Terrorism And Fundamentalism
Introduction : For a long time terror was a worldwide problem but so long there was no ‘ism’ called terrorism. After the Second World War expansion of terrorism is seen in different countries. It, in fact, originated in third world countries. Fundamentalist Movement began to flourish in the early twelfth century but gradually lost ground with increasing number of people’s acceptance of modern scientific theories and liberal religious doctrines.
Worldwide effects of terrorism and fundamentalism : At present terrorism and fundamentalism have taken a serious turn and law and order situation is getting worsened day by day. After the destructive attack in America on 11th September, terrorism has got a new shape. It is not the problem of a single country. If other countries are affected by the terrorizing activities then it is not national but international. When any terrorist attack affects not only a particular country but also many other countries, it may be called world terrorism or internationalization of terrorism. The main aim of the terrorists is to terrify. For this, they run their heinous activities. They kill political leaders, foreigners and do other destructive deeds. They do these to frighten the rulers. Through their atrocious activities, they try to attract the attention of the world. And for this, they can make any kind of heinous attack. Al Quaeda the most dangerous network terrorist group undertakes terror attacks in different parts of the world.
Characteristics of terrorists :
- Terrorists declare their responsibility through media after they have committed any crime.
- Terrorists always conduct their attacks against the rulers and people whom they consider to be their enemies.
- Terrorists are always more organized than criminals.
Fundamentalism and conservative movement among Protestants are based on its absolute beliefs in infallibility of the Bible, virgin birth and divinity of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to atone for the sins of mankind and physical resurrection and the second coming of Jesus Christ. But fundamentalists have strongly objected to the historical literary study of the Bible. In the Muslim world both Islamic fundamentalism and political Islam, wrongly termed synonymously, have filled the vacuum created by the end of the cold war. Political Islam is associated with the goal and related to the political program that aims at establishing a worldwide Islamic order.
Countries are stricken with terrorism and fundamentalism : Countries affected by terrorism and fundamentalism are- Afghanistan, Palestine, Israel, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Italy, Spain, Japan, Sudan, Algeria, China, Macedonia and many countries in South America. In Sri Lanka, LTTE has been fighting since 1987 for free land. They are fighting against the government and killing many people.
Conclusion : The whole world is burning with terrorism and extreme fundamentalism. There are some parts of the world where terrorism has given rise to grave concern for safety and peace. At times, the cause of committing terror activities is not known. The people of the world want to live in peace. They do not support any destructive activities. We want to see a world where there will remain only peace. We want for our next generation a world where they will live a peaceful life.
Same composition collected from another book
Introduction : Terrorism is one of the most emotive, politically charged and controversial issues of the world today. Today, it appeared throughout the world as a threat to humanity. It is of different characters and strategies. The terrorists, despite being heavily outnumbered by billions of people aspiring for peace, have mostly remained scattered and hidden around the world.
Concept of terrorism : So far on one has been able to define ‘terrorism’ in a manner that could be universally acceptable.
Nevertheless, all peace-loving and justice upholding countries and people generally tend to consider extreme forms of intimidation and violence intended to frighten, injure and kill human beings or to coerce, harm, subdue, subjugate and destabilise groups, government, stages, regions and the international community as an act of terrorism.
In webster’s collegiate dictionary, terrorism has been defined as the use of physical force in a coordinated manner by an organized group or groups so as to injure others. A different view of terrorism has been provided by George Sorel. To him, terrorism has been the revolutionary denial of the existing order mainly with a view to creating a new order. So, terrorism may be defined as the application of violence or threatened violence intended to create panic in a society, to weaken or even overthrow the incumbents, and to bring about political changes.
Nature of terrorism : Nowadays, terrorists have mostly remained scattered and hidden around the world. They now act on a wider variety of motives than ever before. Some features of terrorism involve the following :
i. The anarchists and the left-wing terrorist groups that succeeded them, down through the Red Armies that operated in Germany, Italy and Japan in the 1970s, have vanished. Now the initiative has passed to the extreme rights. Most international and domestic terrorism these days, however, is neither left nor right but ethnic separatist in nature.
ii. The terrorist groups like the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the Kurdish extremists in Turkey and Iraq, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, The Basque Homeland and Liberty movement in Spain and many other groups have had political as well as terrorist groups.
iii. Bombing on targets also in another form of terrorist operations.
iv. Assassination, abduction etc. also are being practised by many terrorist groups. History contains a lot of incidences of assassination like assassination of Nehru in India.
v. The worst type of terrorism is state-sponsored terrorism. It has the advantage of having immense physical power, unlimited access to media and enormous clout to rally round international state clubs.
Conclusion : To say the least, terrorism is a disease, a menace, an evil and a crime against humanity. It has no place in any religion. Nor does it has any place in a civilized society. Therefore, in any form or manifestation, wherever and by whoever it is committed, can never be condoned. Any act of terrorism-whether it is targeted against the Twin Tower or the occupied Arab territory is a serious criminal assault on humankind and must not go unpunished.