Before one can define a terrorist, the following needs to be read, especially if you are Jewish or Christian. I ask that we learn from a Jewish man who lived 3,000 years ago.
Judges 16:
28Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" 29And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. 30Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.
God sanctioned this action and brought glory to Samson in his own death by bringing the death to thousands of Philistines with him. The moral of the story is simple, whenever ones life becomes their own living hell, they will take their own life, and we see much of this in America today. But also, if this living hell is thrust upon them by another through oppression, as Samson was enduring from the Philistine's, suicide and taking the life and their oppressor’s life is the last and final result. Some call this desperation, I have to ask why would one man allow another to drive someone to this point? Trying to weed out terrorism of an oppressed community without addressing the oppression is like trying to eliminate malaria by killing one mosquito at a time, it is hopeless and soon you will be overwhelmed.
Acts of terror have occurred since Cain killed Able, and suicide killers have been around since at least the time of Samson. To understand Terrorism let us look at it from a more personal perspective we can all understand. In most every case, a man is going to be the strongest in the family and therefore, in any relationship, the man can overpower the woman, this is why a man must respect a woman at all times. When this respect is not given and becomes verbally abusive, we can see repression set in. When the situation escalates even once, and turns physically abusive, the man quickly uses this power, or "Terror," to control her. By definition, this man, because he is the dominant force and has been using repression, becomes a "Terrorist." We, in America, have laws against making "Terrorist Threats" against another and is almost always applied upon the man and rarely ever the woman. Under this form of tyranny, the woman may respond to his actions with an act of "Terror," such as Farrah Fawcett did in the movie, "The Burning Bed." Because she is the oppressed, she can not be in the same classification of "Terrorist" as the man because this act of "Terror" was the result of the "Terror" and "Oppression" she was under. Yet, her actions does not exempt herself from being held accountable for her actions. Understanding this is vital because now we can see that not all acts of terror are performed by terrorists.
But now let us look at this from even another aspect, what if this woman was married to an official who had extreme power and when she sought out help he was able to use his authority to prevent any reports or investigation from taking place. If she runs, he hunts her down and there is no escape, no justice, no freedom. In her state of oppression she may respond in an act of terror, but this action could also be considered "Self-Defense." This form of oppression does exist in many areas of the world and sometimes in our communities too, and when this does happen it must be investigated and determined on an individual basis.
Definition of Terrorism
Terrorism is the act of invoking fear or terror upon any individual or group of people for their own personal, religious and/or political gain, AND the person or party is not under the state of oppression by another person or group of individuals.
Let us be careful in defining terrorism so that our definition assures us that Samson is not classified into this group. This definition clearly defines terrorism and can group Hitler, Bin Laden, Taliban, Al Qaeda, Mussolini, and yes, Saddam Hussein as terrorists. After defining this to Ahmad and knowing Ahmad lived in Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s control for ten years he told me, “That definition would make Hussein a terrorist.” Even the Arabs agree with this definition. The Palestinian's should never be grouped within the same categories as Hitler, Bin Laden. or Sadaam Husien for this reason.
