Factors Contributing to the Rise of Global Terrorism in the Modern World
Discuss the concept and definition of “terrorism” by relating it to the concept and definition of “war”: Is there any validity to the concept of a “just war” or “legitimate terrorism”? If so, which are the criteria and who should have the authority to decide about it?
This paper seeks to evaluate the emergence of new kind of terrorism in the history of mankind. The term terrorism is not a new phenomenon it has been prevalent since time immemorial. Terrorism involves the association of criminal activity which involves the use of violence against the civilians which is carried out by non-state actors with the intention of political outcome (Wright 2015). The paper shall contain various factors determining the rise of global terrorism in the modern world.
The paper intends to examine the factors regarding the emergence of new kind of terrorism in the human history. It can be stated that with the evolution of French Revolution the history of modern terrorism began. Globalization, civilizations and cultural clashes are the main causes of terrorism (Agbiboa 2013). Therefore, this research focuses on the factors contributing to the emergence of religious terrorism by providing appropriate definitions, similarities and differences of other forms of terrorism. Terrorism is a global phenomenon which is the current focus of the nations. Initially there was a terror of domestic terrorism however with the advent of international terrorism the political and economic aspects have undergone major changes. The paper seeks to determine the underlying factors affecting the social, political and economic factors of a nation after serious consequences of religious terrorism.
Ancient Scholars believed that violence serves the purpose of divine duty for the religious terrorists who are executed in direct response to theological demand (Gregg 2014). The purpose of this seminar paper is to determine the nature of religious terrorism which tends to be more lethal than the other forms of terrorism. Recent studies of terrorism are concerned with the subject matter of new terrorism. However the mainstream of the paper confronts the readers with various important questions which need to be asked for the purpose of this assignment.
- Is religious terrorism a new kind of terrorism?
- What are the similarities and dissimilarities of that new kind of terrorism with the other forms of terrorism?
- What are the political and economic aspects of the emergence of such kind of terrorism?
It can be stated that for the purpose of this assignment data has been collected from the relevant sources. Data analysis can be performed with the help of qualitative and quantitative methods however for the purpose of the research qualitative method has been used to ensure accuracy and complete within a short span of time. Information was collected with the help of semi-structured interviews by focusing on the relevant factors of each interviewee. The interview guide was constructed on the basis of previous literature. It was found that the interviewees tended to answer the questions in an affirmative way and ignored their own reflections. However during that time the approach towards the interviewees were changed. It is important that the interview method should be constructed in such a manner so that the interviewees can freely express their views. The interview was recorded after receiving permission from each interviewee.
Religious Terrorism and its Lethality Compared to Other Forms of Terrorism
The systematic use of terror associated with unpredictable violence conducted against the government or individuals for the attainment of political objective is termed as terrorism. Various scholars have defined terrorism in different ways throughout the ages however failed to reach a specific definition. James Poland in his book “Understanding Terrorism” has defined terrorism as the premeditated, systematic murder and threatening in order to promote an environment of fear and intimidation among the citizens by gaining political outcome (Wright 2015). According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, terrorism can be defined as the unlawful use of force against person or property in order to gain social and political objectives (Saiya and Scime 2015). In the modern world terrorism in the name of religion has become a major issue for the political violence among the nations. In the modern era with the advent of globalization the frequency of religious terrorism has increased. The clash of age old ideologies, the emergence of class conflict and secular nationalism have been challenged by the emergence of new religious ideologies. Terrorism carried out in the name of God has been a major affair of human history since time immemorial. Scholars have defined “religious terrorism” as a new concept.
Mark Juergensmeyer, in his book “Terror in the Mind of God”, accurately identified the importance of religion as a motivation in activities of terror throughout the history of human beings. It was argued by Mark regarding the concept of religion which was considered as an effective method in ideological supporting of religion terror attacks (Juergensmeyer 2017). In the first century the new group of Jewish Zealots fought against the Romans of Palestine in order to practice their religion freely and to bring an end to the Roman rule. Scholars have argued regarding the terror of Muslim assassins against the Christian crusaders (Gregg 2014). According to Walter Laqueur, though religion played significant role in determining the role of new terrorism however such discussion took place in Muslim connections (Saiya and Scime 2015). The rise of violence in the form of Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Judaism has been ignored completely. Mark Juergensmeyer has been successful in extending the same argument to the role of theology and religion in the modern era.
The world at present is facing major threat due to the emergence of new form of religious terrorism. The 21st Century has observed visible increase in religiously motivated terrorist attacks. Modern scholars argued about the emergence of religious terrorism as a new form of terrorism in the modern world. In this regard various comparisons have been made between religious terrorism and other forms of terrorism in the context of modern era. The first original form of terrorism emerged during the French Revolution of 1793 as state terrorism (Agbiboa 2013). Authors have defined the concept of state terrorism as a systematic use of terror by the government in controlling issues related to its population. Furthermore, due to the absence of adequate definition of terrorism and the number of international laws, states have involved in state terrorism. In modern era with the advent of globalization, social and economic injustice and religious intolerance various kinds of terrorism has evolved such as left wing terrorism, right wing terrorism and nationalist terrorism (Perliger and Pedahzur 2016). There is no precise definition of nationalist terrorism because scholars in the past has emphasized on the part that national terrorists are in fact freedom fighters. National terrorists from the very beginning are focused on creating separate state for their national benefit. Left Wing terrorism is associated with the destruction of capitalism by replacing it with communist regime. The Right Wing terrorism on the other hand focuses on the preservation of traditional social orders by combating with the ideologies of the liberal democratic governments (Heath?Kelly 2013). Modern Authors stated that religious terrorism is a different concept which can be motivated with the emergence of religious ideologies and grievances. Religious terrorism is more dangerous than any form of terrorism defined above. Religious terrorism can be communal, genocidal and sometimes revolutionary (Heath?Kelly 2013). Religious terrorism is therefore characterized by the creation of violence in human minds and behavior as stated by modern scholars (Masson 2014). The similarity that has been observed between religious terrorism with other forms of terrorism is that all forms of terrorism causes terror in the minds of the individuals and contributes in creating destruction to the social, economic and political conditions of nations.
The Definition and Nature of Terrorism
It can be stated that for the purpose of conducting theological adequacy different religions have been selected in making a religious justification. The different religions that have been selected for the purpose of this assignment are Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Christianity. The political and economic aspects have been evaluated while making religious justification. Modern scholars through various research studies have shown that radical Islamists have deeper understanding of the concept of Islamic theology (Masson 2014). The Islamic theological teachers argued regarding the point that persons having higher knowledge in theology are likely to spread ideology of the specific religion (Gregg 2014). The followers of Islam from the very beginning rejected the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity and the divine power of Jesus Christ. The theological practices of Islam include five pillars- Faith, Prayer, Ramadan, Almsgiving, and Pilgrimage (Heath?Kelly 2013). In modern era a sixth pillar has been added which is “jihad”. The difference between jihad and terrorism is that jihad is a religious ideology whereas terrorism is an illegal activity. In modern world jihad is often misconstrued and utilized in a wrong way to support terrorism.
Sikhism has long struggled in order to differentiate itself from the followers of Hinduism. In order to gain independence from India Sikhs established Khalistan which means “land of the pure”. In 1991, an estimated 20,000 Hindus were killed as a result of Sikh violence in the past. The world’s attention was focused on the violence of Islamic extremism since September 11, 2001. However the violent trends of Hindu extremism were ignored in the United States. Modern authors emphasized that the Hindu extremists have increased their attacks on Christians (Perliger and Pedahzur 2016). Thousands of Muslims were massacred in Gujarat in 2002 by the Hindu extremists. In this regard the activities of the Jewish terrorists can be emphasized. In July 1983, the Jewish terrorists attacked the Islamic college in Hebron and killed about 33 students. Followed by the success of such operation the Jewish terrorists plotted another attack on the buses carrying Arab passengers. Buddhism is believed to be a non-violent religion among all kinds however Buddhists attacking Muslim communities and mosques can be seen in modern scenario. The Southeast Asian countries of Burma and Thailand have suffered the violent attacks of the Buddhist monks. The attack of the Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka was highly disastrous as thousands of Muslim traders were killed due to terrorist activities led by Buddhist monks.
Christian theology is based on the beliefs in God, Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the Bible and the Church Authority (Gustafson 2013). Modern authors believe that identification of Christianity is based on biblical law and racial supremacy (Heath?Kelly 2013). The incidents of violent conflicts have been deeply depicted in the old and new testaments of the Bible. The recent attacks on Christian abortion clinics paved the way for Christian terrorism however the Christian anti-abortion movement was influenced with the ideas of Dominion Theology. The theological justifications for such violent acts do vary. It was found by modern scholars that in United States two schools of thoughts were behind such tragic incidents. Niebuhr while making theological justifications pointed out the origin of Christianity (Juergensmeyer 2017). The revolutionary struggle against the Roman civilians of Israel marked the beginning of terrorist activities as depicted in the Old Testament however the New Testament states that two followers of Jesus Christ were members of the Zealots, rebellious Jewish parties. Modern scholars had disputes regarding the fact that whether Jesus movement was antinational at that time however the New Testament confirmed that the Roman government charged Jesus with sedition and executed him for the crime.
The exact definition of terrorism will be the basis and act as an operational tool in expanding the ability of international community in combating terrorism. It can be stated that through various methods of evaluation and text analysis the emergence of religious terrorism in a modern world has been emphasized. It has been stated the religious terrorism is the most dangerous form of terrorism among the other forms. The determination of different theologies has established that religious terrorism is a new concept however religion do not promote terrorism, political regime does. The intention of religion is to promote betterment of people. It can be stated that the wrongful motivations of people cause terrorism. In this context it can be stated that religious texts and Holy Scriptures do not cause terrorism, individual’s way of interpreting such religious does.
References:
Agbiboa, D.E., 2013. No retreat, no surrender: Understanding the religious terrorism of Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Gregg, H.S., 2014. Defining and Distinguishing Secular and Religious Terrorism. Perspectives on Terrorism, 8(2).
Gustafson, J.M., 2013. The Sectarian Temptation: Reflections on Theology, the Church and the University. Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America, 40.
Heath?Kelly, C., 2013. Counter?Terrorism and the Counterfactual: Producing the ‘Radicalisation’Discourse and the UK PREVENT Strategy. The British Journal of Politics & International Relations, 15(3), pp.394-415.
Juergensmeyer, M., 2017. Terror in the mind of God: The global rise of religious violence (Vol. 13). Univ of California Press.
Kruglanski, A.W., 2013. Psychological insights into Indonesian Islamic terrorism: The what, the how and the why of violent extremism. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 16(2), pp.112-116.
Masson, R., 2014. Without metaphor, no saving God: Theology after cognitive linguistics.
Perliger, A. and Pedahzur, A., 2016. Counter cultures, group dynamics and religious terrorism. Political Studies, 64(2), pp.297-314.
Saiya, N. and Scime, A., 2015. Explaining religious terrorism: A data-mined analysis. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 32(5), pp.487-512.
Wright, J., 2015. A social identity and social power perspective on terrorism. Journal of Terrorism Research, 6(3).
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