NationStates Jolt Archive

These days, we always hear GWB and friends talk of 'terrormis as the problem/cause'. Others tend to believe that there is actually a reason that we have terrorist and that we should start addressing those issues in order to fight terrorism. What do you believe? Is terrorism the cause of the symptom of the problem....

The issue is not simple enough to divide into "cause" or "symptom."

I think if the US stopped messing around so much in the Middle East, one of the primary propaganda points and recruiting tools of anti-US Middle Eastern terrorist groups would be mostly invalidated.

I agree with the other person who voted, as you can see

Terrorists take advantage of weak areas where they can gain support; look at Hitler and his propoganda strategies. They isolate a "cause," and try and unite a people to their own terroristic goals. Maybe not an entire population, but enough to be a terrorist group.

Terrorism is a problem and a symptom. It is a problem in that it's purpose isn't really to get your point across, it's to show that you play God and that you can strike anytime, anywhere, and without retribution. It's also psychological. You think you're better than everyone, but you have to blend into the crowd and hide behind them because you're afraid of being caught, so you believe you are "one of the people" who works for their goals but has your own agenda. But, when you 'blend in', when in fact you automatically work against their well-being by hiding amongst them and making them clear targets for the enemy you just made. You escalate the problem more times than not, since many enemies (this is excluding the Spanish, who have dealt with their problem perfectly and it was based on a different set of circumstances than what the United States and Israel are dealing with in the Middle East). with retaliate instead of being cowed by your display.

Osama Bin Laden is a perfect example. He doesn't really care about helping people, he's in it for the power and diefying aspects of Al-Qaeda. People who care are usually front-line leaders. Jesus, Moses, Mohammad, Buddha, Joan of Arc, Napoleon (even though he just wanted the power too, but still, at least he cared enough to show his face), Caesar (to his unfortunate demise), Octavius, Alexander, and even every last Islamic Terrorist are all men/women who at least cared and put their lives on the line because of what they believed in. Osama Bin-Laden hides in caves and sends out messages every once in a while. I mean honestly, when was the last time Osama Bin Laden went and personally blew up a bus, eh?

The second is that it is a symptom of a greater problem. Extremism in the form of religion/faith. Faith is more powerful than any truth or scientific fact, any physical weapon or threat of force. An act of faith can compel you to do things, for good or evil, that any logical thought process would kill as being 'too risky' or 'not worth the effort'. Wars of Faith are the most dangerous wars because the end reason for going to war is insubstantial. You can take a man's house, his car, his land, and even his freedom, but it's terribly hard to shake someone of their faith.

And Religious Extremism takes faith to heights where it really shouldn't be used. Faith is supposed to uplift people, to bring them to new heights that only logic and reasoning can only pale in comparison to. This faith makes it okay to kill people for no good reason other than you hate them and you get to go to Heaven and get 72 virgins (or, hopefully, 72 Virginians ;) ). The faith is no longer about the whole as much as it is about the self. That the faith has been subverted only to bring suffering (and this includes the Christian and Jewish faiths, which have their own share of blood on their hands and skeletons in their closets).

Only time will tell whether this will be a permanent addition to the Islamic Faith, even a minority sect, or whether this will pass over.