Is Terrorism Just? Many people today have different opinions on terrorism.

For example, some people think that the United States military should stop intervening in the Middle East, while others think it is necessary for order and prosperity. Nine-Eleven and recent events have projected the term terrorism and it is becoming increasingly overused. The common use of this term is creating a misunderstanding of the meaning of terrorism. Richardsons definition of terrorism says, Terrorism simply means deliberately and violently targeting citizens for political purposes (Richardson 190). Terrorism uses fear to drive an opposition out of the way or to manipulate it to an advantage. While the goal of terrorism to attack civilians or defenses, the purpose behind it is to affect the nation on a political level so as to reap benefits by force.On one hand, terrorism can be thought of as a tool to work towards a good cause, but on the other, it is a vile and heartless act of violence. Terrorism can produce quick and long lasting results, making it a very powerful and effect tool. The drives behind these attacks are perspective based beliefs. Although terrorism is a righteous act in the terrorists perspective, terrorism is never entirely justified because it is only beneficial to the supporting group and it is not supported by the majority of societies. The problem with terrorism is that it is a very controversial topic. The meaning of just has different perspectives based on ethical background and education. The most understandable meaning of just is to be given what is earned, or to be righteous. Terrorists believe they are making the necessary moves to pursue their interests and ideals. The free radicals in the Middle East look at it as a great religious act or a righteous and respectable action toward their cause. In the eyes of the greater masses of the world, especially those targeted, terrorist acts are certainly not just. Terrorists are sometimes considered cruel and vile people in the peoples perspectives because of the violent approach aimed towards citizens. It is understood that terrorists feel they are the good guys supporting the greater cause, while vice versa, the greater masses feel the same fighting terrorism. This is why terrorism is such a controversial subject; it is hard to determine who is just from a perspective standpoint. However, terrorism is unjust because it involves those in no direct relation to or in situations unbeknownst to them. An example of this would be Nine-Eleven. American Citizens were targeted because they pay taxes which support the United States government. Although terrorism is unjust, it usually produces the desired results.Heymann states, Even smallscale terrorism possesses an almost magical ability to produce fear, anxiety, anger, and a demand for vigorous action in a sizable portion of a countrys population (Heymann 3).An example of the power of terrorism is when, A handful of terrorists led Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to declare a state of emergency in Quebec province (Heymann 3).While terrorism can have strong effects, it is only

beneficial to the user, which means it is never done with the greater interest of the masses in mind. However, the results from these attacks do not always go as planned. When Al Qaeda flew planes into the Twin Towers, they probably werent expecting the United States to grow stronger. National governments need to find a way to prevent or render terrorists attacks useless. There have been attempts in the past to prevent similar situations such as the League of Nations created by Woodrow Wilson, but it was overlooked and so gave a chance for terrorism to be used. If terrorists know they can still affect nations with threats and attacks they will continue to do it regularly to get what they want. There are many ways to solve the same issues, and while terrorism should be used as a tool of last resort, it is moreover exercised as a primary method. Terrorism not only affects nations as political units, but it affects the people within the nations as well. These terrorist acts are not just found in Iraq or Iran, but they are found all over the world, even within the United States borders. On the news channels you often see terrorist attacks such as bombings or shootings that target civilians and, very rarely, soldiers. When people see these disasters on television, it tends to be the talk of the week, or maybe longer. Not only is the direct damage seen, but the damage done to families and friends mentally as well as physically and economically are also witnessed. Some of those that perish are sole providers to family members or friends. How low has the human population stooped when you kill a child? Fundamental natural laws must cross their minds at some point hopefully.Human beings can live and survive together because of these natural laws. Wilson points out that, Locke affirmed that the first and fundamental natural law was the preservation of society, and as far as was consistent with the public good, of every person in it (Wilson 39). Terrorists obviously feel fine about killing these people and, on occasion, themselves. This makes one wonder about the drives behind these acts. Most terrorist groups are taught their ways by religion like the Al-Qaeda, whom prays for the destruction of America. Hamas is an Islamic resistance group that attacks Israeli civilians and soldiers because they do not like the Islamic religion. Then there are those such as the Armed Islamic group that attacks those who are enemies of Islam. Children are taught at a young age, by schools and by religion, that it is righteous and their duty to commit these acts in the name of Allah. How do you stop people from acting in a way they have been trained to act for their whole life? Religion controls the masses more than any other institution ever in existence and there have been religious feuds for thousands of years. It seems almost impossible to resolve such an issue of religion. However, at what point does religion stop teaching morals of peace and start teaching those of force and destruction? Religion is another extremely controversial topic that will never be put to rest. It is clear that the justification of terrorism is a very perspective based subject. One end of the ordeal feels they are doing a good deed and the other end feels that terrorists are truly terrorists. It is

understood that terrorism is very effective both politically and societally. Nations are affected, but more importantly, the people that make up those nations are affected personally and economically. The drives behind terrorist attacks are those that will never be completely suppressed because it involves reasons that go beyond logical rationalization and it does not allow room for simple morals. Somehow, people are going to have to meet in the middle to put an end to all terrorism and create a more peaceful and worryfree world.

Works Cited

Heymann, Philip B. Terrorism, Freedom, and Security: Winning without War. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 2003. Print.

Wilson, Richard. Human Rights in the War on Terror. Cambridge [UK]: Cambridge UP, 2005. Print.

Richardson, Louise. "What Is Terrorism?" Quest(ing) Texts: ENC1101 Seminar in Reading and Writing. Ed. Department of English at the University of North Florida. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press, 2009. 189-205. Print.