CJ513 Unit 1 DQ Discussion topics support this unit’s objectives and should be completed after reading all materials (No Less than 100 words)

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CJ513

Unit 1 DQ

Discussion topics support this unit’s objectives and should be completed after reading all materials (No Less than 100 words). Your responses should include original evaluation, synthesis, or analysis of the topic and contribute to the weekly Discussion in a meaningful way. Refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in Course Documents for additional requirements.

 

Part 1

Topic #1: The Role of Religion (Respond)

Discuss the role of religion in the development of social and political attitudes on terrorism. Identify three examples of terrorist incidents motivated by religious beliefs. Discuss the ideology used to justify each of these incidents. Where do each of these attitudes fall on the classical ideological continuum? Be sure to include APA citations and references for any sources used to inform or support your posts.

Part 2

Topic #1 Student Response #1(Respond to Damon)

Damon Bradshaw

Religion is a significant factor in influencing different attitudes leading to terrorism. Extremist ideologies that are religious in the description are the leading cause of acts of terrorism. Different religions have been caught up with acts of terrorism that are majorly due to radicalization (Rodger et al., 2007). Terrorists influenced by religious views feel they have a role to play in society by accomplishing their act, where their religion allegedly justifies. Religion has different influences socially and politically, and these are critical elements in society— wrong perceptions and manipulations advocate for the same influences to be channeled into terrorism.

On September 21, 2013, a terrorist attack was reported in a mall Nairobi, Kenya, with Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based extremist group taking responsibility. The act was a retaliation to the Kenyan military forces’ presence in Somalia, and they believe it is their duty in the Holy war. There are conflicting reports on the death toll, but the attack resulted in hostages, mass shootings, and damages, with 71 reported deaths (Blanchard, 2013). The attack strategically targeted an entity that would strike a blow and not involve fellow Muslims but rather more of foreigners and other religious groups.

Al-Shabaab is a group influenced by religion's role in the development of social and political attitudes towards terrorism. The extremist group follows a social way of life guided by Sharia laws, not the nation's constitution. Politically the group feels they are obligated to liberate the nation to a Sharia rule state, resulting in conflicts with the national government, with a spillover to neighboring countries like Kenya that sent its troops to Somalia to bring peace and extend security to its borders, something the militia term as an invasion from infidels or the non-believers and unclean (Anderson & McKnight, 2015). Their actions in this particular day were based on religious extremism.

September 11, 2001, popularly known as 9/11, was a terror event influenced by religious affiliation on a specific group. The terror event was a series of attacks on American soil by an extremist group known Al Qaeda. The group planned attacks by 19 of their militants. They hijacked four airplanes and embarked on a suicide mission. The first two airplanes were directed at the World Trade Center at the Twin Towers in New York. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon, and the last one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania (Gus, 2010). The attacks led to a death toll estimated at 3000. The group took responsibility through their leader Osama Bin Laden, advocating for the invasion of western powers to the Middle East.

The 9/11 attack was an example of a classical ideological continuum involving terrorism and extremism as the root source. The two aspects are clearly influenced by religious affiliation playing out in the social and political structures in the Middle East. The Al Qaeda extremist group advocate for the Jihadi war, which refers to a Holy war in other terms. The involvement of United States troops in the Middle East brought about the campaign against non-Muslim believers meddling with the political state. The extremist group beliefs they are at war with any allies to Jewish, Christianity affiliations (Gus, 2010). It brings about the ideology that anyone not of Muslim belief is against them, and actions against them will bring a particular reward in the afterlife. These beliefs and actions influenced the rise of different extremist groups under the Al Qaeda Islamic extremist group.

On July 22, 2011, Norway experienced terrorist attacks in Oslo and the island of Utoya. The bombing attack was strategically placed near governmental offices. The police responded to the terrorist attack. It was realized the terrorist used the bombing as a decoy while another attack took place at the island of Utoya where some youths were camping (Meyer, 2013). The terrorist opened fire on the campers with nowhere to escape on the island. The gunman massacred 68 people on the island, and a total count was 80 people in addition to the bombing.

The gunman was a member of Neo-Nazi and Anti-Islamic groups, according to police investigations. The perpetrator published a manifesto listing the reasons and the changes he demanded. The root cause influence by the hatred towards the Muslim religion and any Jewish affiliation. This motive radicalized and influenced his actions. It was a clear classical continuum of terrorism. The gunman raised an issue with the Norwegian government allowing cultural mix, significantly increasing Muslims within the nation. The gunman identified himself as a martyr. His hate towards Muslims and Jews influenced a fascist ideology that led him into a Neo-Nazi affiliation mission.

References

Anderson, D., & McKnight, J. (2015). Understanding al-Shabaab: clan, Islam and insurgency in Kenya. Journal Of Eastern African Studies, 9(3), 536-557.  https://doi.org/10.1080/17531055.2015.1082254

Blanchard, L. (2013). The September 2013 Terrorist Attack in Kenya: In Brief. Fas.org. Retrieved 5 August 2021, from  https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R43245.pdf .

Gus, M. (2010). Terrorism and homeland security. California, Cal: Sage Publications.

Meyer, S. (2013). Impeding lone-wolf attacks: lessons derived from the 2011 Norway attacks. Crime Science, 2(1), 1-13.  https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-7680-2-7

Rogers, M., Loewenthal, K., Lewis, C., Amlôt, R., Cinnirella, M., & Ansari, H. (2007). The role of religious fundamentalism in terrorist violence: A social psychological analysis. International Review of Psychiatry, 19(3), 253-262.  https://doi.org/10.1080/09540260701349399

 

Topic #1 Student Response #2 (Respond to Travis)

Travis Reed

 

Hello Y’all

Religion is often a big contributor towards the development of various political and social attitudes towards terrorism. Religion influences social and political injustices which lead to terrorism (Borum, & Neer, 2017). As people try to adhere to accepted religious ideology or rather what they perceive as political or social right, and then another religious ideology strips them of their rights, an attitude of violence may arise (Borum, & Neer, 2017). This comes in because of the belief that the use or threat of violence will be effective in ushering in change. Many terrorists have confessed that they chose violence after a long consideration because they felt that they had no choice.

Christmas day bombings at Madall, Gadaka, and Jos churches in Northern Nigeria by the Boko Haram is an example of a terrorist attack motivated by Islamic religious beliefs. The ideology behind these killings by Boko Haram group was that it was on mission to kill those against the Islamic associated group. This incidence was a clear manifestation of right–wing extremism because the Boko Haram felt like their glory to the Muslim belief had been lost to Christianity (Crossen, 2019). In another incidence in Garissa University College in Kenya, 148 people were killed by gunmen from Al-Shabaab group. The group held hostage more than 700 people but released the Muslims and killed those who identified as Christians. The mission was carried out to kill those against Shabaab, for reasons of removing Kenyan troops deployed in Somalia, and to claim the Muslim land which had been ‘colonized’ by non-Muslims. These shootings were an expression of both right-wing extremism and left-wing extremism because killings were done due to an oppressive system and religious inferiority. In 2017, a suicide bomber of Islamist extremist origin attacked Manchester Arena in UK, killing 22 people and injuring 1017 others. The attacker claimed he was motivated by injustices to Muslim children which makes it a case of right-wing extremism.

v/r

Reed

References

Borum, R., & Neer, T. (2017). Terrorism and violent extremism. In Handbook of behavioral        criminology (pp. 729-745). Springer, Cham.

Crossen, C. E. (2019). The Nature of the Beast: Transformations of the Werewolf from the 1970s to the Twenty-first Century. University of Wales Press.