Where does terrorism come from?

I think most often it comes from frustration of the voiceless. Please don’t misinterpret this as sympathy. It is not. But that’s essentially where I think it comes from.

Deprive them of natural healthy outlets such as sex and alcohol.

Convince them that the things they cannot have are evil. Hollywood, 30 year old single malt scotch and miniskirts for example.

Channel this pent up frustration and envy, yes envy and give them a bomb laden vest.

Terrorism can be viewed as an act of guerilla warfare. It is perpetrated against civilians and is meant to cause panic and fear.

Its origins are complex. To say the people doing it are extremists intent upon killing is inadequate. We have to look closely at their reasons for violence and war. There is something in their experience that makes war acceptable. I cannot fathom it, but for them, war is reasonable.

Where all fanatic and militant behaviors arise from. Blind adherence and following of unquestioned teachings, traditions,belief systems and programming.

I believe terrorism is a symptom that comes about from individuals with extreme personalities and tendencies.

You start with a narrative of oppression by a much more powerful outside force.

You add an ideological support system. This provides the rationale for behavior that would otherwise be unconscionable, reframing it as heroism.

You then sell this package to people who long for a sense of purpose, or respect (or even just adventure), telling them that here is a way that even they can make a real mark and gain respect.

This is such a complicated question. It starts with marginalization. With people who feel excluded, persecuted, ignored, disadvantaged, treated as ‘the other’. If you add the idealistic fervour of youth, you have a fertile space in which to plant the seeds of terrorist thought. Bring in hunger for power and control, wrapped in fundamentalist beliefs, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Ignorance, hatred, anger…repeat.

Terrorism stems from fervent belief in an ideology that purports to be the one true path to nirvana for mankind. Sometimes politics, but more usually religion.

The failings of society manifest themselves as random acts of violence when confined to the individual. When attached to a group, they become terrorist acts.

Can I say mostly from Middle Eastern countries without being called a racist? (I prefer to see this question as literal as it could be). Judging from the quantity of incidents (speculatedly) originating from those places, of course.

@Unofficial_Member mostly from Middle Eastern countries…

Terrorization has always been employed by revolutionaries no less than by kings, as a means of impressing their enemies, and as an example to those who were doubtful about submitting to them… Gustave LeBon (1841–1931)

I don’t see the first statement above as racist, rather as reflective of recent history. Terrorism can be defined as the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. It is a term that is seldom used by those who are labeled as terrorists. In many cases, one side’s terrorist is the other side’s freedom fighter.

Some sources claim that the Sicarii, an splinter group affiliated with the first-century Zealots(Judea), although it is disputed among historians whether they were truly a terrorist organization. Some have recently even said the the actions of Moses, and the plagues visited on the Egyptians and their children, would qualify as terrorism.

To be sure, the Sicarii were also from the Middle East, as were the medieval Nizari Ismailis, also known as the Hashishim, or Assassins. But other historical acts of terrorism were not confined to that region. The first contemporaneous use of the term terrorism seems to be in connection with the Jacobin(politics) movement of the French Revolution. Some would even use the label on the participants in the Boston Tea Party in the US Revolution..

So, terrorism is not a “Middle Eastern” phenomenon, nor is it a modern phenomenon. It is a violent political tool, usually used by those who think it is the only way to achieve their political ends.

Thank you, everyone. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and your input helped.