Definition of terrorism (international, state and religious) Research Paper

Definition of terrorism (international, state and religious) - Research Paper Example This research generally discusses the delicate issue of terrorism. In the introduction, a brief background is given about its origin and the general understanding that people have about terrorism. In the essay the actual meaning of terrorism is given to try and shed light on the different misconceptions that people have. The essay continues to unfold the different kinds of terrorism that exist, that is; international, religious, and state terrorism, giving the differences and similarities that exist between them. The researcher also goes deeper to give the different groups that are classified in each kind such as Al-Qaeda and many more others. At the end of this research, the researcher has given a conclusion about terrorism terming it as a complicated and delicate issue that is really causing mass destruction of property and lives. The researcher has called to all leaders and citizens to look for ways to reduce terrorism. Keywords: Terrorism, International Terrorism, State Terrorism , Religious Terrorism Introduction Many people have only heard about terrorism, but do not have a clear understanding of the real meaning of the word. Since the attacks of the Pentagon and World Trade Centre most people have started having a concern on terrorism and possible solutions to terrorist activities. There are some misconceptions that different people have when it comes to terrorism. People should understand that such activities like, killing another person, killing lots of people, or wrecking properties is not terrorism. These are just some few ways that terrorists use to conduct their terrorist activities. Terrorism is not limited to a certain type of behavior or a particular method (Malisow, 2008). The Origin of the Word Terrorist The term terrorism originated after the American Revolution. After this revolution, the people of France decided to follow suit. So they started their own rebellion, but once the government was overthrown, the rebels had a problem amongst thems elves. There emerged different groups among the rebels that wanted different things. There are those who wanted France to remain as it was before, and there were those who wanted to some changes to be introduced. So there was this group named Jacobins in this revolution, the Jacobins saw that the rebels were getting out of hand and decided to tame these groups, so they introduced the Reign of Terror in September 1793. This reign was established to ensure that the people in France followed the new government’s rules and regulations. Anyone who went contrary to that was arrested, beaten, or even killed (Malisow, 2008). What is Terrorism? The term terrorism refers to the act of scaring someone into doing something they wouldn’t do out of their own free will. Terrorism has been used very much in the modern times politics. For example, if a politician wants to be re-elected back to his position without opposition, he or she might threaten his or her opponents by either beat ing or killing some, as a way of scaring the rest to conform. The terrorists’ main goal is usually to affect the government and change how a nation’s affairs are run by scaring the people of that particular country. A good example is the Somalia government where the terrorists had taken over the administration of the government (Malisow, 2008). For terrorists to achieve their goal, there must be the following: The terrorist must have a political goal. This because through politics, they are able to interact with different groups. Politics involves the interaction of different groups of people and does not deal with an individual, so it will be so easy for a terrorist to gain ground (Malisow, 2008). A terrorist must use force. An act is not considered as an act of terrorism if it uses non-violent means. It must involve hurting someone or threatening to hurt someone (Malisow, 2008). Terrorist use their victims to serve as examples. By hurting or threatening to