What
Is Terrorism?
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Terrorism is distinguished from other acts of
violence, and from war, by always having these four characteristics: 1)
Terrorists violate the rules of modern warfare, established in acts
called the Geneva Conventions and Hague Conventions; or they are actors
(e.g., sub-state groups) who can't declare war legitimately; 2) Its goal is to achieve political change; 3) Its targets are symbolic of the political issue in question;
4) Acts of terror are designed to get attention from
the public and media. Violent acts on behalf of
political change are as old as human history. The Sicarii were a first
century Jewish group who murdered enemies and collaborators in their
campaign to oust their Roman rulers from Judea.
The Hashhashin, whose name gave us the English word "assassins," were a
secretive Islamic sect active in Iran and Syria from the 11th to the 13th
century. Their dramatically executed assassinations of Abbasid and Seljuk
political figures terrified their contemporaries.
Zealots and assassins were not, however, really terrorists in the modern
sense. Terrorism is best thought of as a modern phenomenon. Its
characteristics flow from the international system of nation-states, and its
success depends on the existence of a mass media to create an aura of terror
among many people.
[Source: About.com]
Arab-Israeli Conflict
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The Arab-Israeli conflict is a modern phenomenon,
which dates back to the end of the 19th century. The conflict became a major
international issue after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1917, and in
various forms it continues to this day. The Arab-Israeli conflict has
resulted in at least five major wars and a number of "minor conflicts". It
has also been the source of two major Palestinian intifadas (uprisings) and
is cited by al-Qaeda, a largely Arab organization, as one of the reasons for
its conflict with the Western world.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Articles
The World's Longest War
David Carlin, History News Network
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
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The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a part of the greater
Arab-Israeli conflict, is an ongoing dispute between the State of Israel and
Palestinian people (or state). The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a
simple two-sided discord with all Israelis (or even all Israeli Jews)
sharing one point of view and all Palestinians another. In both communities,
some individuals and groups advocate total territorial removal, or transfer,
of the other community, some advocate a two-state solution, and some
advocate a binational solution of a single secular state encompassing
present-day Israel, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. There
is a road that separates these two sides in Jerusalem.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Articles
A Brief History of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Nancy Salvato, The New Media Journal
Sunni-Shiite Conflict
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Shias record the start of the schism with the death of
Muhammad, and in their view, a violent coup d'état against Ali in his first
day as caliph, which they argue was automatic without recourse to an
election or a formal investiture. After that, Shias contend that they were
systematically persecuted and killed by the first three Caliphs of Islam,
with a brief respite ensuing during the caliphate of Ali, although he was at
constant war with those the Shia regarded as their enemies. Sunnis hold that
the schism did not begin at the accession of the first Caliph, Abu Bakr,
since Ali ultimately swore allegiance and served all his predecessors before
his own accession. Sunnis in general reject dynastic claims of the Prophet's
household to the Caliphate. They hold that First Islamic civil war between
Ali and the Umayyad Muawiyah I, whose 20 year rule Shias regard as the most
difficult in early Islam, marked the beginning of the breach.
[Source:
Answers.com.
Additional sources:
HyperHistory.net]
Articles
Succession to Muhammad
Wilferd Madelung, Wikipedia
The Shi'ite-Sunni Divide
Sultan Shahin, Asia Times
What are the Differences Between Shi'ite and Sunni
Muslims?
Dr. Kersten, About.com |
