Noun

Singular terrorism

Plural usually uncountable; plural terrorisms

terrorism (usually uncountable; plural terrorisms)

1. The deliberate commission of an act of violence to create an emotional response through the suffering of the victims in the furtherance of a political or social agenda.
2. Violence against civilians to achieve military or political objectives.
3. A psychological strategy of war for gaining political or religious ends by deliberately creating a climate of fear among the population of a state.

Derived terms

• agroterrorism
• antiterrorism
• bioterrorism
• cyberterrorism
• ecoterrorism
• narcoterrorism

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. At present, the International community has been unable to formulate a universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition of terrorism. Common definitions of terrorism refer only to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for an ideological goal, and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatants (civilians).

Some definitions also include acts of unlawful violence and war. The history of terrorist organizations suggests that they do not select terrorism for its political effectiveness. Individual terrorists tend to be motivated more by a desire for social solidarity with other members of their organization than by political platforms or strategic objectives, which are often murky and undefined.

The word "terrorism" is politically and emotionally charged, and this greatly compounds the difficulty of providing a precise definition. Studies have found over 100 definitions of “terrorism”. The concept of terrorism may itself be controversial as it is often used by state authorities to delegitimize political or other opponents, and potentially legitimize the state's own use of armed force against opponents (such use of force may itself be described as "terror" by opponents of the state).

Terrorism has been practiced by a broad array of political organizations for furthering their objectives. It has been practiced by both right-wing and left-wing political parties, nationalistic groups, religious groups, revolutionaries, and ruling governments. One form is the use of violence against noncombatants for the purpose of gaining publicity for a group, cause, or individual.

This page is for quotes on the subject of Terrorism.

Sourced

• America has made many accusations against us and many other Muslims around the world. Its charge that we are carrying out acts of terrorism is unwarranted.
  • Osama bin Ladin, The unreleased Osama bin Ladin interview by Al Jazeera Satellite channel reporter Tayseer Allouni (21 October 2001). Retrieved on 2008-08-30.

• Terrorism does not happen in a vacuum. And we would not be subject to and endangered by so-called terrorism within our own countries if we in fact kept our countries as our own heritage, our own value system. The recent terror plot in Britain, for instance was launched mostly, almost entirely by Muslims of non-European descent, who were born in Britain. Born in Britain, because of the immigration policies of our countries.
  • (David Duke on his radio show, August 25, 2006)[[1]]

• "If you want to call Hezbollah a terrorist organization, then you must call Israel a terrorist organization."
  • (David Duke’s radio show broadcast, 10 August 2006: The Israeli Invasion and Bombing of Lebanon); [[2]]

• “I Define a “terrorist” as a non-state actor who attacks civilian targets in order to strike terror into the hearts of the enemy community.. A “state terrorist” is a state doing the same thing.
  • Michael Mann, Professor of Sociology, UCLA in ‘Incoherent Empire’, p 159

• [R]efusing to accept a life of submission, the suicide bomber turns life itself into a horrible weapon.
  • Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Multitude

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Wed Jul 21 08:23:47 2010