Psychology of Terrorism

Psychology of Terrorism

Reading

1. Moral Psychology of Terrorism (2013) Introduction

2. Horgan, J. G. (2017). Psychology of terrorism: Introduction to the special issue. American Psychologist, 72(3), 199-204. doi:10.1037/amp0000148

Original Question:

For this week’s Forum, respond to the following: This week, in our forum, we consider the ways in which fundamentalism has been a foundational basis of terrorist structure. Seen in societal roots, fundamentalist approaches have been used to separate factions within the larger society, a method favorable for terrorist conditions.

Unger (2002) noted, “That worldviews share certain features, including abdication of moral responsibility to a source outside oneself…” (p.44). In what Unger (2002) identifies as “ideology-maintaining mechanisms”, individuals are able to discard the views of others not sharing similar “truths” (p. 44).

· After reviewing the course materials for the week, discuss the role identify religious fundamentalism has had in the display of terrorist organization and behavior from a historical perspective that you perceive as most influential.

· Share your thoughts on whether fundamentalism can be a positive force in the preventing terrorist engagement, as well as a negative force in promoting such engagement. Provide details to support your rationale.

Reference

Unger, R. (2002). Them and us: Hidden ideologies-differences in degree or kind? Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 43-52.

Reply to the following response with 200 words minimum. (please make response as if having a conversation, respond directly to some of the statements in below post. This is not providing an analysis of the original post. Respectfully address it and even ask clarifying or additional questions.)

1.

The lesson for this week entails what Islamic Fundamentalism is which happens to be a form of their expression against social, cultural, and political transformation of any type of society, which they consider to be modernism, either in the Middle East, North Africa, and or several former Republicans of the Soviet Union (Marte, 2017).

Leaders of Islamists ideology will use their religious beliefs to convince their supporters to revolt against modernism because it will undermine their ways of their belief system, which is the Islamic religion and they will use Fatwa or killing, to prevent anyone who undermines them (Martre, 2017).

Leaders also promote violence in the name of their religion and the use of violence is in response to any types of conflicts that may arise, or any types of disagreements that may ensue. Islamic clergies use their traditional culture values in order to justify hatred and dehumanization to those that do not believe in what they do, and this belief dates back centuries. The origin of this type of political violence in the Middle East is centuries old and it’s violence and terrorism attacks have risen because of the rise of political Islam in Iran (Marte, 2017).

I for one do not believe that the Islamic Fundamentalism is a positive notion to take or believe in, because the use of violence is not acceptable in our modern world. According to the Shi’a Ulama’s religious beliefs, they help to educate their people while they simultaneously will silence those that oppose them by issuing death sentences. How humane is that? To be forced to believe in a religious cult that endorses death and violence? I know from our readings that terrorists believe that their acts of violence are justifiable and moral, and that they are trained to believe in this type of ideology (Marte, 2017).

April Pierotti

Works Cited:

Marte, Liam (2017) Chapter 8 One and Invisible Retrieved From http://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/lib/apus/reader.action?doc

2.

Fundamentalism is an unwavering faith to a religious belief system (Roshandel, 2013). I believe that religion becomes an ideological issue when the followers of that religion cannot tolerate the existence of those who have different views or beliefs, and when they feel that their interpretation of its religious text is the only right one and refuse to accept any way of understanding the religion other than their own way of understanding. Modern terrorism appears, in my opinion, to fall into two forms; Religious ideology and Political ideology. Sometimes the two overlap such as in cases of abortion clinic attacks in which there are religious and political issues at play. Other times, however, they are separated, such as in the case of Timothy McVeigh, a registered republican, and the Oklahoma City bombing which had no religious aspect only political. Whether acting alone or in a group, terrorists seem to be almost always rigid in their political beliefs and/or most commonly religious. I believe that the combination of both factors, extreme religious and political beliefs combined with violent rhetoric is the primary motivation behind the violent and extremist behaviors.

Radical Islam, as discussed in our lesson, has numerous motivators. Religious misinterpretation or selective interpretation of their holy book, the Qur’an is often used to justify their violent actions ( Holbrook, 2010). Some members of extremist groups see their religion as the answer to all problems be it political or religious. Those who hold extreme beliefs in the Qur’an, take issue with democracy because it goes against the fundamental belief that only God can legislate unlike democracy where the people govern themselves.

References:

Roshandel, J., & Lean, N. (2013). The Moral Psychology of Terrorism: Implications for Security. Cambridge, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Holbrook, D. (2010). Using the Qur’an to justify terrorist violence: Analyzing selective application of the Qur’an in English-language militant Islamic discourse. Terrorism Research Initiative, 4(3).

3.

The Western perception of religious fundamentalism has dramatically changed aftermath 9/11. Rather than a positive force to an extent, it has attributed immensely negative associations since then. Consequently, the westernized paradigm strategically focuses on the means of prevention of terrorist engagement artificially disguised beyond the mask of religious fundamentalism. The latter presents a major belief system in which faith is used for violent purposes and deadly extremes. A sacred religious text presents the absolute authority of certain deity for the fanatical followers. There is no room for doubt or criticism of such beliefs, while fundamentalists enforce their worldviews on others beyond any logical rationale, scientific evidence or counter-arguments. In due context, Rhoda Unger (2002) claims that “worldviews share certain features including abdication of moral responsibility to a source outside oneself…” (p. 44). He further coins up “ideology-maintaining mechanisms” wherein individuals discard the views of others without sharing similar “truths” (p. 44). These messages apply to the wider comprehension of religious fundamentalism and its role in a historical perspective.

Religious fundamentalists apply religion as a means of living their daily lives and persuading others to share their belief system. Unfortunately, they often use force and violence to achieve their goals. The dissemination of global terrorism over the past two decades by major Islamic terrorist organizations (incl. al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Boko Haram) serves as the most vivid proof of this. The fundamentalist attitudes are primarily oriented against Western civilization, which fundamentalists associate with secular modernization and take as a threat to genuine Islamic values (Peterson, Doty, & Winter 1993).

Overall, religious fundamentalists (especially the inspired terrorist organizations and their fanatical members) bear direct responsibility for thousands of innocent deaths of civilians around the world. Religious fundamentalism only boosts wider terrorist engagement, and therefore, cannot be a positive force. The ongoing implications showcase religious fundamentalism as a narrow-minded, one-sided and limited worldview that fails to accept alternative stances and modern ideas. Fundamental beliefs literally breed paranoia among its members and provoke aggressive behavior toward non-believers.

References

Peterson, B. E., Doty, R. M., & Winter, D. G. (1993). Authoritarianism and attitudes toward contemporary social issues. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 19, 174–184.

Unger R. K. (2002). Them and Us: Hidden Ideologies – Differences in Degree or Kind? Brandeis University, Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, pp. 43–52.

** Please don’t just rephrase their info, but respond to it. Remember to answer question at the end if there is one. **

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