Valley Springs, Arkansas
12th Grade
Terrorism has become the most talked about subject in the United States since the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001. However, nobody seems to have a definition for it. There are many other questions about terrorism aside from a clear definition, but these are the top three: what leads to terrorist attacks, will there be more, and can they be stopped? There is one thing unquestioned though terrorism must be stopped.
I have struggled to come up with a definition of terrorism that satisfies me, but with much thought I have come up with one that seems logical and holds true to most cases that have been labeled terrorism. To me terrorism is any act of violence on a person or nation, where the person or persons are motivated to attack to gain religious or political objectives. Terrorism didn’t start on September 11, 2001. Terrorist acts date back to at least the first century. This leaves many examples of terrorism throughout the years that involve either religious or political issues, and in some cases both.
Since the first century, when the Zealots, a Jewish religious sect, fought against Roman control of present-day Israel, through the eighteenth century, terrorist motives where generally related to religious issues. In more recent years, radical Jewish groups such as the Stern Gang and the Irgun made several terrorists attacks in the late 1940’s in attempts to end British rule over Palestine and reclaim it for the Jewish people. The best known of their attacks was the bombing at King David’s Hotel on British government offices that killed over a hundred people. America has also had a religious group, or cult, called the Ku Klux Klan, that at one time used violence and intimidation in an effort to keep African Americans segregated, and to advocate for white supremacy. So from the first century all the way up unto present-day, religion has been a major motive to attribute to terrorism. However, it is going primarily from religious, to political issues as being the main motivation in terrorist acts.
Political motives in terrorism are not tracked as far back in time as religious ones are, but in recent years there are hundreds. A terrorist organization in Italy known as the Red Brigades, attacked politicians, police, journalists, and business executives. Their terrorism reached its peak when they kidnapped and murdered the Italian Prime Minister, Aldo Moro, in 1978. They did all of this to show they didn’t like the way the current government was being run. At the same time this was going on in Italy, the United States was dealing with a terrorist who became known as the Unabomber. The Unabomber, found to be Theodore Kaczynski, sent homemade bombs to colleges and universities, targeting professors, corporate executives, and computer merchants. In his efforts he killed three people and injured twenty-three others in his sixteen different attempts. When the authorities caught him, he admitted having ties with radical environmentalists, and he was strictly against industrialization and technology. American parties were once again under terrorist attacks in 1983, when hostility grew with the United States for helping Israel, and for U.S. military actions taking place in the Middle East. Attacks made by the Shiite Muslim suicide bombers on the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, and on the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut killed almost 300 people, most of whom were Americans. Another devastating terrorist attack was in April 1995, when Timothy McVeigh set off a bomb in a truck parked in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The bomb killed 168 people and injured another 500. This was the biggest terrorist attack on America until September 11, 2001.
Perhaps the terrorist attack on the American World Trade Center was so massive because it had both motives behind it: religious and political. There are a few arguments on which motive, religious or political, is responsible for September 11. One man writes in an anonymous essay that it is “fundamentally a religious issue,” but another man, Doug Bandow, says the attack is “in response to American involvement in their lands and struggles.” I think these men are both right on why the United States was attacked. The “they” that attacked America is a terrorist group called the al-Qaeda. This group is believed to have been started in 1988 by Osama in Laden. Osama bin Laden is trying to call this current situation a holy war. He does this because in the Muslim faith, if you die in a “holy war” you are guaranteed admission into heaven. The author of “Why Do Terrorists Attack Us?” feels strongly about this and comments this is where it “starts to get really dangerous.” However, I don’t believe it is merely a religious issue. The author of “Why Do Terrorists Attack Us?” feels that the terrorist attacks on the eleventh didn’t have anything to do with America being in the affairs of others. However, I believe that it did have something to do with it. Doug Bandow comments on his ideas of why the terrorists attacked America: “They did so because of opposition to Washington’s intervention in what they saw as their affairs.” I think the religious issue is an extra incentive, placed on top of their already ill attitudes towards America. So far this has been the most destructive terrorist attack, killing over 7,000 people and injuring hundreds more. This proves that combination of both religious and political issues motivate a terrorist act the can be devastating. As to the question, will it happen again? Yes, is the response of the author of “Why Do Terrorist Attack Us” when he writes, “New attacks will come.” His prediction was right when a week later the U.S. was attacked with anthrax poison sent in the mail. Terrorism will continue until we choose to stop it.
This kind of evil must never happen again. Terrorism must be stopped…completely. It must be stopped and it can be, it has been before. The Ku Klux Klan was punished for their terrorism and stricter laws were made to protect African Americans, the Unabomber will be in jail for the rest of his life, Timothy McVeigh was given the death penalty, and The Red Brigades were disintegrated as police arrested and imprisoned their members. In all these cases the terrorism was smothered out. That is what America is trying to do with terrorism now. On the home front, America is banding together and becoming a stronger nation. President George W. Bush stated, “We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers—in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.”. America has declared war on terrorism. We are destroying the al-Qaeda training bases and hiding places. We are also fighting the Taliban regime in Afghanistan after the Taliban leader s refused to surrender bin Laden and his lieutenants. So far the U.S. has been successful in its efforts at fighting the Taliban. At dawn on Tuesday, November 13, 2001 the Taliban “deserted the capital of Kabul,” writes Gannon, of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Osama bin Laden still hasn’t been found, but he will be. We have to remember though, we aren’t fighting people of the Islamic faith: The author of “Why Do Terrorist Attack Us?” reminds us by writing, “Turning our anger on them because of our frustration in being unable to get at the real villains is not only bad strategy, it’s un-American.” After the terrorists are punished completely for the injustices they caused, the fight of anti-terrorism will continue until it is completely abolished.
Terrorism will be talked about for years to come. It will go down in the history books, and September 11, 2001, will not be forgotten. Our children and grandchildren will learn about it in school, but let it stop there. Let all they know about terrorism be that it did exist, not that it still does. We now know what terrorism is, what motivates it, and how to stop it. So let us stop terrorism, not just for today, but forever.
QUESTIONS
1. Why, in your opinion, was the United States attacked?
ANSWER: I think the United States was attacked because of are bad relations with Sudan, Israel, and Afghanistan, and they basically hate us.
2. Why is the fist question so important to resolve and agree upon?
ANSWER: It is important to resolve and agree upon the first question so we won’t end up making the same mistakes, and making people angry enough to want to attack us.
3. What action or inaction by the United States and its allies, in the author’s opinion, increased the likelihood of chemical and biological attacks?
ANSWER: In the author’s opinion the likelihood of chemical and biological attacks increased dramatically when the Us and its allies backed down from Saddam Hussein’s refusal to allow inspections of suspected Iraqi weapons manufacturing facilities.
4. Why does the author believe the United States is a popular target for terrorists?
ANSWER: The author says that most people think it is because we bombed Libya, Beirut, Iraq, Sudan, and Afghanistan over the last couple of years, but the author believes that even if none of those happened we would still be the target, because it is fundamentally a religious issue.
5. What motivates terrorists in the author’s opinion?
ANSWER: In this case it is religious. The author says all devout Muslims live for is the next life, and when their leaders are promising a place in heaven for anyone who dies attempting to destroy us, that is all the motivation they need.
6. What reasons does the author give for the intense hatred of the United States by people like Osama bin Ladn?
ANSWER: The author says the leaders of their nation teach them we are a population of devils led by devils, that our wealth is both fleeting and self-deceptive, and that Allah wants us destroyed because of how arrogantly we display our ungodliness.
7. How does rule by divine right preclude the reasoned debate that occurs naturally in a democracy?
ANSWER: If you rule by divine right, there by eliminating any reasoned debate or consideration of basic human rights, you can pretty much convince your subjects of anything, especially if they are young and there are harsh punishments for disobedience.
8. What evidence does the author offer that the terrorism visited upon the United States on September 11, 2001, was based on religious rather than political fanaticism?
ANSWER: The author writes that the parallels to the darkest days of the Inquisition, on of Western society’s worst atrocities in the name of religious fanaticism, are unmistakable.
9. What is a fatwah?
ANSWER: A fatwah is an explicit religious order.
10. Why does the author think new attacks are likely and how does he/she suggest we stop them.
ANSWER: He says new attatcks will come because of the spectacularly visible success of last week’s operation, bolstered by the glory that will be heaped on the perpetrator’s names and their families, will provide powerful motivation for those planning fresh assaults for years to come. The author doesn’t come up with a set way to stop them, but suggests that we may have to trade a lesser evil for a greater one.
11. Why does the author claim that declaring war is futile? What two historical examples does he/she give to back up this claim.
ANSWER: He says this is futile because we can’t indentify the enemy geographically, and because we would have to fight on a limited basis. He gives Vietnam, the War on Drugs, and the Persian Gulf War as two historical examples.
12. Complete this sentence using the author’s words: “A declaration of war implies…
ANSWER: …a conflict of limited duration in which one side eventually surrenders of capitulates and the other side wins.”
13. What does the author suggest we do?
ANSWER: The author suggests that we try not to fight this was the conventional way, but consider trading a lesser evil for a greater evil.
14. Explain the significance of the Coventry story.
ANSWER: The significance of the Coventry story is to prove the author’s point of consorting with evil to prevent larger evil.
15. Suppose you were a general in a combat situation. Could you “consort with evil to prevent larger evil”? Why or why not?
ANSWER: I don’t think I could do it because, I could not rely on the unknown to turn out okay, and ultimately risk losing unnecessary lives.
16. The author says something is un-American. What is it? Do you think the author is correct? Please write out your definition of un-American.
ANSWER: The author says turning our anger on them because of our frustration is being unable to get at the real villains is not only bad strategy, but un-American. I think the author is correct, because as as Americans we believe in freedom of religion, and so just to attack people because of their religion would be going against our own beliefs. Un-American is anything that goes against what we believe in as a country.
17. Do you agree that terrorism must be defined adequately in order to be stopped?
ANSWER: Yes, so we know if we ourselves are terrorists.
18. How important do you think it is for you to research, and discuss and consider the definition of terrorism? Are you willing to spend the time it takes to give you definition your very best effort? Why or why not?
ANSWER: I think it is very important to research terrorism so everyone knows what we are fighting for, and yes I am willing to spend my time and give my best effort in and attempt to learn if what we are fighting for is noble and honest.
19. Were you able to define terrorism in your essay without admitting that the United States has been guilty of terrorist acts?
I think so, the United States has had American terrorists, but America has not as a country, I don’t believe, committed acts of terrorism on another country.
20. Are you optimistic about the future? Will you pledge to do your part in pursuing mutual understanding? Why or why not?
ANSWER: I am optimistic about the future, because I am leaving it in the hands of God and He will take care of things. Yes, I will pledge to do my part in pursuing mutual understanding, because if I don’t at least try, than am basically saying I don’t want things to change.