Understanding Typologies and Characteristics of Terrorism Essay

Terrorism is a major threat that is affecting the global agenda greatly. Terrorism refers to an act in which violence or threat is used as a means of attempting to achieve some political or social effect. Most of the terrorist movements tend to be small and have been built on anti-establishment sociopolitical or religious ideologies (Stout, 2002).

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One of the ideologies of about the causes of terrorism is that people involve themselves in terrorist acts while trying to rectify a wrong which they consider as being a political wrong. Groups that are seeking for change they use terrorism as a tactical tool.

The other ideology on the cause of terrorism is the religious ideology. Several terrorist attacks have been linked with the work of Islamic martyrs. Most of the people who are selected to become suicide bombers tend to be the young people who have undergone a given form of trauma. The young people who have suffered from concrete trauma are considered to be more suitable candidates for being suicide bombers as compared to those who have suffered a more generalized trauma. Concrete trauma may involve an individual being through an actual humiliating event, loss of a parent or torture (Volkan, 2009).

In the recent years, religious extreme has turned out to be a driving force towards terrorism. The role of religious or faith-based extremist ideologies in terrorism is to help them to be able to deal with both the micro and macro-level changes whereby their distinct identities tend to be threatened. Violence is considered as being a meaningful response towards such a threat. The Islamic communities tend to experience an identity crises in the global context of Western lifestyles and values tend to invade the Islamic societies and as well as put pressure mostly on the Islamic fundamentalists and traditionalists. The selected youngsters are educated and taught the various part of the Quran that seems to allow suicidal acts and killing of enemies in the name of God (Taylor & Francis).

The ideology of martyrdom influences individuals to commit terrorist suicide attacks as people tend to sacrifice their lives and go through suffering to serve the goal of advancing a religious or a political cause. Certain groups tend to act on behalf of others by sacrificing their lives to attain certain political gains (Belanger, Caouette, Sharvit, & Dugas, 2014).

The ethical implications of controversy related to religious ideologies of terrorism and freedom of religion are that religion does not always have a positive effect on the society. Religious creed is one of the ethical implication that caused war and fighting against religious beliefs. Religion is a factor that motivates both evil and good.

In conclusion, the ideologies that are associated with the causes of terrorism include religious and political ideologies. Religion contributes significantly towards causing terrorism and especially the Islamic religion.

References

Belanger, J., Caouette, J., Sharvit, K., & Dugas, M. (2014). The Psychology of Martyrdom: Making the Ultimate Sacrifice in the Name of a Cause. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107.

Taylor & Francis. Group.Terrorism Studies Freebook. Routledge

Stout, C. E. (2002). The psychology of terrorism: Volume III. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Volkan, V. (2009). Suicide Bombers. Scientific Research.