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Ubdasja Calixte
Professor Dagher
UWRT 1102
April 8, 2015
My interest in exploring the topic of terrorism started when I was heard about ISIS and
the oppression this regime caused people in Syria, Iraq, and surrounding areas. I was very
curious about why a group of people would want to cause so much destruction especially to
people of the Islamic community. What motivated these terrorists? What were they trying to
accomplish? Why target the civilians? I wanted to dig deeper into the mind of these terrorist.
Most importantly I wanted to find out how their opponents retaliated to the crimes. I found that
in history, governments typically dealt with terrorists by reacting with violence, which hasnt
been a very effective way in combatting the issue. Lloyd Dumas examines the ineffectiveness of
violent counter-terrorism, noting that for decades, Isreal has doggedly followed a policy of
responding to any act of terrorism with violent military retaliation and the result has been that
there exists today more terrorism directed against Isreal than ever before (Held 69). The US
should attempt to find alternative ways to deal with terrorists because in the past it has been an
ineffective approach. The US should also attempt to put aside their own moral views, and
understand the views of terrorists in order to stop any future threats.
Prior to doing the inquiry project, I perceived terrorists to be insensitive, psychopathic
individuals who had a fetish for causing great harm to others. Society marks terrorism as an act
so evil that there is nothing that can justify it. The government responds in equal iniquity by

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killing more civilians of the terrorist groups than the civilians killed by the terrorists. Often the
governments actions go unanalyzed because its deemed morally justifiable.
Governments characteristically define terrorism as something only opponents can
commit, as something only those who seek to change policies or to attack a given political
system, (Held 62). However, there can be more than one definition of terrorism. Terrorism is
very complex. There are different types, and different groups of people that characterize
terrorism. What many arent familiar with is that states can terrorize their own people. When
military ruler of Argentina caused thousands of their suspected opponents to disappear in order to
spread fear among other potential dissidents, this was state terrorism (Held 62). Governments
make it seem like its only small groups that cause harm but they themselves cause harm to their
own people in order to control them.
Terrorists use violence to accomplish a political goal ( Held 63). Society may think its
just a group of people trying to kill random civilians but in actuality these people have a reason
for why they do what they do. Perhaps the terrorist feel they arent being represented, or there is
lack of political power. They cause harm to people to send a message and bring attention to a
specific issue. This revelation changed my former perception of terrorism because I found that
these people werent going on a killing sprees. They had a reason that was rational to them.
The causes for terrorism vary from group to group. According to DeAngelis, people are
lured to join terrorist groups for a sense of identity, lack of political power, and feelings of anger
and disenfranchisement (par 6). The government isnt giving them the voice they feel they
deserve. They may feel their culture or religion is insulted. There are many different factors that
contribute to why terrorists feel they should take drastic measures. Perhaps they feel morally

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justified to do what they do because they feel theyve been wronged by a group of people so they
strike at their opponent in the name of justice.
Terrorists arent lunatics. According to Virginia Held, Those who study terrorists are
amazed at how normal, articulate, and rational they are(71). Terrorists come in many different
shapes and sizes. All are motivated by different things. However, ideas that drive them are
similar to ideas that could easily lure anyone. In Deangelis article Understanding Terrorism,
she explains that a set of studies done in the US, Iran, and Isreal supported the idea the people
who were reminded of their mortality-and clinged more strongly to their group identities-were
more likely to support violence against the out group. Iranians supported suicide bombings
against Westerners. Americans were more likely to advocate military force, even if it meant
killing thousands, and Isrealis condoned violence against Palestinians(60). This study shows
that people who felt strongly about their culture, and perhaps felt it was being threatened by
another group would support and possibly want to commit an action against that group. Although
it is immoral to want to kill thousands of people, these people still considered the idea of hurting
the other group. I found this study to be interesting because it shows how easy people can
change. If a terrorist group was able to use that fear, and manipulate people into believing their
culture, or belief was at risk and that by joining their group they could stop the potential
oppressor that could easily seduce someone to join.
A way that the government can combat terrorism is to tap into the fear of the terrorist, and
the motivation. De-radicalization programs are effective ways of doing that because it connects
emotional, social, and intellectual components that has been successful at softening the hearts of
terrorists (Deangelis 60). Terrorists could have families, and might be religiously zealous.
Tapping into a personal subject could be very effective at affecting the terrorist. A firsthand

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account of a former terrorists who gave up on terrorism while participating in a deradicalization

program in Indonesia is Jemmah Islamyiah, who fought from Afghanistan to the Philippines. He
says, After his arrest he realized he had to stop the operation because he realized Osama Bin
Ladens ideology wasnt jihad it was a crime(English ). In order to reduce the chance of getting
threatened, the government has to step into the terrorists shoes and see things in the terrorists
view to come up with a solution that will end terrorism once and for all.
In order to end terrorism the government has to put away their own ethnocentric ideas,
and try to understand the terrorist groups. According to Riaz, Suicide bombing is unlikely to
diminish without tangible progress in achieving at least some of the fundamental goals that
suicide bombers and those sponsoring and supporting them share( 342). The government has to
at least negotiate with these people. They feel very strongly about their beliefs enough to go out
and kill a group of civilians to get the publics attention. If their initial requests are being evaded
every time and quelled by violence it only breeds even more hatred and desire to strike again.

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Works Cited
Crenshaw, Martha. "A Long View of Terrorism." N.p., Jan. 2014. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.currenthistory.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/pdf_org_files/113_759_040.pdf>
.
Deangelis, Tori. "Understanding Terrorism." American Psychological Association 40.10 (2009):
60. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/11/terrorism.aspx>.
English, France 24. "TERRORISM: A Program to Deradicalize Extremist Militants." YouTube.
YouTube, 9 Nov. 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?
t=94&v=q6qwhLvsPIo>.
Hassan, Riaz. "Suicide Terrorism." Asian Journal of Social Science 38 (2010): 341-42. Web. 8
Apr. 2015.
<http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/content/journals/10.116
3/156853110x499909>.
Held, Virginia. "Terrorism and War." Journal of Ethics 8.1 (2004): 59-75. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/25115781>.