explanations of terrorism cultural perspective

1. explanations of terrorism cultural perspective

2. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence culture, religion and terrorism some basic points • Most culturalists would agree that there is a strong relationship between culture and political violence • the relationship, however, should not be described as strictly causal • consider the following statements …

3. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence culture, religion and terrorism particular cultures make or “breed” terrorists culture can make large-scale terrorism possible* * under certain conditions and in certain political, social or economic contexts; moreover, pretty much any culture--from Islamic, to Hindi, to Christian, to Jewish-- has this same potential whichstatement better reflects a contemporary cultural perspective? why?

4. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence culture, religion and terrorism a discussion of therelationship betweenculture and terrorismwith former terrorists pay careful attentionto what is said aboutthe importance ofculture …

5. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence a reminder • culture or cultural factors do not act alone • the importance of culture as a variablemust always be understood within particular contexts

6. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence culture, religion and terrorism • while culture and cultural factors do not act alone, culture can still be said to have an autonomous effect insofar as culture may provide a necessary basis for collective action • one might say that without an appeal to cultural or religious symbols, certain collective undertaking would be difficult if not impossible too achieve • This is probably truer with terrorism than with other types of collective endeavors since becoming a terrorist requires an extraordinarily high level of commitment and risk--and sometimes certain death

7. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence culture, religion and terrorism • consider a key point made in the video segment: even relatively privileged individuals become terrorists • their behavior cannot be explained by rational factors alone; indeed, it would make much more sense for privileged individuals to free rideon the efforts of others • to fully explain their choices requires an understanding of how culture can have a fundamental impact on an individual’s identity, thinking, perceptions, andactions the saudi bin laden group (sbg)is a multinational constructionconglomerate, which has annualrevenues of $5 billion dollars

8. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence a case study to get a better sense of how analyze terrorism through a cultural lens, we should focus on a particular case …

9. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence culture, religion and terrorism the case of terrorism in lebanon begin with an appreciation of the larger context • prior to the emergence of terrorism in lebanon, lebanese society was characterized by the unequal division of political and economic privileges between Muslims and Christians • domestic inequality was exacerbated the country’s weak security situation, both domestically and internationally: Lebanon was subject to two military incursions by Israel, the first in 1978 and the second in 1982 • The dominant group in lebanon was supported by israel; the subordinate group was supported by iran

10. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence culture, religion and terrorism what role did culture play in the rise of terrorism in lebanon? was there a natural fit between “pure” islamic values, practices, and beliefs, on the one hand, and terrorism on the other hand? how did culture intersect with politics and other social and economic forces in lebanon? some questions

11. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence some answers islamic values were co-opted to justify or legitimize terrorist violence, especially with regard to the use of suicide bombers background image: sayyed muhammed hussein fadallah

12. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence some answers the use of suicide attacks was justified in the following manner: when an enemy cannot be attacked through conventional means, then the combatant must fight with “special means,” which includes purposefully sacrificing one’s own life but “such an undertaking differs little from that of a soldier who fights and knows that in the end he will be killed these two situations lead to death; except that one fits in with conventional procedures of war, and the other does not”; thus, “there is no difference between dying with a gun in your hand or exploding yourself”

13. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence some answers • the ayatollah’s religious justification of suicide terrorism was just one step in a long path of bringing islamic values and political violence together • the concept of jihad (“striving for justice”) was also co-opted to legitimize violence

14. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence key point • the co-optation of cultural values served a clear (political) purpose, namely, it helped legitimize and “islamize” all the activities undertaken or sanctioned by hizbollah • the islamization of its activities allowed the organization to claim a divine role, which, in turn, conferred an obligation on the part of all muslims to support, or at least not oppose, the actions of the group

15. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence it was an effective strategy the views, perceptions and actions of ordinary people were profoundlyinfluenced by the manipulation of culture culture, in short, made terrorism on a collective basis possible

16. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence a note what happened in lebanon happens almost everywhere. all the time. nationalismis an effective substitute for religion. it leads ordinary citizens to willingly die for their country. nationalism, as terrorism does, makes large-scale, organized violencepossible. considerthis

17. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence the iraq war a culturalist might argue that the waragainst iraq was made possible by an appeal to patriotic values ordinary americans were made to believe that the war was not only necessary, but also just onlyculture can explain why so many americans are willing to fight and die in an “unnecessary” war

18. what makes aterrorist?explainingpolitical violence culture, religion and terrorism summing up • the rise of political violence in lebanon was a complex process that involved social, political, economic and cultural factors; external political relations were also significant • culture, however, played an indispensable role in spurring and sustaining violentsubstate activism • no study of contemporary political violence can afford to ignore the impact of culture the end of our lecture and course