(" 'Innocent religion is now a message of hate' " Telegraph (UK) (April 9, 2004))
I would put more emphasis on the "almost" in that statement, but it's essentially true.
There are non-Islamic terrorists, of course, like
- Ireland's IRA (now rather inactive)
- Tamil separatists in Sri Lanka
- ELF (Earth Liberation Front) in America
- Individuals like the late Timothy McVeigh
Even so, jihadist Muslims have earned Islam a reputation for having a near-monopoly on terrorist attacks.
The terrorist-on-the-street also has a reputation for being an uneducated loser, and American news media may give the impression that America is almost the only target of terrorism.
Recent events, starting with the London/Glasgow attacks last year, show that terrorists aren't necessarily ignorant, uneducated, and on the low end of the economic ladder. And, although I think that the "great Satan America" is a major target of Islamic terrorists, it isn't their only target. For example, "The Times of India" discussed the recent arrests of several Islamic terrorists:
- Muzammil Sheikh
software engineer
(2006 train bombings in Mumbai)
Arrested after police learned that his brother, Faizal Sheikh was an LeT (Lashkar-e-Toiba ("Army of the Pure")) leader - Sabeel Ahmed
MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery, I think)
(London terror plot and attack on Glasgow (UK) airport) - Kafeel Ahmed
PhD scholar in aeronautical engineering
(London terror plot and attack on Glasgow (UK) airport)
Died of burns suffered in Glasgow attack - Mohammed Asif
MBBS student
(Unspecified terrorist activity) - Asaduallah Abubaker
MBBS student
(Unspecified terrorist activity) - Yahya Khan1
engineer
(Unspecified terrorist activity)
- Mohammed Haneef
a physician in an Australian hospital
(London terror plot and attack on Glasgow (UK) airport:
accused courts found no evidence and freed him: (is a cousin of the Ahmed brothers, but not linked to terrorism otherwise))
The Times of India's article discussed what is still regarded as something of an oddity: These accused terrorists are well-educated men, not the sort of 'poor, uneducated, and easily-led' person that a terrorist is supposed to be.
More of my view on this assumption in
- "Doctors, Terrorists, and the Proletariat: What's a Person to Think?" (July 3, 2007)
- "Attack of the Killer Doctors: Not a Joke, Now" (July 4, 2007)
- "A Better Class of Terrorist" (July 8, 2007)
1Yahya Khan's activity gets a little more attention in "Terrorists as an Oppressed Class: That was Then, This is Now" (February 23, 2008).
"The Times of India" articles referenced in this post:
- "Bangalore engineer with terror designs held"
The Times of India (February 23, 2008) - "New face of terror: Educated & tech-savvy"
The Times of India (February 23, 2008)
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