...TERRORISM IS TERRORISM, BUT WHICH IS WORSE? YOU DECIDE Alexandra Gadi THST 398 – Dr. Soomekh Final Paper Due: April 29, 2011 Terrorism in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been an impacting factor on both sides, resulting in numerous and unnecessary casualties. Israel’s terrorism was rooted mainly from Gush Emunim, “Bloc of the Faithful” . On the other hand, Palestinian terrorism has spawned from a wide scope of different beliefs ranging from secular Palestinians through religious Jihadists. Jihad literary means struggle in Arabic . These Jihadists and secular terrorists blow themselves up with the belief that they are furthering their cause and feel as if they are warriors fighting in the battle for a homeland and freedom, one explosion at a time. Gush Emunim started as a Jewish fundamentalist movement in Israel that sought out to reclaim the lands of Abraham through a combination of propaganda, religious justification, and military force . Gush Emunim’s action “shows the growing resentment by Jewish fundamentalism of moves for peace. This, logically, was to lead to the “righteous” killing of [Yitzchak] Rabin” . Gush Emunim has used its religious power as a stepping-stone into Israeli politics in order to gain legal support for its settlement plans. The Gush Emunim movement has been made responsible for evicting Palestinian refugees from their homes in order to build their own settlements . Basing their...
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...Criminality. Mani Kanth Kaleru. Section-B Religion is basically defined as a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and sometimes, to moral values. Religions are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the human nature. The development of religion has taken different forms in different cultures. Some religions place an emphasis on belief, while others emphasize practice. Some religions focus on the subjective experience of the religious individual, while others consider the activities of the religious community to be most important. Coming to Islam, is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion articulated by the Quran, a text considered by its followers to be the word of God and by the teachings and normative example of Muhammad, considered by them to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim. With over 1.5 billion followers or over 22% of earth's population, Islam is the second-largest and one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. Coming to crime, a normative definition views crime as weird behaviour that violates prevailing...
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...Given the growing global threats of terrorism, it is significant that an understanding of the history, nature and mechanism-premises under which terror operates is obtained. This is significant as it would shape the perspective of policy makers when addressing issues of this nature. Terrorism, as it is understood is the action of none-state weak actors, individual or groups, who for some reasons feels suppressed, marginalized and, or denied what they may view as the basic human right. All terrorism has political objectives, even though the perpetrators may use religious relics to appeal to a wider existing audience, and invoke a response through violent act to prove or propagate their point. Yoram Schweitzer in "Suicide Terrorism Development &ump; Characteristics," Mark Sedgwick in "Al-Qaeda and the "Nature of Religious Terrorism," and Dr. James Armstrong, all demonstrates that suicide terror attacks are politically motivated even though the perpetrator may use religious symbolism to justifies their acts. Observing areas in the world where terrorism is frequent, especially in the Middle East, it can be argued that groups that engaged in terrorists' activities are those that feel suppressed and taken advantage of by a much greater power. Thus, terrorism, particularly suicide terror is prevalent in areas where systems of gross injustice seem to exist. Therefore, the actual use of terrorism by non-state actors is a tactic aimed at polarizing the population in their favor...
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...What is the Connection Between Religion and Terrorism? Recalling the last twenty years, what is observed is the resurfacing of the drive for terrorism all due to one’s religious belief. One can accept that there is a logical link between religion and terrorism. The link being complicated in nature, aims attention to the role religion plays in violence being legitimized. Religious terrorism is considered to be a type of political violence that is driven by the outright faith that a deity has authorized the act of terrorism for a much greater triumph in that faith. Gus Martin defines religious terrorism as a religion legalizing violence as long as such violence is the desire of an individual’s deity. In today’s society, religion has become the dominant cause of political violence. However, nationalism and ideology aren’t the only great stimulants for extremist behavior. For the first time, dominating the international community are religious extremists. There is acceleration in the repetitiveness, magnitude and the far-reaching spectrum of religious terrorist acts which is encouraged by globalization. One's religious belief can be used as the main reason behind terrorism, whether it may be a primary or a secondary motive. The fine points of the political and the cultural environment are the main factors which these motives can be relied upon, significant to a particular terrorist act. Religion can be seen as the main motive behind a terrorist behavior; on the other hand, it can...
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...Given the growing global threats of terrorism, it is significant that an understanding of the history, nature and mechanism-premises under which terror operates is obtained. This is significant as it would shape the perspective of policy makers when addressing issues of this nature. Terrorism, as it is understood is the action of none-state weak actors, individual or groups, who for some reasons feels suppressed, marginalized and, or denied what they may view as the basic human right. All terrorism has political objectives, even though the perpetrators may use religious relics to appeal to a wider existing audience, and invoke a response through violent act to prove or propagate their point. Yoram Schweitzer in "Suicide Terrorism Development & Characteristics," Mark Sedgwick in "Al-Qaeda and the "Nature of Religious Terrorism," and Dr. James Armstrong, all demonstrates that suicide terror attacks are politically motivated even though the perpetrator may use religious symbolism to justifies their acts. Observing areas in the world where terrorism is frequent, especially in the Middle East, it can be argued that groups that engaged in terrorists' activities are those that feel suppressed and taken advantage of by a much greater power. Thus, terrorism, particularly suicide terror is prevalent in areas where systems of gross injustice seem to exist. Therefore, the actual use of terrorism by non-state actors is a tactic aimed at polarizing the population in their favor. By killing...
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...war dragged on, seemingly endlessly, the Islamic groups faced by the United States and her Allies seemed to be wearing down the civilian desire to continue to wage war. What American civilians do not seem to understand is that not only does the multitude of groups have very nearly the same goals, but they are also willing to die for their cause and will be almost impossible to defeat unless they are hunted and destroyed. A study of the Islamic terror groups must include historic examples; Islamic extremism is not a recent development, nor has the ideology of the extremist believers changed much since the Islamic Conquests began in the 7th Century. In F.M. Mickolus' work International Terrorism in the 1980's, Mickolus wrote that since 1968 alone two-thirds of the known incidents of terrorism in the world had occurred in the Middle East (F.M.Mickolus, 1989). It would seem that the main focus of Islamic terror groups must be their ideology, and a primary topic of debate amongst scholars is if Islam is fundamentally a religion of peace, violence, or some hybrid of both. The Quran, the book by which Muslims worldwide base their way of life, is overtly ambiguous on the topic of peaceful or violent behavior, and...
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...Terrorism in Punjab and J&K is endorse and encouraged by the religious fanatics. Religious places have become the convenient place of refuge for the terrorists and threat to religion is the justification to terrorism. Terrorism in Punjab and J&K is endorse and encouraged by the religious fanatics. Religious places have become the convenient place of refuge for the terrorists and threat to religion is the justification to terrorism. Do minded people condemn the induction of religion in politics whereas religious diehards believe that religion is the basis of politics? Is the latter view consistent with the secular character of our State? The answer to this question will decide the acceptable relation between religion and politics. Gandhiji used to say “My religion is my politics and my politics is my religion”. If religion stands for moral qualities like love of truth, faith in God, love for human beings, it would moralise politics. This is what we need today. In a world where respect for human life is at its lowest ebb where politics is identified with cheating and political leaders are oblivious of moral considerations we need politics imbued with morality. But religion is nothing more than a bundle of outdated rituals, hackneyed customs and irrelevant practices. As it divorced from practical life, it is not in touch with the realities and demands of the present day life. It suspends the reasoning power and makes human thinking pointless. It is today a...
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... War and Peace: An Analysis Of The Kashmir Issue And A Possible Path To Peace By: Iveshu R. Bhatia Dated: Friday, December 3rd 2004 Table of Contents Topic Pg. no. An introduction to Kashmir and a history of the region…………….1 Why is Kashmir so important? …………………………………………3 Analysis of terrorism in Kashmir and the India-Pakistan dispute…7 Other factors supporting the rise of terrorism in Kashmir……….10 Impact of terrorism and the proxy war……………………………..12 Potential steps towards a peaceful solution………………………..15 Latest developments………………………………………………….18 Appendix I: List of Works Cited/Bibliography……………….......20 Appendix II: Map of the region.……………………………………21 Appendix III: Copy of instrument of Accession of Kashmir to India…22 War and Peace: An Analysis Of The Kashmir Issue And A Possible Path To Peace Today, the word Kashmir has become synonymous with death, destruction and religious genocide in South Asia. Although the roots of the Kashmir issue lie in a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, it has evolved into a multi-faceted issue over the years. This paper discusses this dispute, its history, its effects and potential steps towards a peaceful resolution. An introduction to Kashmir and a history of the region Kashmir is a landlocked region in South Asia...
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...GLORIA ONYEKWERE. ISLAM,AND WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT TERRORISM. Unfortunately more and more and more often, Islam has been associated with terrorism and Violence due to the action of few extreme individual who have taken it upon themselves to do the most heinous crimes in the name of Islam. However my question is Islam religion of works or faith .having live most of my young live with Muslim, this are people who practiced the religion of Islam. According to Islam dying in jihad is a great honor, and it is the only way a Muslims is guaranteed of going to paradise. Maybe that is why we see Muslims leaving their own nation to fight jihad in other in other countries. Their motivation is religious, which is much more dangerous than a political motivation. when we take a deep look into the word’ jihad’, then we start to see that jihad is the motivation in many act of terrorism done in the name of Islam. When we take a deep look how the Islamic religion spread we can see that violence was ubiquitous part of the part of the culture at the time and this type of religious conquest fits easily into the regional character. There are at least 114 verses in Quran that speak of love, peace, and forgiveness (the heifer surah 2;62, 109).but when surad 9;5 was revealed later it cancelled out those previous verses. This surah or chapter in Quran was later label sword. And it explained that Muslims should and must fight anyone who chooses not to convert to Islam.whether they are inside Arabia...
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...Terrorism by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad Brandin P. Lea SCTY 488 – Terrorism and Homeland Security December 26, 2010 Professor Eric Witcher Abstract It has been the case that over the duration that mankind has graced the planet there has been group’s hell bent on enacting their beliefs and values upon the rest of the world. As time has passed there have been many times that these groups have changed the face of the planet permanently. You can look at any organized religious group and see just how they pushed the belief system onto others to spread their ideology. Now, taking into consideration that fundamentalism and militant groups are nothing new, you can see that it still affects society greatly even today. Let us look at the main group I am focusing on in this paper. The Egyptian Islamic Jihad is one of the most influential fundamentalists groups in the Middle East. Similar to other terrorist groups, the religious intensity factor of a particularly violent kind is pointing solely to Islam, even when religious frenzies are spreading remarkably everywhere. A retreat into religion became the way most Islamic communities could be explained, from Saudi Arabia which, with what was supposed to be a peculiarly Islamic logic, refused to ratify the Camp David Accords, all the way to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Egypt. In this way, researchers underline that the Islamic world is differentiated, in the Western mind generally, in the United States in particular, from regions...
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...their war against the US and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA). Evidence shows that these fighters still receive covert support from Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and elements of the Pakistani military. 2. Scope. This essay will first explain the roots of Islamic militancy in Pakistan including Pakistan’s involvement in the rise of the Taliban and home-grown extremist groups. This essay will then examine the nature and extent of the conflict between the Islamic militants and the Pakistani government and finally how this conflict is influencing the insurgency in Afghanistan. 3. Aim. The aim of this essay is to explain the causes and nature of the conflict between Islamic extremists and secular forces in Pakistan, and...
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...THE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF JIHAD We all know that religion is a particular or absolute devotion and worship to God (the higher power). Every religion is meant to be peaceful and encourages its followers to be good. However, throughout human history, factors which bring about conflict and war are those related to politics, economy, society, arms race, colonialism and so on. Similarly, millions have to live and suffer in misery because of religious misunderstandings, disputes and conflicts. A great example of such misinterpretation in the day and age is the most widely discussed issues in the Muslim community is the negative image of Islam in the global media, an issue that was cause for concern even before 9/11. Nevertheless, “in this light it is wholly understandable that, in the aftermath of the brutal attacks of September 11, many in the west and in the Muslim world are appalled by the fact that the mass-murderer perpetrated on that day is being hailed by some Muslims as an act of Jihad”1. While appeals to the media for accuracy and fairness continue, newspaper headlines regularly print the words “Islam” and “Muslim” next to words like “fanatic,” “fundamentalist,” “militant,” “terrorist” and “violence.” Uses of the term “Jihad” in television programs and films are also illustrative. Therefore, this problematic subject leads to a subsequent question; what really is Jihad? After all, there is a great deal of confusion in the West regarding the meaning of Jihad and the...
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...| Suicide Bomber Profile | Suicidal Tendencies of Suicide Bombers | | | | | Tendencies of Suicide Bombers Suicide terrorism is the targeted use of self-obliteration of human beings against non-combatant individuals (usually civilian populations) with the objective of causing political change within a country. Even though a suicide attack is aimed to destroy an initial target, its primary use is a weapon of psychological warfare intended to affect a larger public audience. The main target is not those who are killed, instead it is aimed at those made to witness it. In the last 3 decades, it is estimated that there has been around 1200 suicide attacks taking place in different parts of the world, making up about 4% of all terrorist attacks but 32% (14,599 individuals) of all terrorism-related deaths. Approximately 90% of these attacks have occurred in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Israel alone. Although there is an association between suicide and suicidal behavior and homicide and violence to others, few studies on suicide comment on the phenomenon of the ‘suicide’ bomber. In the absence of any universally agreed definition of the term ‘terrorism’, the term tends to be very subjective: One person's terrorist may be another's freedom fighter. According to some authors on the history of terrorism, suicide or self-sacrifice associated with terrorist violence is not a new phenomenon. [1] In fact, suicide attacks are very old modus operandi. In...
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...In the U.S.-led “global war on terrorism,” al-Qa`ida and its militant affiliates have come to serve as both symbol and explanatory matrix for a range of disparate militant groups in the Middle East and beyond. Included among these are the Palestinian rejectionist factions and the Lebanese Hizballah, despite the fact that their roots, worldviews, and agendas are inimical to those of al-Qa`ida. This article argues that the scholarly and political effort to lump together diverse resistance groups into a homogenous “terrorist enemy,” ultimately symbolized by Osama Bin Laden, is part and parcel of neocolonial power politics whereby all “native” struggles against established power structures are placed beyond reason and dialogue. The authors contend that while the Palestinian rejectionist factions and the Lebanese Hizballah may be understood as local representations of the anticolonial “third worldist” movement, al-Qa`ida and its affiliates operate within a “neo–third worldist” framework, a dichotomy that entails tactical and strategic differences, both political and military. The article draws on an extensive series of author interviews with leaders and cadres from Hizballah and the Palestinian factions. In response to al-Qa`ida’s 11 September 2001 attacks, the United States declared war not merely against those who had set upon it, but against an open-ended range of “terrorist organizations and those who harbor and support them.”1 Within two weeks of the attacks, U.S. President George...
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...of all the world's major living religious traditions. Nevertheless, this diversity has been made the basis for contention rather than community in many cases, and the monotheistic religions have often been among the worst offenders on this score. The strong tendency to display hostility toward different religious positions is connected with a strong tendency toward xenophobia and ethnocentrism. The study of religion in the modern world calls for theories, approaches and methods that engage with the issues and processes that have affected the world within the last two hundred years, such as the impact of colonialism and subsequent postcolonial developments, globalization and the rise of global religious movements. For a start, it is worth asking if secular states and their underlying ideology, political secularism, are really under siege everywhere. Secularism was severely jolted with the establishment of the first modern theocracy in 1979 in Iran. By the late 1980s, Islamic political movements had emerged in Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chad, Senegal, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and even in Bangladesh. Movements challenging secular states were hardly restricted to Muslim societies. Protestant movements decrying secularism emerged in Kenya, Guatemala, and the Philippines. Protestant fundamentalism became a force in American politics. Singhalese Buddhist nationalists in Sri Lanka, Hindu nationalists in India, religious ultraorthodoxy in Israel, and Sikh...
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