RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATION

FOR TERRORISM
CHAPTER 5
OVERVIEW

TERRORISM AND VIOLENCE GROUNDED IN THE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF GROUPS HAVE BEEN
PRESENT IN THE WORLD IN MANY CIRCUMSTANCES. SUCH ACTIONS ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE.

COMPROMISES ARE FREQUENTLY NOT POSSIBLE FOR RELIGIOUS GROUPS SINCE THE
AGREEMENTS WOULD RUN THE DANGER OF VIOLATING KEY RELIGIOUS BELIEFS HELD BY THE
DISSIDENTS.

RELIGIOUS TERRORISM IS THE MOST DIFFICULT TO PREVENT BECAUSE THE ACTING PARTIES BELIEVE
IN THEIR CAUSES SO STRONGLY. THESE ACTS ARE RELATIVELY FREQUENT THROUGHOUT THE WOULD
AND HAVE A LONG HISTORY.
MAIN POINTS

THE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES IN TERRORIST ATTACKS HAS INCREASED IN RECENT YEARS WHEN
RELIGIOUS GROUPS HAVE BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN SUCH ATTACKS.

THERE HAS ALSO BEEN CONCERN THAT RELIGIOUS GROUPS WOULD BE WILLING TO USE
BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL, OR RADIOLOGICAL WEAPONS.

RELIGIOUS TERRORISTS MAY ALSO SEE THEMSELVES AS FOLLOWING A HIGHER LAW THAT THEY
SEE AS SUPERSEDING NORMAL RULES OR BEHAVIOR.

MEMBERS OF THESE TYPES OF GROUPS SEE THEMSELVES ENGAGED IN A STRUGGLE BETWEEN

GOOD AND EVIL, AND ANY OUTSIDER IS EVIL.
TERMINOLOGY
FREQUENTLY THE PHRASE RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM IS USED AND MISUSED TO IDENTIFY TERRORISTS.
EXTREMIST ALTHOUGH A WORD WITH A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION MIGHT BE A MORE PRECISE TERM
TO USE WITH REGARD TO RELIGIOUS TERRORISTS INSTEAD OF FUNDAMENTALIST SINCE THEY ARE THE
INDIVIDUALS WILLING TO GO TO EXTREMES FOR THEIR BELIEFS.

NONE OF THE MAJOR RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD ADVOCATE TERRORISM AS PART OF THEIR BELIEF SYSTEM.
THE TERM RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALIST CAN BE MISLEADING BECAUSE IT IMPLIES THAT THESE ACTS OF
TERRORISM ARE SOMEHOW PART OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF RELIGION.

EXTREME OR FRINGE GROUPS WITHIN MANY RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES HAVE USED VIOLENCE.
REASONS BEHIND RELIGIOUS TERRORISM:
MODERNIZATION OF THE WORLD

A GREATER COMMITMENT TO RELIGIOUS VALUES IS ONE MEANS OF DEALING WITH THE

THREATS AND DANGERS THAT COME WITH CHANGES, AND VIOLENCE IS A METHOD THAT CAN
BE USED TO DEAL WITH THE FORCES THAT THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES AND OTHERS HAVE
COME TO SEE AS THE CAUSES OF SUCH UNWELCOME CHANGE.

THE PERCEPTION THAT CHANGE BRINGS THREATS CAN BE SEEN IN THE PRONOUNCEMENTS OF
VIRTUALLY ALL RELIGIONS. GROUPS IDENTIFY WITH A PAST TIME WHEN RELIGION PLAYED A
GREATER ROLE IN SOCIETY AND A TIME WHEN THE VALUES OF THE DOMINANT RELIGION
DEFINED WHAT WAS AND WHAT WAS NOT PERMISSIBLE IN SOCIETY. THE PAST TIMES ARE OFTEN
SEEN AS GOLDEN AGES, AND CHANGE IS NOT SEEN AS BENEFICIAL.
CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS

CLASHES AT THE BORDERS OF THESE CIVILIZATIONS (FAULT LINES) ARE MORE LIKELY THAN
CLASHES WITHIN ANY ONE CIVILIZATION. FURTHER, CLASHES BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS ARE MORE
LIKELY TO BE SUSTAINED IN TIME AND MORE DEADLY THAN THE CLASHES THAT OCCUR WITHIN A
GIVEN CIVILIZATION.

WORLDWIDE, MOST RELIGION-BASED ACTS OF TERRORISM OCCUR AS PART OF EXTENDED

CONFLICTS BETWEEN DIFFERENT RELIGIONS LIVING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND
FIGHTING FOR CULTURAL CONTROL OVER THE REGION.
MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING ISLAMIC TERRORISM

MOST MUSLIMS DO NOT SUPPORT ACTS OF TERRORISM.

A MINORITY OF BELIEVERS IS ALL THAT IS NECESSARY TO SUPPLY THE RECRUITS FOR THE VIOLENT GROUPS
THAT PRACTICE TERRORISM.

ISLAM IS NOT AN INHERENTLY VIOLENT RELIGION.

ONE OF THE FACTORS THAT HAS LED PEOPLE TO SEE A CONNECTION BETWEEN ISLAM AND VIOLENCE IS
THAT MUSLIM SOCIETIES WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE IN THE THIRD WORLD AND TO BE CONDUCTING
NATIONAL LIBERATION STRUGGLES.

SUICIDE BOMBINGS DO NOT REPRESENT ISLAMIC VALUES.

THE RELIGIOUS FERVOR OF ISLAM HAS ALSO BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH SUICIDE BOMBINGS. ISLAM DOES
NOT DIRECTLY CONDONE SUICIDE, BUT IT ACCEPTS SELF-MARTYRDOM FOR THE RIGHT CAUSE.
MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING ISLAMIC TERRORISM:
JIHAD
THE FOCUS ON JIHAD AS A SPECIAL FORM OF WARFARE HAS OBSCURED THE REAL MEANING OF THE WORD
FOR MOST MUSLIMS. A MORE ACCURATE TRANSLATION OF JIHAD IS STRIVING.

AMONG OTHER MEANINGS, JIHAD REFERS TO STRIVING IN THE SENSE OF CONVERTING NON-MUSLIMS TO THE
FAITH AND CARRYING THE WORD OF GOD TO THE UNBELIEVERS. THIS LAST FORM OF STRIVING CAN REFER TO
THE NECESSITY OF USING FORCE TO CONVERT THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE.

THUS, WHILE JIHAD HAS MANY MEANINGS, DISSIDENT ORGANIZATIONS OFTEN USE IT TO MEAN HOLY WAR.
MANY PEOPLE CONSIDER THE TERM JIHAD TO APPLY SPECIFICALLY TO ACTS OF TERRORISM COMMITTED IN THE
NAME OF THE RELIGION OF ISLAM, BUT THIS IS INACCURATE. THIS TERM IS OFTEN CO-OPTED AND MISUSED BY
ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS.
THUS, WHILE JIHAD HAS MANY MEANINGS, DISSIDENT ORGANIZATIONS OFTEN USE IT TO MEAN HOLY WAR.
SUMMARY OF CASE STUDIES

THAT THE USE OF TERROR AND VIOLENCE HAS HAD MIXED RESULTS FOR RELIGIOUS DISSIDENTS.
RELIGIOUS TERRORISM IS NOT UNIVERSALLY MORE OR LESS LIKELY TO ALLOW A TERRORIST GROUP TO
ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.

IN MOST OF THE CASES SURVEYED, FOREIGN SUPPORT WAS NOT ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT.
RELIGIOUS TERRORIST GROUPS TEND TO WORK IN RELATIVE ISOLATION, AND DO NOT LOOK FOR SUPPORT
OF THEIR CAUSE FROM OUTSIDERS.

CASUALTIES FROM THE TERRORIST ATTACKS AND RELATED VIOLENCE WERE SUBSTANTIAL IN MOST
OF THE CASES.
TERRORIST ATTACKS MOTIVATED BY RELIGION ARE OFTEN MORE DANGEROUS AND DEADLIER THAN OTHER
FORMS OF TERRORISM.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

IS RELIGIOUS TERRORISM LIKELY TO BECOME MORE OR LESS COMMON AS WE MOVE INTO A

MORE SECULAR WORLD?

SHOULD TERRORIST GROUPS WITH RELIGIOUS MOTIVATIONS BE DEALT WITH DIFFERENTLY THAN
OTHER GROUPS?

HOW DOES THE IDEA OF RELIGIOUS TERRORISM COMPARE TO WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT
RADICALIZATION?
REFERENCES
LUTZ, J. M., & LUTZ, B. J. (2013). GLOBAL TERRORISM. LONDON: ROUTLEDGE.