Since the 9/11 attacks in America, the issue of terrorism has become important in the discussions of global security. Many countries have tried to establish counter-terrorism units or initiate programs like the Patriot Act to prevent acts of terrorism. Violence has been a feature of all societies, however, what differentiates terrorism from violence is that terrorism has its roots in politics. Terrorists who carry out the violent acts are trying to spread a political message, by inciting fear in the minds of the people. Many believe that many of the terrorism activities which are carried out are a result of religious ideologies. Al Qaeda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) are examples of organisations that use terrorism as a tool to spread religious propaganda.
Even though most terrorist activities are driven by religious extremism, it cannot be denied that there are other factors that play a role. Some acts of terrorism are also caused by political ideologies like the attack at Brighton Hotel which was carried out by the Irish Republican Army or the lynching of people by Ku Klux Klan which was driven by racism. In the 20th century, terrorism was caused by groups that were trying to fight for political ideologies. These groups were radicalised and attacked buildings and planted bombs to kill people. After the events of the second world war, many separatist groups were considered as terrorist organisations. The Palestine Liberation Organisation fought for freeing Palestine from Israel through armed struggle and the violence was targeted at Israeli civilians. Similarly, the Provisional Irish Republican Army that waged war against the British rule and carried out the bombings in Omagh, County Tyrone which killed 29 civilians, making it the worst single bombing in terms of civilian lives lost. In countries like Spain and India, there were similar separatist groups that caused people to question the legitimacy of these organisations.
The media attention that acts of terrorism get, leads to people becoming concerned about terrorist activities. In many countries, research and studies have been conducted on people. These studies and surveys have found that more than half of the population is concerned about being a victim of terrorism. In 2019, ‘What Worries the World Global Survey’ conducted by Ipsos found that 45% of Indian respondents were concerned about terrorism. Similarly, research by Gallup found that half of the US population were worried about being a victim of terrorism. Despite the perceived danger of terrorism, it is important to note that terrorism is accountable for only a small fraction of deaths worldwide. Close to 56 million people died in 2017; just over 26,000 of them from terrorism. Every 2000th death – 0.05% – were from terrorism.
Though terrorist attacks have declined in numbers since 2014, there is a fear of terrorism that still lingers. While many countries have adopted counter-terrorism measures that have led to a decline in the terrorist attack, terrorists still threaten many countries. These include countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. The demographic of the country has changed in present times, with terrorists carrying out violent attacks single-handedly. Though terrorism has declined in recent years, it remains a challenging issue globally. Many of the issues are inter-connected with between the current refugee crisis, terrorism, and conflict.
