2006年VOA标准英语-Experts Say Terrorists Motivated by Divers（在线收听）

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, DC
13 April 2006
 
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Terrorism existed thousands of years before the word entered European languages following the French Revolution in the late 18th century.  The violent and random tactics of terror have been used by groups on the political left and right, by religious fanatics of various faiths, by the rich and poor, by nationalists and revolutionaries.  VOA's Peter Fedynsky looks at the various motivations of those who engage in terrorism.

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September 11th terrorist Mohammed Atta hated America.  That is why he flew an airplane into a New York City skyscraper.  Ulrike Meinhof waged a terror campaign against West Germany.  Her reason?  Disenchantment with its society.   And well before he became a politician, former Israeli Prime Minister Menachim Begin was driven by a vision of an independent Jewish homeland to bomb a hotel in Jerusalem.  

Bruce Hoffman   
  

Whatever the reason - rational or irrational; political, economic, religious, or personal - terror specialist Bruce Hoffman of the RAND Corporation think tank says those who engage in terrorism believe they have no alternative.

"And that becomes the justification or the rationale for violence.   Often attached to that, or married to that is the catharsis of violence, in other words, the satisfaction they feel of the David against a Goliath, the weak striking out against the powerful," he said.

A common perception of a terrorist is that of a poor and ignorant individual who acts out of desperation.  But the Red Brigades, which terrorized Italy in the 1970's and 80's are but one example of organizations created by educated members of the middle class.  

 
Bard O'Neill 
  
Professor Bard O'Neill, Director of Insurgency Studies at the National War College in Washington, says another such group is Al Qaeda, which launched the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States.

"Al-Qaida people come from middle class backgrounds.  And when you begin to look at that, you find out that their motivation is very much psychological," he said.  "People who are searching for a sense of identity, a sense of respect, searching to address humiliation, these are the kinds of things that tend to motivate them, rather than poverty."

Professor O'Neill notes, however, that poverty is a factor in terrorism perpetrated by some Palestinian refugees.

Another powerful motivating force is religion.  The RAND Corporation's Bruce Hoffman says Islamic terrorist organizations that recruit members who are willing to die, redefine self-destruction as a social good.

"It becomes positive in the sense that if it's a religious context, the bomber is rewarded with a glorious ascent to heaven," he said, "but there's also financial and material incentives for the bomber's family that transcend both religious and secular groups.  The families themselves are often well taken care of and looked after."

Scholars say that Islamic terrorists who volunteer to die adhere to the concept of istishad, or martyrdom, which promises entry into paradise for those who go to their deaths in an attack against an enemy.  However, terrorism by definition targets innocent civilians, which violates Islamic teaching.  As a result, the prospective martyr is faced with a contradiction.

 
Dr. Radwan Masmoudi 
  
Dr. Radwan Masmoudi President of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy in Washington, D.C. says it is resolved by mentally denying the civilian status of innocents on buses and in restaurants. 

"They are saying that 'no, these are not really civilians.  They are somehow associated with this war and that is why we are targeting them.," he said.  "They know that it is clearly forbidden in Islam to kill civilians, so they have to find an explanation or a way to say these targets are not really civilians, they are somehow associated with the military."

In recent years, Osama Bin Laden and other terrorist leaders have portrayed the Western presence in the Muslim world as a humiliating social, economic and political attack on Islam.

Michael Scheuer, a former CIA officer who was involved in the hunt for Bin Laden, says U.S. foreign policy feeds that perception.

"Whether it's our unqualified support for Israel, our now military presence in Afghanistan, in the Philippines, and Iraq, our presence on the Arabian Peninsula, our physical presence is pushing that even further, the idea that jihad needs to be waged in defense of Islam," he said.

President Bush, however, says no grievance can justify the murder of innocents.  He adds that victory in Iraq will lead to success in the larger war against terror.

"By securing Iraqi democracy, we'll make America and our friends and allies around the world safer," he said.

Experts recognize that terrorism often works on a tactical level by raising public awareness about particular goals or grievances.  But they note that there are few examples of terrorists who gain and keep power without setting limits on violence and without an ability to peacefully engage in the art of politics.