Terrorism is not motivated by religion .

originally posted by: IlTuoFratello
a reply to: radarloveguy

Allahu Akhbar! *Suicide belt explosion* *gunshots*

Right...

I'm a christian trying to explain how and why terrorism exists .

So FAIL on your post .

originally posted by: radarloveguy
a reply to: OccamsRazor04

My point is that Western interference within the
boundaries of their historical Caliphate is their main gripe .
Their lives are secondary to their allegiance to that 'homeland' .

That causes terrorism , albeit enabled by extremist irreligious leaders .

Except you have people with no connection to that homeland, who are ethnically European even, and the only connection is religion. Sorry your hypothesis failed, but it did.

It's their SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS homeland. Sorry but in the end it always comes back to religion.

a reply to: Kapusta

Since the time of Muhammad and after these groups have been around.

Did you just say a mouthful?

I personally think it is people who have a thug mentality, resentment, hatred, and violent tendencies.

They latch on to a religious ideology because it gives them a "righteous" excuse to act out, and Islam has the tools to use (doctrinal interpretations) to enable them to do their dirty deeds in the name of Allah.

originally posted by: angeldoll
a reply to: Kapusta

Since the time of Muhammad and after these groups have been around.

Did you just say a mouthful?

I am sorry can you elaborate a bit more please

originally posted by: radarloveguy

I'm a christian trying to explain how and why terrorism exists.

So, FAIL on your post.

You know what, if someone straps on a suicide belt and detonates their own self while screaming religious statements, in a specific language, regarding a specific religion, then the terrorism is motivated and comforted by and through religion, at least at some level. You have made some all-exclusive sweeping statements about religion not being a motivation at all.

I think you'd do better admitting that yes indeed, religion plays a part, and that religion is an integral factor of the socio-cultural heritage of that region.

As for your logic that you being a Christian explaining terrorism somehow makes me a hypocrite, it is exactly the same as a war veteran exclaiming that deaths caused by American military personnel and equipment have no American related motivation, because he's a military veteran.

It's really quite absurd, though I don't pretend to understand your intents. You're either really this clueless and illogical, you're trolling, you're delusional, you're having fun trying to make a fool out of people taking you serious, or something else, but regardless of your intents, your logic and statements, if taken seriously, do not represent reality.

Good luck!

a reply to: IlTuoFratello



and President Assad said ...

President Assad:" No, actually, no. It’s not a religious war.
It’s between people who deviated from the real religion,
mainly of course, Islam, towards extremism, which we don’t
consider as part of our religion. It’s a war between the real
Muslims and the other extremists. This is the core of the war
today. Of course, they give it different titles; war against
Christians, war about other sects. This is only headlines the
extremists use to promote their war, but the real issue is
the war between them and the rest of the Muslims, the
majority who are mainly moderate.

Question 22: Even if they kill in the name of God? They kill saying Allah Akbar?

President Assad: Exactly, that’s how they can promote their war.
That’s why they use these holy words or phrase, in order to
convince the other simple people in this region that they are
fighting for Allah, for God, which is not true. And some of them,
they use it with knowing that this is not true, and some of them
are ignorant and they believe that this is a war for God. That’s
the deviation, that’s why I said it’s a deviation; they are people
who deviated from real Islam with knowing or without knowing."
www.globalresearch.ca... qatar-support-isis/5490372

So the extremists are using religion as a pretext for their death cult .

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

since i have no clue how to include quotes from other sources, i'm writing this as such (it is not written by me, for the record):

why is it religion? Well, because religion is an important identifier. It gives shelter and secures values. It offers belonging and personal cornerstones for moral guidance. It’s a home and a family and can constitute a major part of a person’s identity. Religion can be a powerhouse.
Terrorists claim that religious texts, or at least their interpretations of those texts, inspire them to fight and kill infidels or other opponents to their cause. So it seems simple and logic to go along with the narrative of the attackers and find the answer to the question, as to the “why”, in the religion. The religion offers the inspiration and the collective, it offers the words of the “all mighty” and the terrorists find justification for their violent actions in their interpretation of those words.
But then again the fast majority of those who identify with the same religion claim that it is all wrong. The correct interpretation of the religion is non-violent and peaceful. And based on the facts, that claim seems correct. Most religious people are non-violent individuals. So it’s not the religion that is the issue, but the weird thinking of some.

In order to understand as of why certain Europeans are attracked to, radicalise and convert to the extremist interpretation of the religion, we need to explore the motivation of these young people. Scholars have done that, and among others, they list the following:
there is a diversity of reasons that drive people to make that choice. Lack of other, more attractive, propositions is just one off them. Grievances about injustice and societal or collective political exclusion yet another. Anger and frustration about a failing governance system is not unusual. One comes across feelings of humiliation and alienation. And not unusual also is the idea to be occupied or dominated by foreign powers. All these reasons are found. Along with pure excitement and potential of fame and a reason to live and die for. It changes with time and place.

You will notice the absence of religion in this list of motivations. So again: “what does religion have got to do with it?” The answer is rather simple. Religion offers identity and a home. It is the cover that is put on top of the driving motivations by those that recruit amongst the angry restless youngsters that seek to find a way to express anger and frustration. Those that feel excluded, humiliated or oppressed, are brought under the comforting umbrella of the religion. And interpretations do the rest to justify actions, identify and dehumanize the “other”.
Religion, and what it offers to people, is abused by the brokers of violence. That abuse is not inherent to (a specific) religion. Since religion is an identifier it can offer consolation and shelter to the homeless and the seeker. to the angry and the humiliated. And that is exactly what happens. Abuse and falsification. It works.

source

In the 70's and 80's Europe had a number of communist terror groups that referred to violence for their cause. The RAF in Germany, the CCC in Belgium, Brigate Rosse in Italy, Action Directe in France. Young, middle-class white people were attracked to these organisations, and the reason and motivation as to why has been studied. Parrallels can be drawn. An interesting work about the similarities can be found here

RadarLoveGuy:

Blaming religion as the cause of terrorist activity is a simplistic generalisation. Convenient, but wrong.

The way you have written what I have quoted of you could be construed as correct when viewed with a very narrow perspective. Religion doesn't 'cause' terrorism, but when you widen your perspective you see the real truth, and that is terrorism is used in the cause of religion, and it has done so throughout its history.

The Muslim world today is at war with itself ideologically. Not all Muslims are fanatics and extremists or fundamentalist. Christianity has had it zealots, its fanatics and fundamentalists, and still does. Yes, social injustice and disenfranchisement can breed individuals who use terror tactics to hit back, which just goes to show that 'terrorism' is an act to further a 'cause', or an idea, or an agenda. When an Islamic extremist with explosives strapped to his or her body runs into a crowded place screaming "Allah Akbur!" as he or she detonates the explosives, we can determine that their cause is an ideological one based around the idea of Islam.

originally posted by: radarloveguy
Their faith has been perverted by extremism , which is against the wishes of our Creator .

You mean 'your' Creator, not 'our' Creator. Don't speak for me or everyone else on ATS, as not everyone on here shares you beliefs.

By saying 'our', the all inclusive pronoun, when not all ARS members have voiced that same belief, is incorrect and sounds very much like the rhetoric used by the religious extremists.

Terrorism is not motivated by religion 

How about " Terrorism is motivated by Twisting religion."

a reply to: hillbilly4rent

What we are seeing in today's time is religion utilized by evil, or evil in the form of religion. I've gone over the logic on this in an attempt to preserve my sanity and grip on this situation in the eyes of others, but I believe at the core of this it should be thought of as such: evil will grab onto anything to justify and legitimize its actions, and we cannot always comprehend what evil is and why it exists, but it does.

I believe these people are just plain evil!

Let's just say that Isis get their way and end up ruling the world. You think they will suddenly become peaceful?

They are motivated by hate, murder, torture, rape etc etc You can't take that away from them, like you can't take away a serial killers need to kill.

At the end of the day, them love the murder and torture because that's who they are.

And I am sure if the devil appeared to them and said I will let you rule the planet for your soul, they would say yes .

So, religon is just something they hide behind. Gives them the excuse to fulfil their sociopathic needs.