On September 11th 2001, an incident shook the world and changed lives all around the globe forever.
On that very day, 19 militants associated with an extremist group hijacked four commercial aeroplanes with one sick goal in mind; to send a message of retaliation to America at the cost of innocent lives.
Around 2,996 lives were lost that day as two planes hit the World Trade Centre, one hit the Pentagon and another crash-landed in a field in Pennsylvania, four in total.
At the time, the word already existed but the 9/11 tragedy left a wound so big that it re-introduced this word as a new form of fear in this modern world; Terrorism.
People were scared, Islamophobia went through the roof globally making it more difficult for those innocently practising the religion.
The world has since changed, the attack has made major economies from across the globe strengthen their national security and remain vigilant against terrorism.
So what exactly is terrorism? What defines it? Is it linked to religion? To a race? Let’s dive into the facts.
Terrorism
There are numerous definitions as to what terrorism means.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights report on Human Rights, Terrorism and Counter-terrorism, they have outlined the definition from the General Assembly’s Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism in 1994 which defines terrorism as “criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes” and that such acts “are in any circumstances unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other nature that may be invoked to justify them.”
Are all terrorists Muslims?
No. Terrorism cannot be linked back to any religion.
At the core, terrorism is a form of extremism. A group of people or someone who crosses the line and takes it too far just to send a message of his idea and beliefs.
For example, the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), a white supremacist group has been known to use violence and terrorism towards people of colour ever since they were formed back in 1865. Does this make all people from Southern America that are white, terrorists?
No, it doesn’t, the same concept goes to Muslims as well.
The types of terrorism
Like the definition, many sources provide their segments on the types of terrorism. However, according to the Eastern Kentucky University, they have listed 5 types of terrorism acts which are:
● State-Sponsored terrorism
terrorist acts on a state or government made by a state or government.
● Dissent terrorism
terrorist groups which have rebelled against their government.
● Terrorists and the Left and Right
which are groups rooted in political ideology.
● Religious terrorism
which are terrorist groups which are extremely religiously motivated and
● Criminal Terrorism
which are terrorist acts used to aid in crime and criminal profit.
Terrorists are dangerous threats to everyone regardless of demographic background.
Their actions show no discrimination as they have little to no value at all of the innocent lives.
Global leaders must remain vigilant in working together to eliminate the threat. We have to start making the world a safer place for generations to come.
