I mean, seriously, what is their purpose? What do they intend to achieve? And can you look through their eyes, and see what they see?
Try and find the documentary "Death in Gaza". If it doesn't get inside the heads of terrorists from that region, it shows how it happens, and how it continues to happen - and it's chilling. Little kids are taken into these brotherhoods. People are taught that a death for the cause is something to be celebrated; you're not supposed to cry, you're supposed to sing in the streets. It goes beyond kids throwing rocks at tanks, and it's scary.
A lot of times it's abouit religion. Other times they're just insane. Other times they want vengeance. Other times they think they're doing good for the world (i.e. ecoterrorists) but wind up killing in the process.
All right, this is going to be quite politically incorrect but factually as true as I can make it. Terrorists are trying to whoop up support for a cause by showing that they are hard to hurt and also trying to get what they want by showing that they can hurt others. In some cases, they are willing to die themselves to show that the cause cannot be hurt even if individual members can be. Recently, there has been an upsurge in terrorism related to jihad. Islam is, in some parts of the world, equivalent to the worst non-modern witch-burning Christianity of the Spanish colonists to the Americas, who justified all kinds of atrocities with a) our enemies are barbarians, b) our enemies are not in the sight of God, c) we have to do terrible things to them to bring them to God's will. This is an outdated view; I am in no way implying that today's Christians or moderate Muslims believe this. However - there are places in the Middle East where that "modernizing" has not occured. Just as it was once considered terrible to question the Church, so modern-day Saudi Arabians (for example) may not question the qu'ran or the hadith (is that it? Can't remember. I think so) or the other interpretive texts. Some parts of those texts put very great importance upon obedience to God, willingness to suffer for a greater good, and intolerance of any kind for sinners' actions. But while much of that has been loosened in, say, Turkey, and while it has been loosened considerably for the majority of the Christian faith, a large part of the more undeveloped areas of the Middle East really believe that. Homosexuality is a sin and isn't tolerated; adultery is a sin and isn't tolerated; leaving the true faith for a false one isn't tolerated. That's just how most people think, at least in certain areas. The issue is that "sin" includes decadence, having women overrule their husbands, being immodest, and a lot of other things that Europe, Canada, America, Australia, et cetera are known for. We think it's normal; some people in certain areas think it is quite evil, and believe that it is doing God's will to "encourage" better/less sinful behavior by any means. Thus, suicide bombing, beheading journalists, sending death threats to anyone who draws Mohammad in an unflattering way, the whole shebang. It is done to enforce God's will, and that is certainly not a bad thing in some people's eyes, although many people in the West see it as a terrible thing. Now: I'm not trying to explain everything and I am definitely not trying to make anyone feel bad. Every Muslim and Christian I know personally, including family members, believes that the terrorists' actions are immoral - that God, who has 99 names including the All Merciful, would never condone the actions of the September 11th terrorists nor the actions of the Madrid train bombers - nor any other terrorist act, for that matter. We are, in a sense, very "modern" in our beliefs. But just as there is a large section of the populace of certain undeveloped countries that hasn't personally seen an air conditioner, so there is a large section of the populace that haven't heard anything but the most reactionary, fundamental interpretation of the qu'ran and the hadith. These are where terrorists tend to come from. (A few come from better-off areas and just become 'sucked in' by those same reactionary imams' arguments - the equivalent of a decent, well-mannered Christian man who gets involved in the KKK. Unjustifiable, yes, and I don't understand why they do it, but it happens.) And them's my two cents. I know I didn't address eco-terrorism or school shootings or whatever, although in the former case I think it still boils down to violently supporting a cause that is "always right." Again, I'm not trying to tick anyone off, and I could be wrong. But that is how the situation seems to me.
id say attention is the purpose and to look through their eyes i would not do, as they clearly have not bothered to look through ours
I'm with you on this one PL, although apparently it is due to their beliefs, more like them being brainwashed though. Terrorists disgust me, sorry but they do.
"Terrorists disgust me. Sorry but they do." Huh?! Don't be sorry. My point of view would be more like, "Terrorists don't disgust you? What kind of weirdo are you?" Yay for countries and groups that actually use diplomacy to solve their grudges . . . *sigh*
the purpose of terrorists is obviously, to 'terrorize'!... and that's what they do... if you mean what is their motivation, then it depends on who and where... some do it to gain attention to their cause, whatever that might be... some do it because they're brainwashed by their religious leaders to think their god wants them to do it and/or because they'll get a better life in heaven, if they commit suicidal terrorist acts, and their lives are so awful, that's a way out that will supposedly reward them... some do it out of greed... for the money/power they think it will gain them, if they're successful... there's no one-purpose-fits-all... terrorism is global... it was rampant in ireland for generations, and spilled over into england, not all that long ago... the unibomber practiced his own version of it in the us... the brown shirts used it to great success in building up hitler's power base, prior to WWII... the catholic church used it horrifically, to hold its flock in thrall, during the inquisition... currently, acts of terrorism are committed on a daily basis in so many parts of the world, for so many different reasons/purposes, it would take me more time than i have now, to just list them all... oddly enough, i can't think of a single cold area of the planet that is so bedeviled... hot climates = hot tempers?...
