After 9/11 to many Americans the word Jihad was unclear to to them because of distortion from the media. This became related to terrorism because the terrorist groups used it as justification. So it was a combination of unknowing and media distortion which made the word Jihad related to terrorism. In conclusion the meaning of the word Jihad has definitely changed tremendously since the 9/11 attacks. The word once meaning something purely religious and a holy duty to the followers of Islam, is now met with disdain and negative emotions and media world over.
They sought to provide services, both spiritual and tangible to local residents... ... middle of paper ... ...fer about the idea of religion having its role on terrorist organizations. As stated by Professor John Esposito of Georgetown University, he says” So, is it religion that causes terrorism? Does Islam in particular have a terrorism problem?” The question is simple but the answer is difficult to define. Of course religion has its role on terrorist organizations but the concept of terrorists groups having just radical members is absurd. Many of the members of these organizations are moderate and believe that such attacks like the September 11 attacks are justifiable (Esposito 1).
Terrorism is a term commonly known by many all throughout the globe. It is a threat to national security, civilians, military personnel, government agents, and so on. As mentioned by Spindlove and Simonsen (2013), “Terrorism is clearly a very special type of violence. It is a tactic used in many situations: peace, conflict, and even war” (p. 5). Even though, terrorism is widely known, not many may be aware that there are several definitions for terrorism.
When looking at individual events it is important to consider the facts rather than the assumptions and swayed opinions that come to us through the news and other media sources. It is easy to make connections between religions and events that occur due to extremists from that religion but in order to fully understand the nature of terrorism events all details need to be considered. Passing judgments about an entire religion based off the actions of few only adds to social issues that rule events like this in the first place. An article published by the IDSA entitled Terrorism, Ideology and Misconceptions, they write, “however, in our times, Islam is often being portrayed in association with violence, aggression and terrorism. This is largely due to the media, both national and international, which has constantly depicted Muslims in such stereotypical ways”.
The term jihadi was not always commonly recognized in the United States. It was not until the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that the word jihad became widely known. Since the terrorist attacks, the media and the U.S. government have used the word jihad to invoke frightening images of non-Americans coming to destroy American freedoms and to define Islam. Today, scholars have begun to try to define this complex word and its multitude of meanings. When viewers tune into the news, it is sometimes difficult to unravel the layers of information that is being fed to them by the media and the U.S. government.
There are many opinions about how Jihad can be seen through Western media especially after the terrorist attacks such as 9/11 and more recent one such as Boston Marathon. As we can see the Internet is a platform for everyone to use with no matter what their opinion is. There is an established stereotype around Jihad, which leads to people making assumptions i.e. extrem... ... middle of paper ... ... Islamic communities, but as well as other radical religious movements. I strongly believe that idea of presenting any violence whether it is related to terrorism or ordinary news is wrong for many reasons, including exposure of young children to misconceptions about other religions and communities.
Some extremists, such as the Hizballah, view the United States as “the Great Satan.” Although unannounced violent actions against civilians is called terrorism by the West, Muslims view such behavior as religious duty. Most terrorists are viewed within their individual countries as radicals, although some have benefited from gaining wide-spread approval in their region. With popular support behind them, these extremists have declared a holy war, a jihad, against the West, Israel, and all sympathizers of the two. In the jihad, terrorism has been the most used weapon against the enemies of Islam. Although terrorism has been magnified throughout the world recently, jihad is nothing new to Islam.
In peoples conversations, the media, and the government terrorism is talked about wherever with whomever. The mind of a terrorist is something... ... middle of paper ... ...tening. Killing the innocent is inhumane and unjustifiable and that is what terrorism is. The impact of terrorism is undeniable. It has impacted people’s lives even if they were not directly affected by the act of terror.
Yoram Schweitzer in "Suicide Terrorism Development & Characteristics," Mark Sedgwick in "Al-Qaeda and the "Nature of Religious Terrorism," and Dr. James Armstrong, all demonstrates that suicide terror attacks are politically motivated even though the perpetrator may use religious symbolism to justifies their acts. Observing areas in the world where terrorism is frequent, especially in the Middle East, it can be argued that groups that engaged in terrorists' activities are those that feel suppressed and taken advantage of by a much greater power. Thus, terrorism, particularly suicide terror is prevalent in areas where systems of gross injustice seem to exist. Therefore, the actual use of terrorism by non-state actors is a tactic aimed at polarizing the population in their favor. By killing people in mass number, they are attempting to take away the view that only the state can legitimately kill – thus undermining the state authority.
The most common cause or reason of terrorism is conflict in the religion. We all have different values, beliefs and perspective in life. It is also reason why there is a lot of religion in the world. Perhaps the most commonly held belief today is that terrorism is caused by religion. Though it is not the main cause for terrorism,