Terror
Tragedy – When Terrorism Strikes
A lot of people cried over news of terror disaster especially when they were given insights about the victims. Seeing the victims in a clearer angle somehow makes people feel closer to them and dread what terrorism does to innocent people. Seeing such things on TV or reading about it on newspapers or online is enough to make people shiver. How can some people be heartless? Just imagine how the victims’ families feel. It must have been worst than having a jagged knife strike you in the chest. However, what makes it even more complicated is that these “heartless” people do not see it as a selfish act. To them, it is an act needed for the change that they desire. Regardless, it hurts people. It takes lives and nothing can ever be more wrong than that.
Terrorism specifically targets innocent people or do not give much importance on innocent people’s lives so they can send their message across to the authorities. Sometimes, it is based on politics, religion, or ideologies. One thing is for sure – it is all about differences. Terrorists commit violent acts such as causing a terror disaster to shake the world with their call for action. Its main purpose is to make people feel fear. The sad part is that it happens all over the world. Although terrorism is not clearly defined in the international crime law, everybody understands what it is. This knowledge is enough to send a shiver down one’s spine.
Terrorism Defined
A lot of definitions were given to the word terrorism. A terror disaster may sound simple to some when it comes to finding a definition but people from different parts of the world have different perspectives. Aside from the person’s location, its definition is also affected by the manner that a person’s life is touched by terrorism. Although it is easy to understand, it is hard to define. A lot of other things cause differences in its definitions such as political views, economic status, educational attainment, and even emotional involvement.
Some people believe that terrorism is an act of fighting for freedom. This is because terrorists usually cause a terror disaster to convince the authorities to give up using their armed forces in implementing the laws. Some people throw the word terrorism around that it further blurs the meaning of the word. At one point, it was even used to brand Nelson Mandela.
Other people believe that terrorism is a politically-armed act. To some, it is simply an act of violence with innocent people as victims or a threat of committing of a violent act if the people behind it do not get what they are asking for. There are people who define a terrorist disaster as a violent act committed to cast fear not only on people close to the victims but to people all over the world. Some people believe that terrorism is all about conspiracy, with a chain of commands that people have no way of understanding from the outside.
These are just some of the definitions of terrorism. Change is inevitable and language is dynamic. Surely, as time pass, a lot of things will happen and it will cause the definition of the word terrorism to evolve further. No one knows when a clear definition will be set on international standards.
Kinds of Terrorism
With people’s imaginations and creativity growing and developing by the minute, terrorists come up with different ways to cause a terror disaster.
- Chaos. Some theories and myths believe that the word started as a total chaos. A lot of people fear chaos. This is why some terrorists capitalize on this fear. They know how the majority would react in even just the slightest threat to their safety and security. This is why they choose to interfere with the normal flow of activity in a particular community. This is called civil disorder.
- Dirt. The majority believes that politics is naturally dirty. One proof to back it up is how it causes terrorism aside from many other negative events. Terrorist attacks committed because of a political motive are called political terrorism. There are some political acts that are done through a revolutionary approach and such acts are called limited political terrorism.
- State. There are nations who are actually the terrorists in their own lands. When a government makes people adhere to their laws and to submit to their commands through casting fear to the citizens and oppression of the citizens’ freedoms, that is called official terrorism.
These are just some kinds of terrorism that exist in different parts of the world. The knowledge that such kinds of terrorism exist is enough to cause fear to anyone.
Terror Tragedy Strikes – The Five Biggest Terrorist Attacks
These are the five biggest terrorist acts in the history. These acts have different causes, motivations, and processes. Regardless, these are terrifying enough to earn its spot in the history.
- Ant Tracks. Like ants, victims’ statistics were lined up and showed that in 2001, a few weeks after the 9/11 bombing, people opened letters that carried Anthrax. These letters were sent to United States senators and notable media people. It caused five deaths and almost twenty injuries.
- Fight or Flight. Apparently, the passengers of Pan Am Flight 103 did not have a choice. In 1988, almost 300 people died on their way to JFK. It happened after an Iran flight was shot down. Libya admitted that they were responsible for the attack in 2003.
- Truck and Field. Different United States Embassies were taken by surprise when trucks were used for bombing their offices. Almost simultaneously, bombs were detonated in embassies in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kenya, and Tanzania. It caused more than 300 deaths and almost 5,000 people injured.
- The Big O. Oklahoma suffered from terrorist tragedy when their federal building was bombed in 1995. It caused almost 200 deaths, almost 700 people injured, and almost $700 million in damages.
- Numbers. Still, nothing can top the 9/11 attack in 2001. It caused almost 3,000 deaths and almost 9,000 people injured.
More than the statistics, a terrorist tragedy causes people from over the world fear. This fear can even change how they view life. It hurts more when innocent people’s blood spilled without clearly understanding why.
The chaos caused by terrorism
Terrorism is widespread in many parts of the world today. Many years ago, the terror and memories of terrorism has been written in the history. You might have heard about the 9/11 attack in the United States that have definitely caused eternal trauma to many people. Stories about past terrorism attacks that have affected lives of thousands of people for so many years can really give you goose bumps. Terrorism is definitely the biggest threat to any government in any part of the world.
Terro tragedy leaves both short term and long term effects to people. Whether you are directly or indirectly involve, terrorism can still affect you physically, mentally, emotionally, economically, and psychologically. The most common cause of terrorism is power and political issues. Many countries in the world today are suffering from the chaos brought by terrorism. In every country, there are different terrorist organizations that brought nightmares to many people especially to children.
In the Philippines, most terrorism attacks are conducted by Islamic groups. There are four most active terrorist groups in the country namely: Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Rajah Sulaiman Movement, Jemaah Islamiyah, and the Abu Sayyaf. The different terro tragedies in the country are brought by conflicts on political issues between rebel organizations and the Philippine government.
Since 2000, there is a recorded 40 major bombings by different terrorist groups that have greatly affected civilians and civilian properties. Most of terro tragedies occurred in the southern regions of the country but there were also bombings conducted in some parts of Metro Manila. The terrorist attacks have greatly affected the country’s economy. The attacks have killed thousands of people ranging from civilians, armed forces, and political officials. Many people were also left homeless and starving due to these attacks. There are also hundreds of children that are orphaned due to bombings and killings.
Israel has also a long list of terror tragedy that happened for years. Terrorism in Israel comes in different forms like kidnappings, bombings, shootings, and more. There are several terrorist groups in the country ranging from small Jewish group to big and powerful rebel organizations like Hamas, and Hezbollah. These terrorist groups aimed to destroy Israel through assassinations, bombing, raids, and suicide bombings. These organizations have been founded many years ago and are still active until this time.
In Thailand, news about major terrorism attacks has brought fears to people around the world. News about killings and bombings by Jemaah Islamiya brought anxiety to people who have families working or staying in Thailand.
In every government, there will always be people who will go against the law. The question about how to eliminate terrorism has never been answered successfully by anyone. The purpose of terrorist attacks was never been clear to anyone. But, the effects are very evident. Just like natural disasters, terrorism has been part of any country’s history. However, unlike natural disasters, terrorism affects not just those who are directly involved in the attack but also the other members of the community and nation, and even those who are yet to be born. A terror tragedy may involve just one or many people but the terror it leave to the members of the community is never minimal.