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Aneirin -> What makes a Terrorist ? (8/27/2010 6:57:36 AM)
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At one time I believed a terrorist was another name for a freedom fighter, the term applied depending upon your perspective to a person who takes violent action in order to change or influence the change of the status Quo.
Terrorists/freedom fighters have been present throughout history and have been used for good effect and bad, so with the current world fear about the terrorist in our midst, I inquired into what actually makes a terrorist, as I believe the only way to combat such action, is to meet it at it's root, understand it, where it comes from and why.
(To those that think the way to combat a terrorist is to kill them, all that does is cause martyrs and martyrs themselves can become a very able recruiting mechanism for would be terrorists who had no interest in the initial cause).
Initial thoughts as to who might be attracted to such actions ranged from the young and idealistic, the oppressed, the uneducated and the poor, but not so according to the article linked below, for with the new spate of terrorist activity in the world, there is a new understanding as to what is going on and with that, how the terrorist is evolving.
What Makes a Terrorist ?
Other reading
and here
But just as a last thought regarding modern terrorism of the more organised form which reaches out across the world, is the aim to instill a religious belief through fear, or is it that religious belief is being used as the vehicle for change of another kind, perhaps world political change, the heralding of a new era ?
Just to illustrate my thoughts as to using a religious belief to accomplish change, what would anyone else do if they similarly decided they wanted to influence opinion via terrorist means, which is a very effective way, who would you recruit, those who just like a good scrap, or the religious nut, the person in it for fun or other depraved pleasure, or the person brainwashed into believing death is as good as life.
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