Essay on "Different Types of Terrorism"

Essay 4 pages (1267 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Include in your answer two religious terrorist groups and one other type of terrorist group.

One of the most highly-publicized terrorist groups of recent memory is that of ISIS. ISIS is somewhat unique as a terrorist organization. It was once affiliated with Al-Qaida but now has characteristics of a quasi-military state. It "boasts some 30,000 fighters, holds territory in both Iraq and Syria, maintains extensive military capabilities, controls lines of communication, commands infrastructure, funds itself, and engages in sophisticated military operations" (Cronin 2015). However, its fundamental mission remains religious in nature: it is a Sunni extremist group committed to eradicating both Western and also Shiite influence not only from Iraq (where it originated) but the entire Middle East. ISIS "seeks to control territory and create a 'pure' Sunni Islamist state governed by a brutal interpretation of sharia; to immediately obliterate the political borders of the Middle East that were created by Western powers in the twentieth century; and to position itself as the sole political, religious, and military authority over all of the world's Muslims" (Cronin 2015). ISIS has a complex administrative structure which makes it difficult to strike back and dismantle the leadership and also controls territory with considerable oil wealth which enables it to sustain itself with its own funding.

HAMAS, the pro-Palestinian organization, is also (somewhat controversially) classified as a terrorist organization by most of the major Western powers. Hamas began as a splinter faction of the radical Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and "the group's charter calls for establishing an Islamic Palestinia

Continue scrolling to

download full paper ⤓

n state in place of Israel and rejects all agreements made between the PLO and Israel" ("HAMAS," 2015). The ascent of Hamas in 2006 over the secular Fatah party marked a notable shift in a negative direction of the negotiations taking place between the Palestinian governing authorities and Israel. Israel views HAMAS (with some justification) as opposed to its very existence given the violence HAMAS-affiliated terrorists have perpetrated against it and "HAMAS continues to refuse to recognize or renounce violent resistance against Israel" ("HAMAS," 2015). Suicide bombings and rocket attacks are the most notable weapons used in the fight HAMAS has waged to establish a Palestinian state and enforce its religious ideology.

HAMAS combines both religious and nationalist ideology in its charter. However, one of the most brutal terrorist groups in existence today, the Tamil Tigers, are characterized as almost entirely nationalist in their aims. The Tigers wish to secede from the rest of Sri Lanka given that "Tamils originally immigrated to Sri Lanka from southern India and make up 10 to 15% of the population, compared to the majority Sinhalese, who constitute about 75%" (Pickert 2009). It should be noted that there is a religious element to this controversy given that the Tamils are Hindu, versus the majority Sinhalese who are Buddhist. The Tamils are the only terrorist group to have assassinated two world leaders and are brutal in their ruthless efficiency. "The LTTE has bombed public buildings and transportation hubs, Buddhist temples and other locations, and is known for missions involving female suicide bombers and for recruitment of child soldiers" (Pickert 2009). Like ISIS, the Tamils have land and naval forces comparable to that of a national military. Their funding is primarily derived from illegal activities such as drug smuggling and bank robberies (Pickert 2009). Group members commonly commit suicide before being captured which hampers attempts to find out information about the group's whereabouts and direction (Pickert 2009).

References

Cronin, A. (2015). ISIS is not a terrorist group. Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from:

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2015-02-16/isis-not-terrorist-group

HAMAS. (2015). National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC). Retrieved from:

http://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/hamas.html

Thompson, M. (2013). The danger of the lone wolf terrorist. Time. Retrieved from:

http://nation.time.com/2013/02/27/the-danger-of-the-lone-wolf-terrrorist/

Pickert, K. (2009). The Tamil Tigers. Time. Retrieved from:

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1869501,00.html READ MORE

Download Full Paper

Write a New Paper for Me

How to Reference "Different Types of Terrorism" Essay in a Bibliography

“Different Types of Terrorism.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2015, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/terrorist-groups-most-dangerous-types/8828635. Accessed 6 Jul 2024.

Different Types of Terrorism (2015). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/terrorist-groups-most-dangerous-types/8828635

A1-TermPaper.com. (2015). Different Types of Terrorism. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/terrorist-groups-most-dangerous-types/8828635 [Accessed 6 Jul, 2024].

”Different Types of Terrorism” 2015. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/terrorist-groups-most-dangerous-types/8828635.

”Different Types of Terrorism” A1-TermPaper.com, Last modified 2024. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/terrorist-groups-most-dangerous-types/8828635.

[1] ”Different Types of Terrorism”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/terrorist-groups-most-dangerous-types/8828635. [Accessed: 6-Jul-2024].

1. Different Types of Terrorism [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2015 [cited 6 July 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/terrorist-groups-most-dangerous-types/8828635

1. Different Types of Terrorism. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/terrorist-groups-most-dangerous-types/8828635. Published 2015. Accessed July 6, 2024.

Related Essays: