What Is Terrorism?

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. The problem with having so many definitions for one term, specifically terrorism, is that it cannot be handled appropriately and in one single method. There should be a single structure in which terrorism is handled as well as prevented, in order for very situation to be handled appropriately

Terrorism is also used as a form to gain power, money, recruitment, fundraising, personal revenge, and much more. When referring to terrorism one can also assimilate the term to jihad.

To commence, Jihad has become a term that many have come to fear especially those in the West. This Arabic term is widely known to mean struggling or striving as well as the effort utilized by any person. Moreover, Muslim writers like to translate the word jihad to “holy war”. Bockstette (2008), mentioned “They strive toward the creation of a new world wide Islamic caliphate, which jihad terrorists widely consider the ideal Islamic form of government representing the political unity and leadership of the Muslim world” (p. 10). When trying to understand why jihad could have two possible meanings, it is essential for

Through the media/Internet, terrorists could send hidden messages, recruit, inspire jihad, and so on. What makes the media and the Internet such a powerful tool for terrorists is the fact that without the use of either, terrorist acts would not be known all throughout the world. Audiotapes and encrypted messages are not commonly used by terrorists as much anymore simply because through images and videos more impact is done. As noted by Rehman (2014), “Images, especially video images, of bombed buildings, bloody corpses and frightened hostages are much more memorable than print or audio reports of the same incidents” (para. 3). Through the media and Internet terrorists and extremists can also portray their ideologies and tactics in order to draw attention to other members as well as to recruit. When it comes to media coverage, it is understandable when media establishments are hacked and terrorist’ films and messages are publicized, however it shouldn’t be tolerated when such terrorist videos are shown to the world willingly instead of just providing the actual news in relation to an attack. “Terrorist attacks are designed to create an atmosphere of fear or a sense of threat. In any case, the terrorists need media publicity and the media needs a greater audience and profits” (Rehman, 2014, para.