Throughout history, there have been those who take a literalist point of view, interpreting texts and edicts at face value, and acting upon such statements with a very low degree of understanding. This has resulted in what is currently known as “extremism”, and has unfortunately become very prevalent in the world today. This can be seen through the many political and religious groups that misinterpret information and act off of their own beliefs in an attempt to practise a more radicalised version of their faith. While fundamentalism and extremism are possible in every belief and position one holds, religious extremism has become much more common in the present day. Religious groups across the world have been forming terrorist …show more content…
This has given birth to terrorist group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which has a vision to establish a multi-party democracy in Uganda, and to be able to rule the country by the ten commandments. Founded in 1987, this organization has committed multiple human rights violations, as Jamie Stokes, an American journalist states: “For more than 20 years the LRA has engaged in massacres, mutilations, sexual slavery, and the forced recruitment of children, bringing chaos to northern Uganda.”Lead by Joseph Kony, a self proclaimed spokesperson of God and head of the resistance movement, acts of violence are carried out frequently against those who oppose their ideologies and beliefs. Rather than using peaceful political procedures in order to achieve their goal, this group has taken up arms and used violent means to force its message to the people of Uganda. The second Christian extremist group was motivated by white supremacist values, which preached violence against Catholic and African-American communities. Composed of Protestant Christians and founded in 1866 as a result of the downfall of the confederate south, the Ku Klux Klan is responsible for a countless number of bombings of black churches and schools, as well as many arson and lynch attacks. With both political and religious motivations against catholic and left wing sentiments, the nature of this group is accurately described by Edward Queen:“The Klan reemerged in the 1980s, this time affiliated with
what they do and to whom. Pape is trying to convey that "suicide terrorism is rising around the
The group known as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was first founded in 1866. The KKK was organized by white supremacist to go against the Republicans Reconstruction-era policies. The members of the group formed in the southern states. They met secretly and formed a campaign to intimidate and use violent acts of discrimination towards both white and black Republican leaders. The Ku Klux Klan had laws passed against them, to stop there acts of injustice, which was considered terrorism. The Ku Klux Klan was a group that formed three times, and had different phases. The reformatted in the early 20th century, and came back stronger than the were before. They held rallies, burned homes and people, burnt crosses, and held marches against immigrants and other religions. Another phase was after the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s the activity was very violent
Perhaps the most famous terrorist organization in the history of America, the Ku Klux Klan, better known as the “KKK”, was originated in 1866 by a group of six confederate veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee. Although the Klan “had no malicious intentions” according to (Eyewitness to History). As we all know, that fact quickly changed. Throughout the next few years, this group spread to all southern states. It is followers included mayors, judges, police officers, and even convicted felons. This group of people began killing black people, black politicians, and white people who sided with the blacks. They were famous for burning large crosses in the homes and neighborhoods of blacks, and setting fire to churches in which they knew a large amount of blacks attended their masses each
Religious terrorism is regularly portrayed as demonstrations of unreasonable, silly and indiscriminate violence, along these lines offering few, if any what really spur religious terrorism measures. This presumption about religious terrorism comes from different nations, groups and individual’s. Unbalanced regard for prophetically catastrophic terrorism, and an absence of qualification between religious terrorism and its mainstream partner. This article, in this manner, expects to do four things: characterize and separate religiously inspired terrorism, confidence, and activism along the lines of faith and violence. Furthermore, prescribe a scope of religion, confidence, and terrorism systems in view of these perceptions.
Islam extremists believe in "jihad" which is interpreted by traditional clerics and Muslim scholars, the word speaks of spiritual struggle against sin. This can include fighting an attacker, but when it does, it has specific rules that bar indiscriminate killing. The word can also refer to the believer's internal striving for self-improvement. But within the dictionary of Islamic extremists, it has connoted acts of exceptional violence against governments that are deemed as non-Muslim or inadequately Islamic. This has led to include the launching of deliberate attacks against innocent civilians, essentially, terrorism. From the perspective of totalitarian ideologues, societies that reject the call for total revolutionary transformation are
One reason that religion becomes a source of political violence is the hostility some have to changing times. Some believe that modernization has led the world down an evil path away from religion. Another reason political violence is linked to religion is that there is a belief that modern states try to suppress believers. Radicals even think that others wish to exterminate believers. They don’t see violence as violence against civilians, but instead violence of good versus evil. The third reason religion can be linked to political violence is that some groups hold extreme messianic, apocalyptic, and utopian beliefs. Violence is an important ritual for some extreme religious groups. Currently ISIS is a prime example of political violence linked to religion. ISIS wants to enforce their views of conservative Islamic traditions. The leaders of ISIS are referred to as caliphs, which are seen as political successors to Muhammad (“Islamic State.” 2014). Some individuals that carry out terrorist attacks in the name of certain religious terrorist groups like ISIS, see violence as a way to add meaning to their live and achieve religious goals. This type of violence would be individually explained, because it is personal factors that lead them to carry out the
The purpose of this paper is to annotate four sources that I will analyze for my final research paper. These sources focus on the following items: (a) Comparing Muslim converts and non-converts in the United States, (b) the psychology of radicalization, (c) the risk of radicalization and terrorism, and (d) how we can combat homegrown radicalization and terrorism. By analyzing these sources, I will be able to develop in-depth reasoning on this topic and complete the research paper.
Founded before the “Anarchist Wave”, The Ku Klux Klan is a white supremacist organization that has been in existence for over 150 years. They are mainly known today for their violent acts of rebel terrorism against the Christian, Jewish and African American communities. The Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, is made up of 3 separate movements that have been around for all “Four Waves of Rebel Terror”.
My understanding of extremism is that it’s a term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards. In democratic societies, individuals or groups which advocate that democracy should be replaced with some kind of authoritarian regime are usually branded extremists.
The Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign that started in 1987. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group was led by Joseph Kony. Kony proclaims himself as the “spokesperson” of god. His objective is to overthrow the Ugandan government, establishing a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments and Acholi tradition.
The Lord’s Resistance Army, or the LRA, is Africa’s most violent armed group and also the oldest. Joseph Kony formed the LRA in 1986 in northern Uganda, to fight against the Ugandan Government. At the height of the conflict, about two million people were displaced in northern Uganda. Since the LRA never gained public support, they turned to forcible recruitment to build up their army (“The Lord’s Resistance Army”). Kony, and the LRA believe that Uganda should be governed and run based on the 10 Commandments. They rely on the application of terror in order to keep their campaign alive. The war in Uganda being
One can scarcely turn on the television, or the radio, or open up a web browser without the mention of Islamic terrorism or unrest around the world. Though the United States and the rest of the world may not be engaged in a protracted religious war, for radical Muslim fundamentalist they are. Bernard Lewis brings to light possible reasons for the issues facing the world dealing with Islamic terrorism. The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror explains these issues in historical context as well as how some of the actions professed in the name of Islam and claim to
Who is the Lord’s Resistance Army? The LRA is a rebel Christian cult that has “terrorized” Uganda for nearly thirty years. In 1986, the LRA began as an “evolution of the Holy Spirit Movement.” Led by Alice Lakwena, the Holy Spirit Movement was a rebellion against the oppression of North Uganda by their president, Yoweri Museveni.(invisible children, 2014) Claiming that she was possessed by the spirit of a long-dead Italian soldier, Lakwena was seen unfit to remain the leader of the Holy Spirit Movement. When she was exiled in 1987, Joseph Kony, her supposed cousin, took over the group, renaming it the Lord’s Resistance Army. With hopes of bringing down the Ugandan
Religion teaches goodness and violence is rarely found, if ever, within the teachings (Winchester, 1). Terrorists, though, need a justification for their actions and so they must dig through scriptures to find a reason (Gibson, 2). Religion and terrorism is a major controversy because of all the different opinions and facts.
Fundamentalism and Religion For a vast majority, the term “fundamentalism” evokes images of hostage crises, embassies under siege, hijackings, and suicide bombers. But these images hardly present a comprehensive picture. People in the west associate fundamentalism with Islam, this is indeed a mistaken belief. Fundamentalism is defined as " the affirmation of religious authority as holistic and absolute, admitting of neither criticism nor reduction; it is expressed through the collective demand that specific creedal and ethical dictates derived from scripture be publicly recognized and legally enforced ." (Lawrence)