Revised Terrorism

In my first definition of terrorism I was very broad with my definition. I said that terror was a tactic that can be used by any actor, both state and non-state. Throughout the class and the case studies, my definition has been narrowed and become more specific. Now I believe a terrorist is a non-state actor that uses violence, against people as well as property, as a tactic for religious or political reasons. I believe there should be different classification of terrorism, one being violence against people and the lesser one being violence against property. There are many different types of groups that may use terror as a tactic, such as countries and drug cartels, but they are doing so for financial gain or to try and control their people. Two groups that represent this definition well are the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and Al Qaeda.

The ELF are a domestic terrorist group that attacked industrial and residential properties that they believed were destroying the Earth. This action is called “monkeywrenching” and it is against establishments that are harming the environment, people, and animals. They tend to burn logging mills, destroy vehicles, and attack larger homes. This is economic sabotage because they are attacking the industries that they believe are destroying the Earth. They are limiting the effectiveness of the companies and intimidating others from joining the industry. These are civilians whose properties are being attacked and the lifestyles of many people are being damaged. They believe that their actions are nonviolent because they are not hurting any living creatures, however, they are still terrorizing them by negatively effecting their income.

Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization that are fighting for the Islamic god Allah. They are on a global crusade against western ideals, especially United States’ intervention in the Middle East. They believe they are fighting back against the ideals and oppression that the West has imposed on them. One of their main leaders, Osama bin Laden, once said, “I say that jihad is without doubt mandatory for all Muslims, to free al- Aqsa, or to save the weak in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and all Islamic lands; there is no doubt that freeing the Arabian Peninsula from the polytheists is also compulsory.”

Al Qaeda has had numerous attacks around the world, but their main attack was on 9/11. They flew planes into the World Trade Center, the pentagon, and attempted to fly into the White House. This attack was primarily against civilians in the World Trade Center, but Al Qaeda believes that you are with them or against them. If a person is working in the West and is contributing, they are still a target. Al Qaeda uses violence as their technique to portray their views of the West. This creates fear across a broad amount of people because they attack on a global scale and attack anyone who is not affiliated with them. This is the worst form of terrorism due to the number of deaths and the larger spread of terror.

Both of these organizations are drastically different. One attacks property and are trying to make a political difference, while the other uses violence against people and are doing so for religious beliefs. However, both of these groups are labeled terrorist. They are committing these actions for political or religious reasons and are using violent tactics against people or property. I think it is important that both groups are labeled terrorists because of their tactics and ideologies. However, it is difficult to compare groups when one has killed thousands of people while the other has destroyed millions of dollars in property.