Terrorism: Definition, Template, and Examples

TERRORISM: DEFINITION, TEMPLATE, AND EXAMPLES

26 January 2002

In order to determine whether an action is a terrorist act or not, terrorism must first be defined. Terrorism is the use or threatening the use of violence as a weapon to influence a person or a group of people to change policies or influence decisions according to the terrorist's desires. The terrorist can be a single person acting on personal wishes or a group of people with an ultimate goal. The goals of a terrorist are normally political, ideological, or religious in nature.

Once an action has been identified as a possible terrorist act, it now becomes necessary to further explore the reason(s) of the individual(s) behind the action. The elements that are consistent with every terrorist are motive, planning, and recognition. It is necessary to have at least all three of these elements in order to be considered a terrorist or terrorist organization.

Every terrorist has a motive. Even the terrorist who can be proven as clinically insane has a motive at the root of his actions. Most generally the motive of the individual or a group is political, religious, or ideological in nature. Keeping the three elements in mind, the following examples are provided.

One group that has used terrorism in order to bring about recognition to their group is the Aum Shinri Kyo (Supreme Truth). This group of Armageddonist (normally a religious group that prepares for the end of the world) used terrorist methods in order to give the illusion that the end of the world was at nigh. On 20 March 1995, Aum members simultaneously released the chemical nerve agent sarin on several Tokyo subway trains, killing 12 people and injuring up to 6,000 more. This event was carefully planned in order to achieve the goal of drawing members into the group in order to receive more money, the group required all members to donate everything they owned to the organization. This action is an example of an ideological action.

The Hizballah (Party of God) is an organization that has taken actions against the United States, specifically the Marines serving at Beirut in 1983. In this incident, a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden truck through the inadequate perimeter defenses before setting off his bomb. The resulting explosion collapsed the building, killing hundreds. Hizballah believes that Israel is planning to take over a good portion of the Middle East from the Euphrates to the Nile as God promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:18-21. As far as Hizballah is concerned, fighting Israel's occupation is not just a national duty. It is a religious obligation that falls within their concept of jihad and they are determined to continue the fight until Lebanese soil is liberated.