Introduction
The question of what is terrorism has long been debated among theorists, experts, and politicians. Perhaps experts would have agreed on a single definition long ago if the problem had not included a religious component. When religion becomes an actor in the context of terrorism, brutal acts of violence can result. In current conditions, terrorism, unfortunately, has transformed into a large-scale and widespread socio-political phenomenon, which has a complex structure, features, and specificity, which is due to existing contradictions in modern society. However, religious motivation is the most radical, as the very basis of religion, a person who believes in post-mortem existence is the least subject to rational influence. All mass murders are terrorism, but they have temporal characteristics, and each branch of religious tradition affects the nature of the crimes.
Main body
One of the first currents to be considered within the framework of the research question is the Sicarians. A unique set of circumstances emerged in the Southern Levant in the middle of the first century, which created the environment for the emergence of violence among the Jews (Rapport 667). In today’s world, not everyone characterizes their activities as terrorism. However, the activity of the Sicarians against the Romans was violent and massive, which meets the definition of terrorism. The method of killing people in a crowd and then quickly slipping away from the scene was very disturbing to those around them. A distinctive feature of the Sicarians was that their aggression was primarily directed against other Jews whom they regarded as collaborators or indifferent to Roman domination (Rapport 665). They managed to get away with it quickly, due to their alleged behavior and the states’ intervention.
Assassins are also members of the secret Shiite Ismaili religious sect. The earliest mention of Assassins in Europe dates back to the first Crusades (Rapport 665). The secret organization, composed mainly of Persians, with a rigid internal hierarchy and discipline, passionate devotion to its leaders, as a result of terrorist activities and the atmosphere of secrecy that enveloped it, gained influence entirely out of proportion to its numbers. For nearly three centuries, this sect of suicidal fanatics terrorized virtually the entire early medieval world with mystical terror (Rapport 665). They are comparable to terrorists, for there was not a single person who could escape the death sentence handed down by the Assassins. Despite numerous guards and high impregnable walls, kings were killed on their thrones, and imams, sheiks, and sultans found death in their bedchambers.
Moreover, mention should be made of the Fancigarian current as one of the most brutal religious movements. The stranglers committed murders motivated by a sense of religious duty; their aim was murder, not the accompanying robbery, which coincides with the definition of terrorism. The Fansigars lived inconspicuously in the villages, fulfilling their social and civic duties with no recriminations. William Slimane was the first European to discover the religious nature of the Fansigars’ terrible activities: the murders were, for them, nothing more than sacrifices made in honor of the dark goddess Kali (Rapport 660). Many high-ranking Hindus in this criminal activity acted as customers of murders, patrons of gangs, and buyers of victims’ property. For the Fancigarians, murder was a creative act so eerily perverted by their minds infected with religious fanaticism. They perceived this terrifying creative act as a special privilege, and it gave the villains profound satisfaction.
Conclusion
The modern terrorist serves a political purpose that can only be achieved by human effort, and he chooses the most appropriate ends and means, not God. However, modern terrorist organizations) are also often associated with religious groups since religion can be a significant factor in ethnic identity. For decades humanity has been trying to define terrorism. Still, the main point is that the mass and brutality of attacks committed by religious groups have caused irreparable damage to society. Perhaps their deeds do not meet modern definitions of terrorism, but for that time, they can indeed be considered terrorists.
Work Cited
Rapoport, David. 1984. “Fear and Trembling: Terrorism in Three Religious Traditions.” American Political Science Review, vol.78, no. 3, pp. 658-677.