Terrorism- an introduction
Created | Updated Dec 2, 2004
Meaning of the word terrorism
Many scholars will tell you that the term Terrorism can not be defined. So if the word can not be defined can it be safe to accuse groups of it. The reason Terrorism can not be defined is because it depends on the person’s perspective who is using the word terrorism. Others say that a definition would be useless because it is a political rubric where the definition is not applied to all or some and is randomly distributed amongst similar things. Terrorism is very imprecise and emotive. The closet definition would probably be 'a word used for politically motivated violence of which the user disapproves with’.
However the CIA defines it as "Use of violence for political purposes by individuals or groups whether acting for, or in opposition to established governmental authority". This includes acts of governments against other governments and by groups appointed by a government.1
Terrorism as a whole
Terrorism affects the world at large but is rarely a threat to the normal person unless they live in a so called 'danger zone' where the terrorists base their operations. There have been for many eons terrorists, almost from the day that humans first began to live in large communities. There were terrorists even in the time of Jesus who were opposed to Roman rule, some of these people even believed that Christ was to be a soldier who would free the Jews from the Romans not sin.
Often throughout history who is and who is not a terrorist is re-written for even though now America is launching a seemingly impossible War on Terrorism they themselves were once terrorists, battling against the British oppressors who had stolen their land but since the terrorists won they get to say it was the British who were performing the worst acts and not themselves. There are in almost every country at one time or another, terrorists.
What comes to mind however when the modern day person says terrorists is the Ji-Had and Osama Bin Laden, all Islamic terrorists but however courageous America's war on Terrorism is, it simply is not logical as launching a war on them will only give rise to yet more anti-American terrorists who will do everything to protect their way of life from America. But America are not the only peoples throughout history who have tried to launch a war on terrorism, for once the British did too, even to this day British armies continue to fight off Northern Irish terrorist groups such as The IRA (Irish republican Army) and the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) who might I add both fought bravely in the first world war and never intended to be terrorists. Britain with her mighty empire vowed to destroy all those who condemned their way of life, and shunned Western behaviour. And now it seems America is doing the same but like Britain they started off fighting against their own terrorists but the way in which it ends is never the same.
Views on Terrorism
The best example that one can possibly use to show the wideness in views over terrorist actions is strangely star wars. We ought to remind ourselves that Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leah and even those fuzzy like Ewoks were undoubtedly terrorists, although of course the story is not told in that way. Skywalker and his alliance friends called themselves Freedom Fighters and rebels and characterize the Empire as the dark side but really the Imperial forces were simply the powerful (and corrupt) trying to control their system.
It is shown to the viewer that Skywalker and his friends are revolutionary and terrorist but what is the difference some would ask. Yasser Arafat said to the 1974 UN General Assembly:
"The difference between the revolutionary lies in the reason in which each fights. For whoever stands by a just cause and fights for the freedom and liberation of his land from the invader, the settlers and the colonialists cannot possibly be called terrorists."2
The trouble is I might want to liberate my land from foreign influence, or liberate it from communism, or imperialism or Jews. How can we be certain of what a just cause is? Depending on personal position or prejudice a just cause might be capitalism or socialism or government interference or opposition to abortion or homophobia. And so on and so forth. And does a just cause justify anything.
Next Chapters
Still to come on terrorism :
A look into different periods on terrorism throughout history
Specific areas of terroristic behaviour
Related BBC sites
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/sept_11/changing_faces_01http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/
1An extract from Fundamentalist Islam - a Misnomer by Muzaakboy -Better than the right thing is one who does it.2Yasser Arafat, cited in Hoffman, 1998
