Q1) Are hate crimes acts of terrorism?
Yes, hate crimes are acts of terrorism since, in both, the desire is to terrorize a larger social group. Hate crimes and terrorism are different manifestations of the same underlying issue since they seek to intimidate out-group members (Deloughery, King & Asal, 2012). In both, the targeted victim is selected due to his/ her identity to a specific group, not because of his/ her behavior. Besides, hate crimes and terrorism seek to wreak havoc on a larger number of people than the ones affected by violence.
Q2) How important is extremism in defining terrorism?
Extremism is the act of holding an extreme belief/ ideology on a religious sect. Extremist beliefs facilitate the involvement of individuals in acts of terror (Baisagatova et al., 2016). Acts of terrorism are associated with extremist beliefs since they target civilians. In this case, extremists view terrorism as the only way forward hence engage in killing civilians.
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What are the characteristics of extremists that make them resemble terrorists?
Extremists directly target innocent civilians so that their grievances can be heard by a higher authority/ government. In this case, extremists view their delinquent actions of killing civilians as the only way to voice their grievances. The extreme views on religion and self-determination promote the involvement of extremists in terrorist actions.
Q3) How is the definition of terrorism in the United States different from the definition of terrorism in other parts of the world?
The definition of terrorism in the US seeks to avert acts of terrorism in the domestic arena. Terrorist activities are violent and life-threatening and seek to violate the criminal law of the US. The counter-terrorism strategies developed aim at preventing violent and criminal actions committed by individuals and groups of people to promote their ideological goals stemming from social, racial, religious, political, and environmental domains. Internationally, terrorism is depicted as any criminal act intended to provoke a state of terror in public for political reasons. Terrorist actions are unjustifiable, whether facilitated by ethnic, racial, ideological, political, philosophical, or religious perceptions. The conception of terrorism in the US is different from the one held by other countries since, in America, terrorism is perceived as a domestic affair. In contrast, in other countries, terrorist actions are perceived through the international lens.
Q4) Can terrorism ever be justified?
The utilitarian view of counter-terrorism justifies terrorism based on its consequences. On the one hand, counter-terrorism measures are justified since they seek to maximize happiness in the largest number of people. In the same breath, some acts of terrorism can be justified based on increasing happiness to the largest number of people (Ganor, 2002). In this case, while terrorist actions inflict suffering on innocent victims, acts of terrorism increase the long term happiness of some sections of the population. As such, no act of terrorism can be dismissed as inherently inhuman or brutal.
What do you perceive as the problems in arriving at a universal definition of terrorism?
It is difficult to develop a universal definition of terrorism since the motives, targets, and methods used to accomplish these heinous actions differ from one case to the other. Therefore, it is difficult to untangle the overlapping in each category, hence making it impossible to create a comprehensive definition of terrorism.
References
Baisagatova, D. B., Kemelbekov, S. T., Smagulova, D. A. & Kozhamberdiyeva, A. S. (2016). Correlation of concepts “extremism” and “terrorism” in countering the financing of terrorism and extremism. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education. 11(13): 5903-5915
Deloughery, K., King, R. D. & Asal, V. (2012). Close cousins or distant relatives? The relationship between terrorism and hate crime& delinquency. Crime & Delinquency. 58(5): 663-688. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128712452956
Ganor, B. (2002). Defining terrorism: Is one man’s terrorist another man’s freedom fighter? Police Practice and Research. 3(4): 287-304. https://doi.org/10.1080/1561426022000032060
