By MICHAEL COLLINS
Writer
We’re now well into the second decade of the “war on terror.” But who, exactly, are we fighting? And why do they want to hurt us? What does terrorism mean?
Terrorism as a term is notoriously difficult to define. The Global Terrorism Database defines it as “the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion or intimidation.”
After the attacks on Paris on Nov. 13, 2015, ISIS has become the front runner as the world’s villains, and for good reason. Their methods are vile, their message is destruction. But the question remains, do they actually pose a threat to Americans? And is terrorism actually on the rise?
It has become easy to equate terrorism with violent Islamists. But according to the number of deaths and injuries caused by terrorist attacks in the U.S. from 1995 to 2014, terrorism is much more complicated than ISIS.
Roughly about 3,000 Americans have lost their lives to terrorist attacks in the last decade. This averages out to a loss of 300 people a year, which is a tragic figure and, as a country, it behooves us to do everything we can to reduce or eliminate the threat of terrorism. But based on current trends you’re three times more likely to be struck by lightning than to be killed in a terrorist attack. So who really are these terrorists?
By the definition of terrorism given by the GRD, the two most prolific U.S. terrorist groups over the past 20 years are the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front, each responsible for more than 60 incidents.
These groups are actually environmental and animal rights extremists groups based in the U.S. Now, these two groups have mostly targeted institutions, not individuals — so although many buildings have burned, these terrorists are responsible for only two injuries and one death since 1995.
Yes, those waging a violent jihad against America are responsible for the largest number of casualties by far — but they are not alone.
Extremists motivated by their opposition to abortion have pursued a deadlier brand of single-issue terrorism. The most notorious was Eric Rudolph, now serving life without parole for bombing the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics, killing one spectator and injuring 110 more.
Rudolph acted in the name of the Army of God, later stating that he wanted to “embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand.”
These extremists divide into two broadly distinct groups. One, typified by the 1995 Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, is driven by distrust of the U.S. federal government.
Then there are the white supremacists. They include Wade Michael Page, who stormed the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in August 2012, killing six worshippers and wounding four more.
When the GTD is updated for 2015, it will also include the murder of nine black members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, gunned down in June by 21-year-old Dylann Roof, seen posing online with the Confederate flag.
According to the GTD, the number of terrorist incidents in the U.S. has declined markedly since the 1970s, when the most active groups included left-wing extremists such as the New World Liberation Front and the Weather Underground Organization, not Islamic extremists.
Far more pressing issues have arisen to the surface including a large increase in mass shootings over the last two years.
Terrorism in the middle east is a real threat. We cannot forget the lives lost because of the unrest, but it’s important to keep that in perspective. No matter what propaganda or statistics may tell you, your american way of life is not in danger from terrorism in the connotation it has recieved. In fact the word “terrorism” in America should mean something far closer to home.