Religion and Terrorism: The Complex Relationship

Terrorism involves the unlawful practice of violent activities and intimidating the civilians of a particular nation in the quest for political intentions. Religion is a vital contributor to terrorism activities all over the world. All the great faiths worldwide have both peaceful and violent messages from which believers choose from. Religious extremists and violence activists decide to interpret religion in a way that gives violence justifications. Some beliefs inspire people to participate in extremism by making them unmoved by the possibility of death while undertaking their religious mission. There have been far-reached consequences that resulted from the combination of terrorism and religious extremism. Some believers of certain religions, for example, Muslims, believe that human sacrifice puts them in favor of the one that they worship, however the Muslim religion is utterly against terror and violence. On the other hand, other religions also strongly condemn the practice. Religion have much weigh when it comes to terrorism matter, as in the way people use to persuade people to engage in act of terror is the same way people can be dissuaded out of it.

Countering terrorism is not an easy task; neither is it a one-day activity, yet it is essential for the wellbeing of the residents of countries worldwide. It takes more than just religious leaders to combat it, however they too have huge roles to play ( Ranstorp, 1996) . The societies’ major forces in the religion and political worlds have the capability to neutralize or even abolish terrorism by educating the youths and the entire society on the negative impacts of indulging in terrorist activities. The government can also deal with terrorist actions by involving the military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies. Also, further training for domestic intelligence is essential because the terrorist’s activities transform by the minute. The general population can help in dealing with terrorist actions by reporting to the authorities any suspicious activities. In addition to that, religion also can act as a neutral factor in advocating for one voice of peace as these religions are all over the world. Lastly, counter-insurgency procedures can be a joint effort between the governments and religious leaders in protecting the borders of countries together with good relations between different nations in the world which can involve the religious leaders as a symbol of peaceful coexistence from which they can help in case of difficulties in dealing with terrorism.

Reference

Ranstorp, M. (1996). Terrorism in the Name of Religion.  Journal of International Affairs , 41-62.