StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Essentials of Religious Terrorism - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Essentials of Religious Terrorism" tells that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”. However, Larison sees this phrase as a clichéd one, since it undermines the political reality that often groups fighting for a noble cause can employ tactics that spread terrorism…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97% of users find it useful
Essentials of Religious Terrorism
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Essentials of Religious Terrorism"

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or the Tamil Tigers are known to be the pioneers of suicide bombing, yet, they are seen as ‘liberators’ by local Tamils. Thus, the answer to whether the Tamil Tigers are terrorists or not is a complicated one that is dependent on the subjective, biased analysis of the power politics of Sri Lanka.

2) In the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, the question of terrorism as a justifiable means to achieving liberation has been hotly debated within the United States of America. While many believe that terrorism, an act of harm, can never justify a quest for national freedom, there are also arguments that see terrorism as understandable under certain circumstances. The use of violence in Apartheid South Africa, in pre-partition India, and during the Iranian revolution, for example, has given voice to social, political, and religious demands. Even so, the major drawback of acts of violence is that they affect everyone without discrimination (Saul). A bomb blast in a shopping market may put pressure on the government, but the ones who are directly affected, injured, or killed in the attack suffer regardless of their political alignment. The injustice of terrorism taints its legitimacy and makes it an undesirable means of achieving a noble goal.

3) Faith-based natural law is justified by religious extremists in the modern world since they see their faith as the ‘one true way’ for eternal salvation (Wallis). All those believing in the truth are perceived as virtuous men while all ‘disbelievers’ are seen as worthy of violent punishment for disobeying the Divine Word. The problem with such an approach lies in the fact that there is not one religion that claims the monopoly of the truth, but many religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism are part of a grand tug-of-war of what the true faith is (Aslan). As a result, innocent lives are put at stake by religious extremists who find legitimacy for their violent acts in religious scriptures. However, examples from history and modern-day extremism give us evidence of how faith-based natural law is used to achieve political ends. Religious zealotry and fanaticism are used to power economically and politically motivated agendas. Faith-based natural law, therefore, does not serve to justify violent acts committed against innocent people.

4) Projected trends for the future of faith-based terrorism can be explained through the help of a five-pronged model. First, there is a need to establish that in today’s world of sophisticated communication methods, the spread of extremist religious propaganda is inevitable. Not only is the World Wide Web an easy platform for religious groups to spread their thoughts and ideologies amongst everyone, but television and print media also play a crucial role in popularizing support for such groups. Secondly, in the wake of the US war against Iraq, a CIA report for 2005 has revealed that a “new generation of Islamist Extremists” (Martin, 153) has been created, which poses a serious threat to future world security. Thirdly, Al Qaeda has evolved into a symbolic representation, which continues to influence thoughts, along with, fourthly, the globalization of the Jihadi movement. Lastly, religious extremism is strongly present and growing within the Christian thought, where the Jihadi movement is seen as a means to harm the Christian faith.

5) The question of whether military intervention is a priority or not when it comes to the nation’s security is one that fundamentally revolves around the Democratic and Republican debate on social security. For the Republican school of thought, the integrity and security of the nation are the top priority, and an effective and strong army must be deployed at all times to make sure this is never compromised. They believe that true democratic liberty of the US nation lies in the security of the nation, and preserving it, by any means possible is extremely crucial. On the other hand, the Democrats believe that the true success of the democratic nation lies in its sovereignty from all forces, including the dominant influence of the armed forces.

6) The ‘hardening’ of the European Union could bring greater damage to the region since the introduction of such policies may produce what Buxton calls the “spillover effect” (Buxton 160). This means that reactions to such policies may affect the EU the most because of a number of factors, including the fact that multiple ethnic groups reside in Europe. Offending them at any level might intensify terrorism within society.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Terrorism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Terrorism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/military/1480752-terrorism
(Terrorism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
Terrorism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words. https://studentshare.org/military/1480752-terrorism.
“Terrorism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/military/1480752-terrorism.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Essentials of Religious Terrorism

Religious terrorists

To the extent that this is valid, does it make religious terrorism essentially different from secular terrorism?... Though religious terrorists and secular terrorists both are trying to get a point across to the general population, and both are considered “terrorists”, religious terrorism is essentially different from secular terrorism for several reasons.... religious terrorists are often seen as viewing themselves as playing a crucial role is a vast cosmic war....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Terrorism Causes, Motivations and Reccomendations

"terrorism: Causes, Motivations, and Recommendations" paper tries to understand the terrorist attack in Floola.... The war on terrorism can be won through strategies that will win the wits and perceptions of the terrorist groups.... Moreover, an adequate understanding of the individual, group/ national issues as well as international stages can aid in reducing the ever-increasing terrorism impacts.... The four facets of terrorism are intertwined and it may be hard to distinguish....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Critical Discussion of the View that Religion is a Major Cause of Terrorism

This follows the definition of religious violence as being theatrical and performance oriented.... terrorism is defined as an act of violence which is committed to fulfill political reasons.... In other words terrorism is done to gain something in response to the actions committed.... Mark Juergensmeyer and other authors like Mahan and Martin give particular views on these acts of terrorism and their link to different religions....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Explaining Religious Terrorism

This research paper "Explaining religious terrorism" is about terrorism which is highly linked to religion, and explains why religious terrorism is considered to be the leading aspect of terrorism.... The vigorous and new infusion of religious extremism and sectarian ideologies has challenged the old ideologies of anti-colonial liberation, secular nationalism, and class conflict that were the basis for political violence.... Islam has been associated with terrorism to a greater extent compared to other religions....
15 Pages (3750 words) Research Paper

Cyber Terrorism Attacks

"Cyber terrorism Attacks" paper establishes narrow and broad descriptions of cyber terrorism.... Further, the discussion establishes profound research and analyses to intensify and reveal cyber-terrorism activities with the assertion of a relevant matrix.... Further, cyber war is the inclusion of cyber terrorism since it involves the activities of terrorist organizations prying rival governments' information and destroying it to bar them from achieving profound goals in anti-terrorism activities....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Why do Individuals Become Terrorists

Incidences such as September/11 attacks in New York and Washington by Al-Qaeda, July/2009 in Nigeria by Boko Haram, multiple suicide bombs in Iraq and Arab countries, and current mass killings by all-Shabaab in East Africa have called for governments to tighten their security and formulate terrorism prevention strategies.... You must admit that governments and in collaboration have used tremendous efforts in fighting terrorism, capturing the attackers and dismantling the terrorism network organizations....
14 Pages (3500 words) Coursework

Terrorism and Religion

This literature review "terrorism and Religion" discusses terrorism that is not a new concept.... Religious communities and organizations are no laggards when it comes to employing terrorism for achieving their objectives.... terrorism has succeeded in rendering more than 21 million people refugees.... Religion is blatantly employed to justify terrorism, and this development has become the basis of terrorism....
10 Pages (2500 words) Literature review

Ways in Which Terrorists Have Utilized Religion, the Media and the Democratic Process

This can be backed by the rise of religious groups mainly motivated by the religious rhetorics of mass destruction.... terrorism can be defined as the destruction of people and property aimed directly or indirectly to an established government, with the aim of attaining an imaginary or real justice (Weimann, 1997).... terrorism can be defined as the destruction of people and property aimed directly or indirectly to an established government, with the aim of attaining an imaginary or real justice (Weimann, 1997)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Literature review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us