Misconceptions about terror

When you read the word, “terrorism,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Many people associate the word terrorism with radical Islamists. Islam is one of the most widely practiced religions in the world. However, there’s nothing uniquely Islamic about terrorism. There’s also nothing terrorist about the Islamic religion. Terrorism is a part of our world. We should understand why it exists in broad terms rather than focus on one type of terrorism.

The United Nations is a global organization. It promotes world peace. The United Nations defines terrorism as “criminal acts intended to create a state of terror.” The definition states that terrorism is often “for political purposes.” Terrorists can target “the general public, a group of people or particular people.”¹ Terrorism is designed to scare a government or the public. People who use terrorism hope that others will change their behavior.²

People who commit acts of terrorism think of themselves as freedom fighters, not terrorists. They want to push their own belief system onto society.

A long history of terror

Terrorism has been around since ancient and medieval periods. For example, there were terrorists in the Roman Empire. A group of Jewish rebels called Sicarri revolted against Roman rule. The Sicarri killed anyone who opposed their revolt. The Hashashins were a Muslim group in Persia during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. They assassinated political leaders. These early groups shared a lot in common with terrorists today. They were non- state groups who wanted to defeat a state. They attacked civilians and officials to create fear.

The Industrial Revolution happened from around 1760 to 1830. This period provided new technology for terrorists. This included firearms and explosives like dynamite.

Terrorism in the twentieth century

Three social transformations changed terrorism in the 1900s. They were democracy, urbanization, and nationalism. More people lived under democratic regimes. As a result, kings and other monarchs had less power. Terrorists turned their attention toward masses of civilians, or everyday people. Urbanization meant cities became more crowded. This in turn meant explosives were more effective.

Nationalists are people who identify with their nation or state. During this period, nationalists used terror against the empires that ruled them. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was formed during World War I. The IRA supported Irish independence from Britain. They used terrorist tactics, like bombs. Ireland eventually won independence. However, Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom.

Other groups used terrorism against their own government. Shining Path was a communist group in Peru. They attacked Peruvian officials and civilians. Communism is a political and social ideology. In communism, the government owns every business. Shining Path wanted Peru to have a communist government. In the 1980s and 1990s, they assassinated leaders and bombed public spaces.

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is one of the oldest terrorist groups in the United States. The KKK was founded after the Civil War. The KKK reemerged during the 1950s and 1960s. They launched a campaign of terror to intimidate Black Americans.

Most terrorism throughout the 1900s was non- religious. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 set the stage for a new sort of terrorism: militant jihadism. The Soviet war in Afghanistan lasted ten years. It provided training and experience to many of the fighters who would later join groups like Al-Qaeda. These Mujahideen³ soon left Afghanistan to fight in other conflicts.

Militant jihadist organizations have become the face of terrorism since 2001. Al-Qaeda’s attacks on 9/11 received worldwide attention. The Islamic State (ISIS) recently rose to prominence. In Nigeria, Boko Haram has committed violence to undermine the government.

Recently, white supremacists have committed terrorist attacks. White supremacy is the wrong and racist belief that white people are superior to other races. In 2019, a white supremacist in New Zealand attacked two mosques. The attacker wanted to hurt the Muslim community. Muslims are people who follow the religion of Islam.

When terror wins

Terrorists want to create panic. Governments have used the fear of terrorism to justify wars overseas. After the 9/11 attacks, a global war on terror changed the world as we know it. National governments targeted terrorist groups at home and abroad. Unfortunately, this also led to a rise of anti-Muslim sentiment. The war on terror was so brutal that it affected many non-Islamist terrorist organizations. Some groups, like the Basque separatist party in Spain, declared a truce in 2006. They feared becoming a target.

Are we too afraid of terrorists? The media plays a large part in our understanding of terrorism. It focuses primarily on terrorist attacks in wealthy nations. In 2017, terrorism accounted for 0.05 percent of global deaths. That’s 1 in 2,000 deaths. Less than 1 percent of those deaths were in the world’s wealthiest nations. That’s about 1 in 222,000 deaths.

When there is a terrorist attack, it’s all over the news. Governments respond forcefully, and there is an outpouring of fear. But this fear makes the danger seem larger than it really is. This is the exact reaction that terrorist attacks want to create.

1 There’s no single, accepted definition of terrorism. Different governments and organizations each have different definitions. Most definitions look like this one.
2 One can argue that states have used the tools of terrorism to control their own citizens. But this article will not focus on state terrorism.
3 Mujahideen is Arabic for “those involved in jihad.” Some militant Islamist groups use the word jihad to mean a struggle against the enemies of Islam. But in the Quran, jihad has a different meaning.