Terrorism

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by Shil1978
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What are the Causes of and Solutions to Terrorism
Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind

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© 2010 Shil1978 Last updated on March 5, 2014
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Does Poverty Cause Terrorism? Does Poverty Cause Terrorism?
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maven101 profile image
maven101 4 years ago from Northern Arizona

Hi Shill...Nice followup Hub to your outstanding Hub " The Myth of the poor terrorist "...The one
Terrorism is perhaps one of the most challenging problems of our times. For some of us, the effect of
terrorism may have not hit home yet, having not yet suffered at the hands of terrorists, but its just a
matter of time, isn't it? Can one say for sure that "we are safe?" I guess not!! It doesn't matter anymore
which part of the world you live in. The unfortunate reality is that terrorism has gone global and every
world citizen is equally susceptible and vulnerable. There is nowhere to hide. Every time you take a
plane or a bus, or a train, you can't help wondering in the back of your mind, whether this could possibly
be your last journey. The world has lost its innocence, not that there was much innocence earlier, but
whatever there was, none exists now. It’s been stripped naked and you have the specter of terrorism
staring you in the face, challenging you and your way of life. So, what do we do? Should we resign
ourselves to the fact that terrorism/terrorists can't be fought with, in other words that there is no
solution to terrorism? Well, I believe there is a solution, or possible solutions that we can look at. First
though, we need to understand what causes terrorism, a much debated question!!
So, What are the Causes of Terrorism? Popular Perceptions!
Source: By renecunningham via Flickr

Poverty: One of the most popular explanations is that poverty breeds terrorism and hence is a cause of
terrorism. I don't think this is true at all. You can find my hub titled "The Myth of The Poor Terrorist" that
details relatively well-off (rich or middle class, well-educated) terrorists, who've carried out or planned
to carry out terrorist strikes. So, I don't really buy this connection between poverty and terrorism. There
are also many poor places around the world where there are no terrorists at all (parts of South
America/Africa/Asia come to mind), so this idea is just a favorite catch line of some intellectuals, who
can't find a better explanation.
Undemocratic Governments: Some argue that nondemocratic governments breed conditions that
terrorists can exploit to further their own agenda. I don't buy this idea either. North Korea is
undemocratic and so is China and I don't see either of them breeding "global terrorists," who plan and
plot attacks around the world.
Alienated Intelligentsia/Intellectuals/Class of People: I believe this can provide a good explanation. If you
look at some of the high-profile conflict areas and the individuals involved, you almost always see that
there is an intellectual class that rules the hordes of terrorists. There is a brain behind all the bombings
you see, isn't there? And in most cases, these are educated, well-to-do people who have everything in
life, but have a sense of disaffection/alienation. There aren't happy with the way the world is at present
and want to do something about it. These are the most dangerous terrorists, far more than any of the
foot soldiers who carry out the actual attack. These are the brains, who brainwash young confused men
and quite often children as well.
Indoctrination: What happens when you teach a kid that X, Y, Z are your enemies and that they mean no
good to your people. That these other people are in fact the devil and what have you. If you are
brainwashed into thinking this from a young age, can you expect a well-rounded young man to emerge
out of all of this? Don't think so. What you can expect to get with this kind of tutoring is in fact a Taliban,
who has a worldview akin to a frog living in a well. No wonder then that these guys can do the worst
atrocities and yet justify it on the basis of religion.
Ethnicity: Some argue that ethnicity and injustices (perceived or real) is one of the root causes of
terrorism. Well, perhaps, this is true, but not totally. While one may be brainwashed into thinking that
your people are being persecuted, when in fact they are not, the truth is also that there are millions who
are killed by their own, of the same ethnic group and religion. Saddam Hussein killed his own people for
example and one can argue that he perpetrated the greatest amount of atrocities than any other foreign
power, but yet he was viewed as a "hero" in his part of the world, by people of countries surrounding
Iraq. Why? This again demonstrates the fact that ethnicity has nothing to do with it. The nature of the
atrocity has nothing to do with it, rather who is committing the atrocity and by the people
(intellectuals/clerics, etc.) who play upon this fact and brainwash people!!
Charities that Aren't Charities: There are countless of these charities that collect funds in the name of
various causes, but what they in fact do is to fund terrorism. As with any business, the business of
terrorism needs funds, and this is by far the best way for terrorists to obtain funds; others being
collecting ransom money, drug money, etc. There are also many countries that support these charities in
the name of religion. They have millions of dollars to spend and they do so into funding these
charities/religious schools, which in fact use these funds to fund terrorist activities/building more
schools of indoctrination.
My Solutions to rid the World of Terrorism
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America
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The Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad
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Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, 3rd Edition (Comparative Studies in
Religion and Society, Vol. 13)
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Inside Terrorism
Inside Terrorism
List Price: $24.95
You may find it difficult, perhaps impossible, to stop a determined individual who wants to commit an
act of terrorism, if he/she gets through all the security checks, etc. that you have in place, but there are
some things that can be done to limit the spread of terrorism/blunt the support for terrorism.
Keep a check on Extremist Clerics: Many of them have found a refuge in Western countries, having been
driven away from their own countries for being "too radical." Interesting how, they manage to get into
Western countries? Are they not screened? Is this "democracy" at play? Do we view these people as
being "persecuted" by "undemocratic" countries and who hence deserve refuge? These clerics are the
most dangerous of all terrorists. The foot soldiers carry out the attacks and go away (in case of suicide
bombers), however, these clerics (the brains) keep cultivating and harvesting fertile/confused minds,
educated/illiterate/rich/poor, all are equally affected by their vitriolic sermons that call upon waging war
on the West. Countless young minds have fallen prey to these clerics and the ironical thing is that they
do so under the very noses of the "democracies" that we are. Should democracy, therefore, prevent us
from deporting these clerics back to their home countries? Would or should this be considered a
violation of "human rights?"
Make Aid Accountable: Developed countries give millions of dollars to countries such as Pakistan, for
example, in the name of "economic aid." Well, it is a good thing to give aid, but should not this aid be
monitored and the recipient countries made accountable, as to how they have spent this money? It
seems most countries who give aid just think that they have done a good job giving the aid. They leave it
at that. Especially if these countries are ruled by corrupt leaders, all this aid has basically gone either
into the pockets of these leaders of worse gone into affiliated extremist groups, who might in fact come
back and bite the very hand that feeds it. History is testimony to these mistakes, yet lessons are never
learnt.
Stop the Flow of Terrorist Funds: Stop the rich countries that fund construction of religious schools,
without proper background checks. Pressure them through diplomatic channels to fund
charities/religious schools only after proper verification and certification that they aren't indulging in any
radical propaganda and brainwashing their students to wage holy wars. Also, improve banking laws at
home as well as in developing countries to ensure that terrorists don't benefit from lax regulations and
circumvent the system by getting funds to fund their terrorist plans.
Securing Defenses: There is no alternative to this. Fact is there will always be people out there, who
want to harm you, and it is upon you to defend your country/home by securing it as best you can.
Stricter screening of people who come into your home would be required. This doesn't mean one has to
close your doors to everyone; however, one should at least keep an eye out for undesirable radicals,
who mean no good.
The Solution That Never Will be: In closing, let's talk about a solution that never will be - that is a
peaceful solution to terrorism. People who think that one can negotiate peace with terrorists are
unfortunately living in a make-believe world. Honestly, what can you negotiate with terrorists? What are
the negotiating points here? What can we offer to them, and what would they accept? Some terror
groups, for example, want to see a world that is nothing like what we know of. Are we prepared to
compromise and have them have their way on this? Should we turn back the clock and go back a few
hundreds of years to a time when the dominant groups/peoples were different from those now? Many
of these "brains" behind the most dangerous extremist groups want just that - their own utopian world
governed by their own utopian laws. Some people just don't like the idea of "fighting." However, when
you are confronted with an irrational enemy, who sees no sense or knows not what his/her aims really
are, other than blowing up people because someone drilled that into them, what can you do but fight
and fight hard and defend?
component I might add to your list of root causes of terrorism is religion...
There is no reversing the teachings through Madrassas of radical Islamic thought other than eliminating
them completely and interjecting a more modest and enlightened form of Islam...One that supports
women's rights, the sanctity of the individual, and the tolerance of other faiths...
That is where our present form of terrorism must be challenged with all the determination that
terrorists have for our extinction...This is an asymmetric war that can only be resolved through
asymmetric tactics and strategy....Larry

Shil1978 4 years ago Hub Author
Thanks Larry for your useful insight on this subject. Yes, you are right - madrassas are a real problem and
should be tackled, not by imposing but rather by convincing the countries and peoples involved that
there is a better way - a more well-rounded educational system. The "religious schools" that I mention in
the article did refer to madrassas, so its an issue to be addressed!!
Problem though is there is a lack of foresight and courage amongst the leadership of these countries to
do anything about it. Probably, it has to do more with preserving their own power!!
It is an asymmetric war and yes, asymmetric means need to be adopted!!
Mystique1957 profile image
Mystique1957 4 years ago from Caracas-Venezuela
My dearest Shil...
It is hard to deal with the fact that some human beings manipulate information to reap hatred and
therefore commitment to perform violent, absurd, inhuman acts of violence. The point we should not
forget is that these people are sick in their heads. They do not have conventional thoughts. They relish
their own conceived world and break every possible oath they have sworn to uphold. It is Anarchy what
they seek! They do things in the name of a God we do not understand. It certainly isn´t my God! You
have good pointers here. Let´s hope something can be done to avoid an unnecessary bloodshed!
Well written!
warmest regards and blessings,
Al
Dearest Al, nice to hear from you, as always - thanks for dropping by. Btw, I see that you've changed
your profile pic, looking great :)
Yes, completely agree with you Al. Exactly my point. You can't negotiate with these unstable minds, can
you? They themselves have no fixed goal that they seek. Its some sort of fantasy world that they live in
and hope to achieve.
They don't want to live in the present - they love the past just so much more!! For them, changing with
the times is anathema. They'd rather drag us all back to medieval times with summary executions of
condemned people and what have you, as the Taliban do so frequently now!!
Its a sad state of affairs. Let's hope for a better, peaceful world. There's much to achieve being humans
than to get yourself blown and taking a few other humans along with you! Arts, music, culture, science,
philosophy - humans were meant to excel in these, not born to kill other humans!!
tonymac04 profile image
tonymac04 4 years ago from South Africa
This Hub is important, though I have to say I don't necessarily agree with all of it. For example, your
using of China and North Korea as disproving the idea that undemocratic governments cause terrorism
doesn't hold water - there are plenty of terrorists who do come from undemocratic countries like Saudi
Arabia, Iran, Yemen, etc, etc. We also need to be quite clear that Muslims are the only terrorists. That is
far from the truth.
If you profile terrorists they generally do come from poor situations (the rich terrorists tend to be the
propagandists and leaders), have low levels of education and there is some genuine grievance felt by the
group from which they come. Add into that mix religion and/or ideology and you have a potent killing
machine.
And at the same time one has to recoignise that conventional forces kill and maim far more people than
terrorists ever could. So the whole terminology of terrorism becomes slightly suspect. Who is really
sowing terror in the world? Certainly Al Qaida is, but what about the armies of the US or the UK? They
strike terror into people also. The dictators of the world do provide terrorists with the reasons for
conducting terror.
Margaret Thatcher once said that the ANC would never rule South Africa because it was a terrorist
organisation. Well look at us now! And Mandela, once imprisoned as a terrorist, is now a respected
world leader.
I'm not condoning terrorism, not at all. Nor am I making excuses for it. I am totally opposed to violence
from any quarter. In trying to rid the world of terrorism we need to be very aware of all the complexities
that go into it.
I agree with you totally that there are so many far more worthwhile things to do than fighting and
killing. Like debating important issues here on HubPages!
Thanks for an important Hub.
Love and peace
Tony
Thank you, Tony, for dropping by and for taking the time to express your viewpoint in such detail.
Coming to the specific points you raised, I'd like to elaborate on my points.
As for the undemocratic governments, I agree some terrorists do come from undemocratic
governments, but what I was trying to convey is that not all terrorists come from undemocratic
governments, so one can't just say broadly that undemocratic governments are in a way responsible for
their citizens becoming terrorists. Of course, some undemocratic governments may support terrorists,
but in and of itself, an undemocratic regime necessarily does not make its citizens take to terrorism.
Tony, if you do analyze the terrorist attacks (high value ones in particular) of the last decade or two, they
have had masterminds who weren't poor by any means. The "poor terrorist" argument to me doesn't
hold, primarily because without these "brains" much of these high-profile, casualty-intensive attacks
wouldn't have happened. Also, as I point out in my hub, the poor have different priorities than to readily
take to some idealistic goal, which are generally the preserve of the more educated, perhaps bored,
perhaps confused, well-off men/women.
The "armies of the US or UK" do not blow up innocent civilians with a plan. Equating them to Al-Qaeda is
really so wrong. They are not in the business of killing innocents, and I am sure when they do end up
unintentionally killing civilians in air strikes or what have you, that they'd feel terrible about it. Do you
think the guy who plans to put a bomb in a train or a bus feels guilt? Feels sorry? Can the two be
honestly equated?
The example of ANC is not a fair example. Also, this example would seem to make Osama Bin Laden as
being somewhat of an equal to Mandela. Again, this equation is disingenuous. The two aren't
comparable by any stretch of the imagination.
Tony, what I am saying here is that we aren't fighting rational, logical people, who we can sit across a
table and negotiate. They are stateless actors, most of them, and they aren't fighting for freedom of
their region or peoples. They want to see the world order change and be like what it was some hundreds
of years ago. They seek uniformity. They seek imposition of their law, their culture on the rest of the
world. And, they are not seeking to do all of this through peaceful means, but with brutal inhuman acts
of terror. So, how should you really deal with that? Diplomacy and peace and all the good words sound
nice and proper, but would any of that work in dealing with the Osamas, Ayman Al Zawahiri's, Mullah
Omars?
DustinsMom profile image
DustinsMom 3 years ago from USA
I think you pretty much nailed this one. Great hub. I agree, religion is also a factor not to be forgotten
about. It is a scary world out there.

Thank you DM for dropping by and for your comments. Glad you liked this hub!!
kschang profile image
kschang 3 years ago from San Francisco, CA, USA Level 2 Commenter
Poverty is not the problem, I agree. However, poverty is one of the factors that pushes one over the
edge, esp. when it latches onto a radical cleric's recruiting call.
Just the other day two black kids (18 or so) were arrested for randomly beating up a 57-year old Chinese
man on the street, in Oakland, CA, having previously beat up the victim's son just minutes ago. The son
survived, but the older man died after cracking his head on the hard pavement. The two's defense: they
were just looking for somebody to beat up, being angry about life in general.
If they latched onto some sort of radical cleric, would they have turned into terrorists? I would not bet
against it.
The REAL solution is education: present Islam in a normal calm manner, and offer the education FREE.
We have to beat the radicals at their own game: educating the next generation. They have madrassas,
we need the same, and more of them.

I agree, kschang, that education is the key in a wider perspective. However, what explains the "highly
educated" terrorists? One would have thought that education would have enabled them to see things
more humanely and clearly, but has it?
One of the things I note in this hub is precisely the fact that most of the masterminds/ideologues, who
call upon the masses to take to terrorism are well educated, well-to-do individuals. How can one deal
with this class?
I appreciate your perspective on this hub. Thanks for dropping by kschang!!
Not all people who were highly educated are free of personality defects. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,
the "Nigerian Bomber", was relatively young, with little direction in life, and easily influenced, despite
having received quite a bit of education. Studies have shown that more affluent and more highly
educated people have more time on their hands to think about stuff.
When you think about it, much of protesters, even in the US, are people from relatively affluent families:
they actually have SPARE TIME to take up causes! The really poor are too busy making a living.
I guess I gave "too" simple of an answer. While education is part of the key, one must also provide
channels to people so they can voice their concerns and grievances through legitimate means, so they
don't have to do it through terrorism. This, plus surgical attacks on radical leaders, will be the key in
controlling terrorism.
I agree with the "having more time on their hands" theory. This is a complex problem and would require
a mix of strategies. There is no one solution that can be applied across the board.
There is also the problem of online sites that seek to brainwash people. Also, local religious leaders who
instead of seeking to impart religious education exhort people to take up arms in the name of God.
If we can address these issues by having the concerned countries on board, probably we'd make a small
beginning!!
The online sites and radical leaders can be handled easily: education. :)
And here's a more radical solution: interstitials. Require "hate sites" or radical sites to give a warning:
WARNING: You are about to enter a website that advocate violence against certain groups. Are you
*sure* you wish to enter?
We already rate TV PROGRAMS with warnings on sex, violence,language, and so on. Why not Internet
websites?
As for radical clerics... simply have someone equally determined, maybe Amnesty Intl, hand out flyers in
front of their mosque or whatever. :D It'd be interesting. :D
If only things were so simple and easy, alas! I am afraid its not. Prohibition tends to increase curiosity.
You talked about warnings on sex, violence - isn't it true that young people ignore these warnings and
visit these sites anyways?
If they are told these sites are taboo, they'd tend to check them out more - its a double-edged sword. As
for categorizing radical clerics, its not so easy to determine who's to be focused on, since not all clerics
are brazen and espouse their views publicly.
To identify them, you need infiltrators within the community - it needs to be a police operation, don't
think Amnesty is suited to do this job or has the capability to. Interesting ideas though KS, thanks again
for your perspective.
elliotm 3 years ago
I think that you bring up some interesting points but that this article fails to recognize that terrorists
come from widely divergent backgrounds and are motivated by a plethora of different reasons. For
example US soldiers join the military for vastly different reasons, some are patriots who truly believe in
the righteousness of their cause, others seek the discipline of military life to solve their personal issues
with things like poverty or drug abuse and others are simply aggressive men who wish to live out their
COD fantasies in real life. The same is true of terrorists, some are nationalists (Palestinians), others are
religious extremists (Taliban) and some are simply misguided or troubled youths who are seduced by
radical clerics, such as many of the American, Canadian or European born terrorist cells.
Thank you Elliot for stopping by this hub and for your comments. I wasn't actually trying to address the
question of (where) terrorists come from specifically in this hub.
I tried to focus more on the possible causes and solutions. Appreciate your insights!!
mytipen profile image

mytipen 3 years ago from Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
I think that Terrorism is simply a reaction to some perceived political injustice that's been committed
against the perpetrator. Even though some crazies carry out attacks once in a while, most major attacks
are in response to some political move or another. Sadly, terrorism is here to stay because to eradicate
it will mean rethinking world politics and that's impossible.
Thank you Mytipen for stopping by and commenting. Quite a realistic view - I agree with you!
Thank you bobluisusa for stopping by and commenting. Am not too familar with the issue of naxalism in
India, but I'd read up on it for sure. Thanks for directing my attention to that matter. Thanks again for
visiting :)
Freeway Flyer profile image
Freeway Flyer 3 years ago Level 1 Commenter
I like that your hub recognizes the complexity of the "war on terror." You mention a bunch of possible
causal factors, and you recognize that there is no single approach to deal with the problem. I tend to
view terrorism as a criminal act, and just as you can never fully wipe away crime, the terrorist threat will
always be there. All that you can do is take actions to minimize the threat.
As other comments have pointed out, however, the word terrorist is a tricky term. I'm sure that there
are some in the world who view the United States and other governments as promoters of terrorism
because their military forces sometimes kill civilians. Others would argue that one man's freedom fighter
is another man's terrorist.
In your hub, however, I get the sense that you are talking specifically about Islamic Fundamentalist
terrorists. They are also, however, not a single entity, and various circumstances might draw people to
their various causes and organizations. Unfortunately, the United States has made a couple of general
errors. We have had a tendency to lump people together into the generic category "terrorist,"
sometimes including people - "Muslims," "Arabs," etc. - in this grouping who do not belong there. And
second, the U.S. keeps thinking in terms of war, believing that toppling governments and invading
nations will somewhow minimize the threat. As you say, some basic security measures are probably
more effective than conventional military operations. Here are some further thoughts:
http://hubpages.com/hub/911-Terrorism-Your-Enemy

Thank you, FF, for stopping by and sharing your views on this subject in such detail. Thank you also for
sharing your hub - I'd bookmark it for a read later on!! Thanks again for visiting by :)
Danie Van Gilder profile image
Danie Van Gilder 3 years ago
EDUCATE THE WORLD ON PEACE-full activities, not cause separate hating groups to be TAUGHT by
education IN MANY different nations.
Twilight Lawns profile image
Twilight Lawns 3 years ago from Norbury-sur-Mer, Surrey, England. U.K. Level 5 Commenter
I am embarrassed to comment on this excellent hub in just a few words. So many people have
commented eloquently and rationally. The hub, itself, Shil, is very well written and not at all biased. I
have little to add, other than the repeat the old expression, "One man's terrorist is another man's
freedom fighter".
I disagree with you concerning the relationship with poverty and terrorism. No, the very poor, as you
and others have stated, don’t have time to worry about the West and Islam’s battle with the West. What
they are completely occupied with is the day to day struggle to feed families and pay for the weddings of
daughters and all that goes in the Family System that is Pakistan. (to use a country which is frequently
accused of being the breeding ground of terrorism and terrorists,)
Give as much as financial aid as one wishes; there is a good chance that it will find its way into the
pockets of corrupt politicians. I am sure that the like of MrAsif Ali Zidari would gratefully accept your
donations.
Pakistan spends enormous amounts of money on its nuclear deterrent, and this comes at a time when
very few, other than the rich, are offered education in that country. The madrassas, however, always
have open doors, and it is the Imams and Mullahs there; frequently ill educated men who give their
muddled versions of Islam and their incorrect ideas of Jihad, who welcome young and impressionable
boys. Few of these Imams and Mullahs even understand Arabic and recite the Qur’an in that language,
but only speak and think in Pashtun Urdu, Sindhi and a plethora of local dialects.
It is a fact that a very poor man may be persuaded by some clever agitator or terrorist to commit an
outrage by strapping a bomb to himself, because he has been promised that if he does this “In the name
of the cause” his family will be rewarded financially and kept safe for the rest of their lives.
Unfortunately the poor sod has no way of knowing if the other part of the bargain has been honoured.
In this country, it is the “intellectual” middle classed terrorist; perhaps British born Asians or Converts to
Islam who are the most dangerous. Look at the new convert to Islam. He wears a SalwahKamiz all the
time, he grows his beard in the manner of the Prophet (pbuh) and attends Masjid (Mosque) frequently
more times than his fellow Muslims; he says Insh’Allah at the end of every sentence, whether he uses it
correctly or not… they are also ripe picking for the Abu Hamzas of this country.
If I have offended any person here, whether Muslim or not, I beg you, forgive me, because when the
word terrorist is used in this country (the UK) one immediately thinks of Islamic radicals and “Jihadis”.
These terrorists, Shil, are seldom “crazy”. Madness applies to a different form of socially disruptive
behaviour… they are, very often, very focused young men and women, who mean well.
Yes, I meant to use that expression… they MEAN WELL, and more harm is done on this planet by
misguided people who mean well.
They are frequently students in some of our best Universities, where this sit and talk late into the night;
start to cut lectures; miss their spiritual homeland; miss the practice of Islam going on around them all
day and night, and very soon, start to wish for Sharia, and hope they can be instrumental at bringing it
about.
Oops! I think I've used more than a few words.
Twilight, it is a pleasure having you visit by and comment, so feel free to comment in as many (or less)
words as you can. You know, Twilight, I've started to hate that expression, i.e. the "One man's terrorist is
another man's freedom fighter." This expression had some credibility in the good old days when things
were different. These days, I feel it is used more as an excuse than anything else. I am not sure civilians
were fair game in days gone by, that mass killings and bombings were in fashion or publicized
beheadings the craze it seems to be now for the terrorists.
It is interesting that you mention Pakistan. Well, I've studied that country, its politics, its workings pretty
closely for some years now and I agree with what you say about the "financial aid." I might add that the
"military aid" should not be ignored either. I've never believed that Pakistan is the 'ally' that the West
would like to believe it is. As you point out, a lot of the 'aid' is routed to either corrupt politicians or to
the military establishment. The ordinary people of Pakistan don't benefit in any fashion from this so-
called aid. It seems to the rulers of Pakistan, having hundreds of nuclear weapons is more important
than uplifting the condition in which its people live. I recently read that the Pakistanis are building
bombs at a faster rate than ever, so that says something doesn't it, about where that government's
priorities are!
So, when Pakistan is at the receiving end of disasters like earthquakes and floods, it is the
extremist/terrorist organizations that are at the forefront of carrying out relief and rehabilitation -
needless to say, this provides them easy recruits ( I am told that they aren't shy of recruiting young kids
towards their 'just' struggles around the world). It is no wonder to me then that there are many poor
kids whose futures are doomed due to these Mullahs and Imams.
You are quite right also when you point out the dangerous ones being the intellectual and well-educated
ones ( I did write a hub about this very subject ).
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Myth-of-the-Poor-Terro...
I think the problem here is that they are lost in foreign lands, unable to assimilate/identify with the host
country. It is a classic pattern that one gets to see with the Pakistani-origin lads in the UK and other
countries. There are also homegrown ones, who decide to put their engineering and special skills
towards developing bombs that kill innocents by the scores. How sad isn't it? I don't like to point to
religion, but I wonder why so many are enamored about 'Sharia' or about establishing the "Caliphate?"
Basically, going back in time than looking towards the future?
I don't hate any religion and like you, Twilight, I apologize for any hurt caused to anyone by any of my
words, but it is a fact that most terrorists in today's world and terrorist actions carried out come out of a
certain ideology/belief system, a twisted one I'd like to believe, for I know many, many Muslims who've
been the most wonderful people I've ever met and whom I am friends with.
What a lovely, compassionate. eloquent and passionate reply to my scribblings. Great to exchange views
with you, Shil, I will read your 'The Myth of the Poor terrorist' with interest.
As you may note from my profile, I was born in the part of British India which is now Pakistan, and I love
the idea of visiting the country, but fear I would not be welcome there. Poor little Paki (me)
Let me assure you Twilight, they were far more than scribblings and thanks for all those wonderful
words!! It has been wonderful communicating with you.
I did notice that in your profile. Honestly, I would be terrified of visiting that country, with all of the
goings on there, but perhaps you should visit with due caution of course and with the help of a good
Pakistani friend perhaps.
Btw, most Pakistanis don't take too kindly to the use of the word "Paki." Apparently, they take that as
some kind of a slur!!
Hi Shil. Why is it when I see that some people have posted a hub, my heart sinks, and when I see
Shil1978, my little heart smiles and I open it with interest?
In the UK; well in London, at least. the word Paki has been retrieved form the minds and mouths of the
racists here, who hijacked it in the first place, and is now used with affection. "Pak" in Urdu, means clean
and it is a badge worn with pride. Several of my Pakistani friends and (some others) refer to each other
as "Paki" and I love it when I also am called by that name.
Twilight, that's awfully nice of you to say, thanks! Thanks too for educating me on the word "Paki."
Should have known better than to go by what some Pakistanis on online forums had to say on the
matter.
Now that we have a resident expert on all things Pakistani right here on HubPages, I don't have to
wonder about such things any longer!! Thanks again for the explanation :)
Faisal Zaheer profile image
Faisal Zaheer 3 years ago from Karachi
I would request that you see the BBC documentary titled "The Power of Nightmares". What the movie
basically shows is that for many decades the fear of "Communism" was used by some governments to
exploit the masses and after the fall of communism, a new fear was needed and this was created and is
now known as "terrorism".
Russelltwyce profile image

Russelltwyce 2 years ago from Canada
Terrorism can be stopped easier than that. If you want to stop people from crossing a bridge, you just
need to make the bridge impassible. Actually it is far better to destroy the bridge altogether. Note that
I'm not talking here about a physical bridge but a theoretical one.
All terrorists commit terror acts for a political motive. So if the bridge linking ordinary people with a
political structure can be made impassible, all terrorism will end.
John Swarriz 2 years ago
There are pacifist and violence solution.
I think we can find a several solutions ,for instance . In Sudan , The govt exchange the land by the peace;
therefor, it became two countries which are living in peace .So, by these they resolve the problem ;
Meanwhile, we can find another solution which is faced the violence by violence ,and apply the rule
which tell : "if any one forced you to go one miles , go with him two miles" , as in Sri Lanka when it
eliminates terorrism by a miltiray action .
A 2 years ago
I think what we need is to look at the situation from the other persons shoes, instead of easily dismissing
off terrorists as irrational people. All terrorists have a political motive and use religion as a mere tool to
justify their acts. I'm sure you're familiar with the term, "State-terrorism"(the original meaning of
terrorism as we speak of today, as practised by the French Government, during the "Reign of Terror"). I
believe the 9/11 attacks on the US were called for by the US themselves. Their involvement in the
Middle-East, forming partnerships with dictatorial governments to get their hands on oil resources are
only a few of the causes of your terrorism. I'm not saying that violence is the best method to resist
State-terrorism, but the world needs to realize where these people are coming from. The number of
casualties from terrorist activities are not even close to a fraction of the casualties from state-terrorism.
Violence leads to more violence. The more the US gets involved with, in the affairs of other states, the
more terrorists it breeds. When the US army kills an Afghan, it's created 10 new enemies. The Afghan
killed usually has a family he's left behind. His son's will go on to hate the US for killing their father. And
the cycle continues. I think we need to commend the Japanese here, who I personally am a great fan of.
After the Hiroshima incident, instead of making plans of revenge, they adopted a policy of peace,
something the US should have thought about after the 9/11 attacks.
binwaayeel profile image
binwaayeel 13 months ago from kenya
2. i think you forget all possible definitions of "terrorism".
2. i think the causes are colonization, and forciful democracy.( what about if some people don't want
democracy?)
3. i thin stopping terrorism is simple, leave the people alone they'll leave you alone.
Twilight Lawns 9 months ago from Norbury-sur-Mer, Surrey, England. U.K. Level 5 Commenter
Hello, my good friend.
What an amazingly well put together hub. I admire this work because it is sensible and not biased;
neither is it "anti" any group.
Well done.
I was sad to read some of the comments. They don't seem to understand what sensible statements and
"solutions" you offer.
Shil1978 9 months ago Hub Author
A pleasure hearing from you Ian - thanks for your kind words. I don't think it deserves as much praise as
you shower it with, but I am not complaining :)
Yes, I share your feeling about some of the comments. I guess it is impossible for some to view this
subject dispassionately!!
Sorry to say it, Shil, but I meant every word. It was an exceptionally well written and mature look at a
serious problem without ever appearing to have taken sides.
Well done again.
Ian, I believe you now :) Thanks again for your kind words!!
pinky 7 months ago
i like your presentation about terrorism but in my opinion the real solutin was to be sincere with our
nation and to act together against terrorism honestly then our country would be clean from terrorist
and also terrorism
Pinky, what do you mean by "be sincere with our nation?" As for "act together against terrorism" - I do
agree though it is easier said than done. The participation of the people does help, undoubtedly, in
combating terrorism after all terrorists do live amongst us for the most part and if we can alert the
authorities about them (if we know of anything) surely that would help. However, terrorism is a complex
problem and needs addressing at multiple levels, not just one or two.
pinky 6 months ago
yesshil you are right and it depends on us that we are taking any step to finish terrirism or not or just we
are talking about it not doing anything..............
Napoleonm97d profile image
Napoleonm97d 2 weeks ago from Iraq

if you look at the terrorism in the middle east, you will see that rich countries such as Saudi Arabia and
Qatar are their main supporters, Asama bin laden was Saudi and he had a strong connections with the
high classes of Saudi Arabia , Saudi Arabia is known to be number #1 supporter for the Qaeda in the
world and especially in the middle east.
And Qatar known to have a huge funds and small number of population need to prove it self on the
scene, this why we see it moving around trying to participate in any political or social causes. And off
course the best way to do it is to support the fighters in Syria and Iraq to do suicide attacks .
Stopping the Flow of Terrorist Funds means stopping the Flow of Saudi and Qatar funds.
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Shil1978»
Politics and Social Issues
by Shil1978
845 Followers
What are the Causes of and Solutions to Terrorism

Terrorism is perhaps one of the most challenging problems of our times. For some of us, the effect of
terrorism may have not hit home yet, having not yet suffered at the hands of terrorists, but its just a
matter of time, isn't it? Can one say for sure that "we are safe?" I guess not!! It doesn't matter anymore
which part of the world you live in. The unfortunate reality is that terrorism has gone global and every
world citizen is equally susceptible and vulnerable. There is nowhere to hide. Every time you take a
plane or a bus, or a train, you can't help wondering in the back of your mind, whether this could possibly
be your last journey. The world has lost its innocence, not that there was much innocence earlier, but
whatever there was, none exists now. It’s been stripped naked and you have the specter of terrorism
staring you in the face, challenging you and your way of life. So, what do we do? Should we resign
ourselves to the fact that terrorism/terrorists can't be fought with, in other words that there is no
solution to terrorism? Well, I believe there is a solution, or possible solutions that we can look at. First
though, we need to understand what causes terrorism, a much debated question!!
So, What are the Causes of Terrorism? Popular Perceptions!

Source: By renecunningham via Flickr
Poverty: One of the most popular explanations is that poverty breeds terrorism and hence is a cause of
terrorism. I don't think this is true at all. You can find my hub titled "The Myth of The Poor Terrorist" that
details relatively well-off (rich or middle class, well-educated) terrorists, who've carried out or planned
to carry out terrorist strikes. So, I don't really buy this connection between poverty and terrorism. There
are also many poor places around the world where there are no terrorists at all (parts of South
America/Africa/Asia come to mind), so this idea is just a favorite catch line of some intellectuals, who
can't find a better explanation.
Undemocratic Governments: Some argue that nondemocratic governments breed conditions that
terrorists can exploit to further their own agenda. I don't buy this idea either. North Korea is
undemocratic and so is China and I don't see either of them breeding "global terrorists," who plan and
plot attacks around the world.
Alienated Intelligentsia/Intellectuals/Class of People: I believe this can provide a good explanation. If you
look at some of the high-profile conflict areas and the individuals involved, you almost always see that
there is an intellectual class that rules the hordes of terrorists. There is a brain behind all the bombings
you see, isn't there? And in most cases, these are educated, well-to-do people who have everything in
life, but have a sense of disaffection/alienation. There aren't happy with the way the world is at present
and want to do something about it. These are the most dangerous terrorists, far more than any of the
foot soldiers who carry out the actual attack. These are the brains, who brainwash young confused men
and quite often children as well.
Indoctrination: What happens when you teach a kid that X, Y, Z are your enemies and that they mean no
good to your people. That these other people are in fact the devil and what have you. If you are
brainwashed into thinking this from a young age, can you expect a well-rounded young man to emerge
out of all of this? Don't think so. What you can expect to get with this kind of tutoring is in fact a Taliban,
who has a worldview akin to a frog living in a well. No wonder then that these guys can do the worst
atrocities and yet justify it on the basis of religion.
Ethnicity: Some argue that ethnicity and injustices (perceived or real) is one of the root causes of
terrorism. Well, perhaps, this is true, but not totally. While one may be brainwashed into thinking that
your people are being persecuted, when in fact they are not, the truth is also that there are millions who
are killed by their own, of the same ethnic group and religion. Saddam Hussein killed his own people for
example and one can argue that he perpetrated the greatest amount of atrocities than any other foreign
power, but yet he was viewed as a "hero" in his part of the world, by people of countries surrounding
Iraq. Why? This again demonstrates the fact that ethnicity has nothing to do with it. The nature of the
atrocity has nothing to do with it, rather who is committing the atrocity and by the people
(intellectuals/clerics, etc.) who play upon this fact and brainwash people!!
My Solutions to rid the World of Terrorism
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Make Aid Accountable: Developed countries give millions of dollars to countries such as Pakistan, for
example, in the name of "economic aid." Well, it is a good thing to give aid, but should not this aid be
monitored and the recipient countries made accountable, as to how they have spent this money? It
seems most countries who give aid just think that they have done a good job giving the aid. They leave it
at that. Especially if these countries are ruled by corrupt leaders, all this aid has basically gone either
into the pockets of these leaders of worse gone into affiliated extremist groups, who might in fact come
back and bite the very hand that feeds it. History is testimony to these mistakes, yet lessons are never
learnt.
Stop the Flow of Terrorist Funds: Stop the rich countries that fund construction of religious schools,
without proper background checks. Pressure them through diplomatic channels to fund
charities/religious schools only after proper verification and certification that they aren't indulging in any
radical propaganda and brainwashing their students to wage holy wars. Also, improve banking laws at
home as well as in developing countries to ensure that terrorists don't benefit from lax regulations and
circumvent the system by getting funds to fund their terrorist plans.
are, other than blowing up people because someone drilled that into them, what can you do but fight

List Price: $20.95
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Does Poverty Cause Terrorism?
Follow (6) 41 comments
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maven101 profile image
maven101 4 years ago from Northern Arizona
Hi Shill...Nice followup Hub to your outstanding Hub " The Myth of the poor terrorist "...The one
component I might add to your list of root causes of terrorism is religion...
There is no reversing the teachings through Madrassas of radical Islamic thought other than eliminating
them completely and interjecting a more modest and enlightened form of Islam...One that supports
women's rights, the sanctity of the individual, and the tolerance of other faiths...
That is where our present form of terrorism must be challenged with all the determination that
terrorists have for our extinction...This is an asymmetric war that can only be resolved through
asymmetric tactics and strategy....Larry
Thanks Larry for your useful insight on this subject. Yes, you are right - madrassas are a real problem and
should be tackled, not by imposing but rather by convincing the countries and peoples involved that
there is a better way - a more well-rounded educational system. The "religious schools" that I mention in
the article did refer to madrassas, so its an issue to be addressed!!
Problem though is there is a lack of foresight and courage amongst the leadership of these countries to
do anything about it. Probably, it has to do more with preserving their own power!!
It is an asymmetric war and yes, asymmetric means need to be adopted!!
Mystique1957 profile image
Mystique1957 4 years ago from Caracas-Venezuela

My dearest Shil...
It is hard to deal with the fact that some human beings manipulate information to reap hatred and
therefore commitment to perform violent, absurd, inhuman acts of violence. The point we should not
forget is that these people are sick in their heads. They do not have conventional thoughts. They relish
their own conceived world and break every possible oath they have sworn to uphold. It is Anarchy what
they seek! They do things in the name of a God we do not understand. It certainly isn´t my God! You
have good pointers here. Let´s hope something can be done to avoid an unnecessary bloodshed!
Well written!
warmest regards and blessings,
Al
Dearest Al, nice to hear from you, as always - thanks for dropping by. Btw, I see that you've changed
your profile pic, looking great :)
Yes, completely agree with you Al. Exactly my point. You can't negotiate with these unstable minds, can
you? They themselves have no fixed goal that they seek. Its some sort of fantasy world that they live in
and hope to achieve.
They don't want to live in the present - they love the past just so much more!! For them, changing with
the times is anathema. They'd rather drag us all back to medieval times with summary executions of
condemned people and what have you, as the Taliban do so frequently now!!
Its a sad state of affairs. Let's hope for a better, peaceful world. There's much to achieve being humans
than to get yourself blown and taking a few other humans along with you! Arts, music, culture, science,
philosophy - humans were meant to excel in these, not born to kill other humans!!
tonymac04 profile image
tonymac04 4 years ago from South Africa
This Hub is important, though I have to say I don't necessarily agree with all of it. For example, your
using of China and North Korea as disproving the idea that undemocratic governments cause terrorism
doesn't hold water - there are plenty of terrorists who do come from undemocratic countries like Saudi
Arabia, Iran, Yemen, etc, etc. We also need to be quite clear that Muslims are the only terrorists. That is
far from the truth.
If you profile terrorists they generally do come from poor situations (the rich terrorists tend to be the
propagandists and leaders), have low levels of education and there is some genuine grievance felt by the
group from which they come. Add into that mix religion and/or ideology and you have a potent killing
machine.
And at the same time one has to recoignise that conventional forces kill and maim far more people than
terrorists ever could. So the whole terminology of terrorism becomes slightly suspect. Who is really
sowing terror in the world? Certainly Al Qaida is, but what about the armies of the US or the UK? They
strike terror into people also. The dictators of the world do provide terrorists with the reasons for
conducting terror.
Margaret Thatcher once said that the ANC would never rule South Africa because it was a terrorist
organisation. Well look at us now! And Mandela, once imprisoned as a terrorist, is now a respected
world leader.
I'm not condoning terrorism, not at all. Nor am I making excuses for it. I am totally opposed to violence
from any quarter. In trying to rid the world of terrorism we need to be very aware of all the complexities
that go into it.
I agree with you totally that there are so many far more worthwhile things to do than fighting and
killing. Like debating important issues here on HubPages!
Thanks for an important Hub.
Love and peace
Tony
Thank you, Tony, for dropping by and for taking the time to express your viewpoint in such detail.
Coming to the specific points you raised, I'd like to elaborate on my points.
As for the undemocratic governments, I agree some terrorists do come from undemocratic
governments, but what I was trying to convey is that not all terrorists come from undemocratic
governments, so one can't just say broadly that undemocratic governments are in a way responsible for
their citizens becoming terrorists. Of course, some undemocratic governments may support terrorists,
but in and of itself, an undemocratic regime necessarily does not make its citizens take to terrorism.
Tony, if you do analyze the terrorist attacks (high value ones in particular) of the last decade or two, they
have had masterminds who weren't poor by any means. The "poor terrorist" argument to me doesn't
hold, primarily because without these "brains" much of these high-profile, casualty-intensive attacks
wouldn't have happened. Also, as I point out in my hub, the poor have different priorities than to readily
take to some idealistic goal, which are generally the preserve of the more educated, perhaps bored,
perhaps confused, well-off men/women.
The "armies of the US or UK" do not blow up innocent civilians with a plan. Equating them to Al-Qaeda is
really so wrong. They are not in the business of killing innocents, and I am sure when they do end up
unintentionally killing civilians in air strikes or what have you, that they'd feel terrible about it. Do you
think the guy who plans to put a bomb in a train or a bus feels guilt? Feels sorry? Can the two be
honestly equated?
The example of ANC is not a fair example. Also, this example would seem to make Osama Bin Laden as
being somewhat of an equal to Mandela. Again, this equation is disingenuous. The two aren't
comparable by any stretch of the imagination.
Tony, what I am saying here is that we aren't fighting rational, logical people, who we can sit across a
table and negotiate. They are stateless actors, most of them, and they aren't fighting for freedom of
their region or peoples. They want to see the world order change and be like what it was some hundreds
of years ago. They seek uniformity. They seek imposition of their law, their culture on the rest of the
world. And, they are not seeking to do all of this through peaceful means, but with brutal inhuman acts
of terror. So, how should you really deal with that? Diplomacy and peace and all the good words sound
nice and proper, but would any of that work in dealing with the Osamas, Ayman Al Zawahiri's, Mullah
Omars?
DustinsMom profile image

DustinsMom 3 years ago from USA
I think you pretty much nailed this one. Great hub. I agree, religion is also a factor not to be forgotten
about. It is a scary world out there.
Thank you DM for dropping by and for your comments. Glad you liked this hub!!
Poverty is not the problem, I agree. However, poverty is one of the factors that pushes one over the
edge, esp. when it latches onto a radical cleric's recruiting call.
Just the other day two black kids (18 or so) were arrested for randomly beating up a 57-year old Chinese
man on the street, in Oakland, CA, having previously beat up the victim's son just minutes ago. The son
survived, but the older man died after cracking his head on the hard pavement. The two's defense: they
were just looking for somebody to beat up, being angry about life in general.
If they latched onto some sort of radical cleric, would they have turned into terrorists? I would not bet
against it.
The REAL solution is education: present Islam in a normal calm manner, and offer the education FREE.
We have to beat the radicals at their own game: educating the next generation. They have madrassas,
we need the same, and more of them.
I agree, kschang, that education is the key in a wider perspective. However, what explains the "highly
educated" terrorists? One would have thought that education would have enabled them to see things
more humanely and clearly, but has it?
One of the things I note in this hub is precisely the fact that most of the masterminds/ideologues, who
call upon the masses to take to terrorism are well educated, well-to-do individuals. How can one deal
with this class?
I appreciate your perspective on this hub. Thanks for dropping by kschang!!

Not all people who were highly educated are free of personality defects. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,
the "Nigerian Bomber", was relatively young, with little direction in life, and easily influenced, despite
having received quite a bit of education. Studies have shown that more affluent and more highly
educated people have more time on their hands to think about stuff.
When you think about it, much of protesters, even in the US, are people from relatively affluent families:
they actually have SPARE TIME to take up causes! The really poor are too busy making a living.
I guess I gave "too" simple of an answer. While education is part of the key, one must also provide
channels to people so they can voice their concerns and grievances through legitimate means, so they
don't have to do it through terrorism. This, plus surgical attacks on radical leaders, will be the key in
controlling terrorism.
I agree with the "having more time on their hands" theory. This is a complex problem and would require
a mix of strategies. There is no one solution that can be applied across the board.
There is also the problem of online sites that seek to brainwash people. Also, local religious leaders who
instead of seeking to impart religious education exhort people to take up arms in the name of God.
If we can address these issues by having the concerned countries on board, probably we'd make a small
beginning!!
The online sites and radical leaders can be handled easily: education. :)
And here's a more radical solution: interstitials. Require "hate sites" or radical sites to give a warning:
WARNING: You are about to enter a website that advocate violence against certain groups. Are you
*sure* you wish to enter?
We already rate TV PROGRAMS with warnings on sex, violence,language, and so on. Why not Internet
websites?
As for radical clerics... simply have someone equally determined, maybe Amnesty Intl, hand out flyers in
front of their mosque or whatever. :D It'd be interesting. :D

If only things were so simple and easy, alas! I am afraid its not. Prohibition tends to increase curiosity.
You talked about warnings on sex, violence - isn't it true that young people ignore these warnings and
visit these sites anyways?
If they are told these sites are taboo, they'd tend to check them out more - its a double-edged sword. As
for categorizing radical clerics, its not so easy to determine who's to be focused on, since not all clerics
are brazen and espouse their views publicly.
To identify them, you need infiltrators within the community - it needs to be a police operation, don't
think Amnesty is suited to do this job or has the capability to. Interesting ideas though KS, thanks again
for your perspective.
elliotm 3 years ago
I think that you bring up some interesting points but that this article fails to recognize that terrorists
come from widely divergent backgrounds and are motivated by a plethora of different reasons. For
example US soldiers join the military for vastly different reasons, some are patriots who truly believe in
the righteousness of their cause, others seek the discipline of military life to solve their personal issues
with things like poverty or drug abuse and others are simply aggressive men who wish to live out their
COD fantasies in real life. The same is true of terrorists, some are nationalists (Palestinians), others are
religious extremists (Taliban) and some are simply misguided or troubled youths who are seduced by
radical clerics, such as many of the American, Canadian or European born terrorist cells.

Thank you Elliot for stopping by this hub and for your comments. I wasn't actually trying to address the
question of (where) terrorists come from specifically in this hub.
I tried to focus more on the possible causes and solutions. Appreciate your insights!!
mytipen profile image
mytipen 3 years ago from Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
I think that Terrorism is simply a reaction to some perceived political injustice that's been committed
against the perpetrator. Even though some crazies carry out attacks once in a while, most major attacks
are in response to some political move or another. Sadly, terrorism is here to stay because to eradicate
it will mean rethinking world politics and that's impossible.
Thank you Mytipen for stopping by and commenting. Quite a realistic view - I agree with you!
Thank you bobluisusa for stopping by and commenting. Am not too familar with the issue of naxalism in
India, but I'd read up on it for sure. Thanks for directing my attention to that matter. Thanks again for
visiting :)
Freeway Flyer profile image
Freeway Flyer 3 years ago Level 1 Commenter
I like that your hub recognizes the complexity of the "war on terror." You mention a bunch of possible
causal factors, and you recognize that there is no single approach to deal with the problem. I tend to
view terrorism as a criminal act, and just as you can never fully wipe away crime, the terrorist threat will
always be there. All that you can do is take actions to minimize the threat.
As other comments have pointed out, however, the word terrorist is a tricky term. I'm sure that there
are some in the world who view the United States and other governments as promoters of terrorism
because their military forces sometimes kill civilians. Others would argue that one man's freedom fighter
is another man's terrorist.
In your hub, however, I get the sense that you are talking specifically about Islamic Fundamentalist
terrorists. They are also, however, not a single entity, and various circumstances might draw people to
their various causes and organizations. Unfortunately, the United States has made a couple of general
errors. We have had a tendency to lump people together into the generic category "terrorist,"
sometimes including people - "Muslims," "Arabs," etc. - in this grouping who do not belong there. And
second, the U.S. keeps thinking in terms of war, believing that toppling governments and invading
nations will somewhow minimize the threat. As you say, some basic security measures are probably
more effective than conventional military operations. Here are some further thoughts:
http://hubpages.com/hub/911-Terrorism-Your-Enemy
Thank you, FF, for stopping by and sharing your views on this subject in such detail. Thank you also for
sharing your hub - I'd bookmark it for a read later on!! Thanks again for visiting by :)
Danie Van Gilder profile image
Danie Van Gilder 3 years ago
EDUCATE THE WORLD ON PEACE-full activities, not cause separate hating groups to be TAUGHT by
education IN MANY different nations.

I am embarrassed to comment on this excellent hub in just a few words. So many people have
commented eloquently and rationally. The hub, itself, Shil, is very well written and not at all biased. I
have little to add, other than the repeat the old expression, "One man's terrorist is another man's
freedom fighter".
I disagree with you concerning the relationship with poverty and terrorism. No, the very poor, as you
and others have stated, don’t have time to worry about the West and Islam’s battle with the West. What
they are completely occupied with is the day to day struggle to feed families and pay for the weddings of
daughters and all that goes in the Family System that is Pakistan. (to use a country which is frequently
accused of being the breeding ground of terrorism and terrorists,)
Give as much as financial aid as one wishes; there is a good chance that it will find its way into the
pockets of corrupt politicians. I am sure that the like of MrAsif Ali Zidari would gratefully accept your
donations.
Pakistan spends enormous amounts of money on its nuclear deterrent, and this comes at a time when
very few, other than the rich, are offered education in that country. The madrassas, however, always
have open doors, and it is the Imams and Mullahs there; frequently ill educated men who give their
muddled versions of Islam and their incorrect ideas of Jihad, who welcome young and impressionable
boys. Few of these Imams and Mullahs even understand Arabic and recite the Qur’an in that language,
but only speak and think in Pashtun Urdu, Sindhi and a plethora of local dialects.
It is a fact that a very poor man may be persuaded by some clever agitator or terrorist to commit an
outrage by strapping a bomb to himself, because he has been promised that if he does this “In the name
of the cause” his family will be rewarded financially and kept safe for the rest of their lives.
Unfortunately the poor sod has no way of knowing if the other part of the bargain has been honoured.
In this country, it is the “intellectual” middle classed terrorist; perhaps British born Asians or Converts to
Islam who are the most dangerous. Look at the new convert to Islam. He wears a SalwahKamiz all the
time, he grows his beard in the manner of the Prophet (pbuh) and attends Masjid (Mosque) frequently
more times than his fellow Muslims; he says Insh’Allah at the end of every sentence, whether he uses it
correctly or not… they are also ripe picking for the Abu Hamzas of this country.
If I have offended any person here, whether Muslim or not, I beg you, forgive me, because when the
word terrorist is used in this country (the UK) one immediately thinks of Islamic radicals and “Jihadis”.
These terrorists, Shil, are seldom “crazy”. Madness applies to a different form of socially disruptive
behaviour… they are, very often, very focused young men and women, who mean well.
Yes, I meant to use that expression… they MEAN WELL, and more harm is done on this planet by
misguided people who mean well.
They are frequently students in some of our best Universities, where this sit and talk late into the night;
start to cut lectures; miss their spiritual homeland; miss the practice of Islam going on around them all
day and night, and very soon, start to wish for Sharia, and hope they can be instrumental at bringing it
about.
Oops! I think I've used more than a few words.
Twilight, it is a pleasure having you visit by and comment, so feel free to comment in as many (or less)
words as you can. You know, Twilight, I've started to hate that expression, i.e. the "One man's terrorist is
another man's freedom fighter." This expression had some credibility in the good old days when things
were different. These days, I feel it is used more as an excuse than anything else. I am not sure civilians
were fair game in days gone by, that mass killings and bombings were in fashion or publicized
beheadings the craze it seems to be now for the terrorists.
It is interesting that you mention Pakistan. Well, I've studied that country, its politics, its workings pretty
closely for some years now and I agree with what you say about the "financial aid." I might add that the
"military aid" should not be ignored either. I've never believed that Pakistan is the 'ally' that the West
would like to believe it is. As you point out, a lot of the 'aid' is routed to either corrupt politicians or to
the military establishment. The ordinary people of Pakistan don't benefit in any fashion from this so-
called aid. It seems to the rulers of Pakistan, having hundreds of nuclear weapons is more important
than uplifting the condition in which its people live. I recently read that the Pakistanis are building
bombs at a faster rate than ever, so that says something doesn't it, about where that government's
priorities are!
So, when Pakistan is at the receiving end of disasters like earthquakes and floods, it is the
extremist/terrorist organizations that are at the forefront of carrying out relief and rehabilitation -
needless to say, this provides them easy recruits ( I am told that they aren't shy of recruiting young kids
towards their 'just' struggles around the world). It is no wonder to me then that there are many poor
kids whose futures are doomed due to these Mullahs and Imams.
You are quite right also when you point out the dangerous ones being the intellectual and well-educated
ones ( I did write a hub about this very subject ).
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Myth-of-the-Poor-Terro...
I think the problem here is that they are lost in foreign lands, unable to assimilate/identify with the host
country. It is a classic pattern that one gets to see with the Pakistani-origin lads in the UK and other
countries. There are also homegrown ones, who decide to put their engineering and special skills
towards developing bombs that kill innocents by the scores. How sad isn't it? I don't like to point to
religion, but I wonder why so many are enamored about 'Sharia' or about establishing the "Caliphate?"
Basically, going back in time than looking towards the future?
I don't hate any religion and like you, Twilight, I apologize for any hurt caused to anyone by any of my
words, but it is a fact that most terrorists in today's world and terrorist actions carried out come out of a
certain ideology/belief system, a twisted one I'd like to believe, for I know many, many Muslims who've
been the most wonderful people I've ever met and whom I am friends with.
What a lovely, compassionate. eloquent and passionate reply to my scribblings. Great to exchange views
with you, Shil, I will read your 'The Myth of the Poor terrorist' with interest.
As you may note from my profile, I was born in the part of British India which is now Pakistan, and I love
the idea of visiting the country, but fear I would not be welcome there. Poor little Paki (me)
Let me assure you Twilight, they were far more than scribblings and thanks for all those wonderful
words!! It has been wonderful communicating with you.
I did notice that in your profile. Honestly, I would be terrified of visiting that country, with all of the
goings on there, but perhaps you should visit with due caution of course and with the help of a good
Pakistani friend perhaps.
Btw, most Pakistanis don't take too kindly to the use of the word "Paki." Apparently, they take that as
some kind of a slur!!
Hi Shil. Why is it when I see that some people have posted a hub, my heart sinks, and when I see
Shil1978, my little heart smiles and I open it with interest?
In the UK; well in London, at least. the word Paki has been retrieved form the minds and mouths of the
racists here, who hijacked it in the first place, and is now used with affection. "Pak" in Urdu, means clean
and it is a badge worn with pride. Several of my Pakistani friends and (some others) refer to each other
as "Paki" and I love it when I also am called by that name.
Twilight, that's awfully nice of you to say, thanks! Thanks too for educating me on the word "Paki."
Should have known better than to go by what some Pakistanis on online forums had to say on the
matter.
Now that we have a resident expert on all things Pakistani right here on HubPages, I don't have to
wonder about such things any longer!! Thanks again for the explanation :)
Faisal Zaheer profile image
Faisal Zaheer 3 years ago from Karachi
I would request that you see the BBC documentary titled "The Power of Nightmares". What the movie
basically shows is that for many decades the fear of "Communism" was used by some governments to
exploit the masses and after the fall of communism, a new fear was needed and this was created and is
now known as "terrorism".
Russelltwyce profile image
Russelltwyce 2 years ago from Canada
Terrorism can be stopped easier than that. If you want to stop people from crossing a bridge, you just
need to make the bridge impassible. Actually it is far better to destroy the bridge altogether. Note that
I'm not talking here about a physical bridge but a theoretical one.
All terrorists commit terror acts for a political motive. So if the bridge linking ordinary people with a
political structure can be made impassible, all terrorism will end.
John Swarriz 2 years ago

There are pacifist and violence solution.
I think we can find a several solutions ,for instance . In Sudan , The govt exchange the land by the peace;
therefor, it became two countries which are living in peace .So, by these they resolve the problem ;
Meanwhile, we can find another solution which is faced the violence by violence ,and apply the rule
which tell : "if any one forced you to go one miles , go with him two miles" , as in Sri Lanka when it
eliminates terorrism by a miltiray action .
A 2 years ago
I think what we need is to look at the situation from the other persons shoes, instead of easily dismissing
off terrorists as irrational people. All terrorists have a political motive and use religion as a mere tool to
justify their acts. I'm sure you're familiar with the term, "State-terrorism"(the original meaning of
terrorism as we speak of today, as practised by the French Government, during the "Reign of Terror"). I
believe the 9/11 attacks on the US were called for by the US themselves. Their involvement in the
Middle-East, forming partnerships with dictatorial governments to get their hands on oil resources are
only a few of the causes of your terrorism. I'm not saying that violence is the best method to resist
State-terrorism, but the world needs to realize where these people are coming from. The number of
casualties from terrorist activities are not even close to a fraction of the casualties from state-terrorism.
Violence leads to more violence. The more the US gets involved with, in the affairs of other states, the
more terrorists it breeds. When the US army kills an Afghan, it's created 10 new enemies. The Afghan
killed usually has a family he's left behind. His son's will go on to hate the US for killing their father. And
the cycle continues. I think we need to commend the Japanese here, who I personally am a great fan of.
After the Hiroshima incident, instead of making plans of revenge, they adopted a policy of peace,
something the US should have thought about after the 9/11 attacks.
binwaayeel profile image

binwaayeel 13 months ago from kenya
2. i think you forget all possible definitions of "terrorism".
2. i think the causes are colonization, and forciful democracy.( what about if some people don't want
democracy?)
3. i thin stopping terrorism is simple, leave the people alone they'll leave you alone.
Hello, my good friend.
What an amazingly well put together hub. I admire this work because it is sensible and not biased;
neither is it "anti" any group.
Well done.
I was sad to read some of the comments. They don't seem to understand what sensible statements and
"solutions" you offer.
A pleasure hearing from you Ian - thanks for your kind words. I don't think it deserves as much praise as
you shower it with, but I am not complaining :)
Yes, I share your feeling about some of the comments. I guess it is impossible for some to view this
subject dispassionately!!
Sorry to say it, Shil, but I meant every word. It was an exceptionally well written and mature look at a
serious problem without ever appearing to have taken sides.
Well done again.

Ian, I believe you now :) Thanks again for your kind words!!
pinky 7 months ago
i like your presentation about terrorism but in my opinion the real solutin was to be sincere with our
nation and to act together against terrorism honestly then our country would be clean from terrorist
and also terrorism
Pinky, what do you mean by "be sincere with our nation?" As for "act together against terrorism" - I do
agree though it is easier said than done. The participation of the people does help, undoubtedly, in
combating terrorism after all terrorists do live amongst us for the most part and if we can alert the
authorities about them (if we know of anything) surely that would help. However, terrorism is a complex
problem and needs addressing at multiple levels, not just one or two.
pinky 6 months ago

yesshil you are right and it depends on us that we are taking any step to finish terrirism or not or just we
are talking about it not doing anything..............
Napoleonm97d profile image
Napoleonm97d 2 weeks ago from Iraq
if you look at the terrorism in the middle east, you will see that rich countries such as Saudi Arabia and
Qatar are their main supporters, Asama bin laden was Saudi and he had a strong connections with the
high classes of Saudi Arabia , Saudi Arabia is known to be number #1 supporter for the Qaeda in the
world and especially in the middle east.
And Qatar known to have a huge funds and small number of population need to prove it self on the
scene, this why we see it moving around trying to participate in any political or social causes. And off
course the best way to do it is to support the fighters in Syria and Iraq to do suicide attacks .
Stopping the Flow of Terrorist Funds means stopping the Flow of Saudi and Qatar funds.
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Politics and Social Issues

What are the Causes of and Solutions to Terrorism

Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind

Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind

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© 2010 Shil1978 Last updated on March 5, 2014

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maven101 profile image

maven101 4 years ago from Northern Arizona

So, What are the Causes of Terrorism? Popular Perceptions!

Source: By renecunningham via Flickr

My Solutions to rid the World of Terrorism

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The Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad

The Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad

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component I might add to your list of root causes of terrorism is religion...

Shil1978 profile image

It is an asymmetric war and yes, asymmetric means need to be adopted!!

Mystique1957 profile image

Mystique1957 4 years ago from Caracas-Venezuela

warmest regards and blessings,

Shil1978 profile image

Shil1978 4 years ago Hub Author

tonymac04 4 years ago from South Africa

Love and peace

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Shil1978 4 years ago Hub Author

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DustinsMom 3 years ago from USA

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Shil1978 profile image

I appreciate your perspective on this hub. Thanks for dropping by kschang!!

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