueller, J. (2006) "Is There Still a Terrorist Threat? The Myth of the Omnipresent Enemy. Pg# 1 National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 55
Richelson, J and Evans, Micheal L. (2001) Volume I Terrorism and U.S. Policy myth-of-the-omnipresent-en http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB55/index1.html
Walker, J. (2001). “The Cause of Terrorism” http://www.nobeliefs.com/terrorism.htm