Is Motivation for Terrorism Primarily Due to Identity or Economic Grievances?
Name: Zachary Pearlstein
Student Number: 250569821
TA: Andy Chatter
Essay Question: Is terrorist political violence primarily due to identity (culture, ethnicity, religion, etc.) or economic (poverty, unemployment, etc.) grievances?
There are two main motivations, which cause a person or group to perform a political terrorist action. These people are motivated to perform these actions because their identity or culture is different than their opponents, or they have economic grievances such as poverty or unemployment, which they want to resolve. Certainly, some terrorists are uneducated, live in countries with corrupt governments and learn from a young age that violence and terrorism are an acceptable way of life. In some cases this is true, but in more cases than not, it is culture, which is the main motivation for some forms of terrorism. Some terrorist groups perform and defend their actions as religious actions where they see violence as sacramental acts. Although local poverty and government corruption provide additional reasons for this group of terrorists to perform their acts, this essay argues that identity, religion, and culture are the main basis for their actions.
Al-Qaeda is one of the most well known terrorist groups in the world and was responsible for the terrorist attacks on September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. A fatwa is a legal opinion issued by a Muslim scholar and one had a passage, which was issued in turn by 5 leaders of Al-Qaeda that stated that group’s position on God and terrorism. (Hellmich, 45.)
In this passage, it states that, “Every Muslim who believes in God and hopes for reward to obey God’s command to kill the Americans and to plunder their possessions wherever he finds them and wherever he can.” (Hellmich, 45.) This passage shows how a powerful individual or group of individuals within the Muslim community is trying to influence some of their more fanatical brethren by proving them with religious reasons to
Student Number: 250569821
TA: Andy Chatter
Essay Question: Is terrorist political violence primarily due to identity (culture, ethnicity, religion, etc.) or economic (poverty, unemployment, etc.) grievances?
There are two main motivations, which cause a person or group to perform a political terrorist action. These people are motivated to perform these actions because their identity or culture is different than their opponents, or they have economic grievances such as poverty or unemployment, which they want to resolve. Certainly, some terrorists are uneducated, live in countries with corrupt governments and learn from a young age that violence and terrorism are an acceptable way of life. In some cases this is true, but in more cases than not, it is culture, which is the main motivation for some forms of terrorism. Some terrorist groups perform and defend their actions as religious actions where they see violence as sacramental acts. Although local poverty and government corruption provide additional reasons for this group of terrorists to perform their acts, this essay argues that identity, religion, and culture are the main basis for their actions.
Al-Qaeda is one of the most well known terrorist groups in the world and was responsible for the terrorist attacks on September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. A fatwa is a legal opinion issued by a Muslim scholar and one had a passage, which was issued in turn by 5 leaders of Al-Qaeda that stated that group’s position on God and terrorism. (Hellmich, 45.)
In this passage, it states that, “Every Muslim who believes in God and hopes for reward to obey God’s command to kill the Americans and to plunder their possessions wherever he finds them and wherever he can.” (Hellmich, 45.) This passage shows how a powerful individual or group of individuals within the Muslim community is trying to influence some of their more fanatical brethren by proving them with religious reasons to
Bibliography: 1) Burgoon, Brian. "On Welfare and Terror: Social Welfare Policies and Political-Economic Roots of Terrorism." The Journal of Conflict Resolution 50.2 (2006): 176-203. 2) Cash, John D. "Ideology and Affect: The Case of Northern Ireland." Political Psychology 10.4 (1989): 703-24. Print. 5) Hellmich, Christina. "Al-Qaeda: Terrorists, Hypocrites, Fundamentalists? The View from Within." Third World Quarterly 26.1 (2005): 39-54. 7) McKittrick, David. Lost Lives: the Stories of the Men, Women and Children Who Died through the Northern Ireland Troubles. Edinburgh: Mainstream, 2001. Print. 8) "Mexico Security Memo." Stratfor.com. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. 9) "South Korean Navy Ship Sinks, North Link Played Down." Reuters.com. 26 Mar. 2010. Web. 11) "Syria 'had Covert Nuclear Scheme '" BBC News. 25 Apr. 2008. Web. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7364269.stm 12) "The Geopolitics of Mexico: A Mountain Fortress Besieged." Stratfor.com