Essentials of Religious Terrorism - Assignment Example

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.