with anti-French demonstrations and calls for a boycott.” French president Emmanuel Macron has reportedly alienated French Muslims, causing outrage as well. Europe is in a very “combustible” state at the moment, as the UK and European Union currently have a relatively shaky and ever-shifting relationship with the religion of Islam, and it is causing problems for both the government and Muslims.
Islamism—which is, by definition, the belief that public and political life should be guided by principles of Islam—does not stop at Europe. In Africa, Boko Haram terrorizes most, if not all of the Lake Chad Basin—which is, approximately four countries: Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. Boko Haram, meaning “Non-Islamic education is a sin/Western education is forbidden,” was formerly a “religious study group”. While “the origins of Boko Haram are murky,” Boko Haram evolved into the militant group it is today when a civil service employee, Mohammed Yusuf, assumed control of the group. Since then, Boko Haram has collaborated with the likes of Al-Qaeda and al Shabaab (a Somalian militant group) and made itself visible as a threat to many through their numerous public insurrections, suicide bombings, and kidnappings of civilians and schoolgirls, some of which did not return from captivity alive. Groups like Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda are violent Islamists, who use violence to gain power and achieve their agenda. That being said, cults, militants, gangs, and terrorists do not discriminate when killing. But how are we to save those in the destructive path of terrorism, and snuff out the violent and controversial issues that cause so much anguish worldwide?
Nations throughout the world have taken extensive preventative steps to put a stop and/or limit targeted and random violence through raised security measures and examining patterns of terrorist attacks—and while the government and military protect those at risk around the world, we should keep in mind to continue to treat everyone with equal respect and refrain from overzealously asserting our own opinions, political or not, on others. Yes, terrorist networks are more prominent than ever as of late, but that does not warrant excessive xenophobia or hostility towards those who are not at fault for these atrocities. After all, if we all maintain a strategy of nonviolence and democracy, we can prevent or even eliminate the monster that is terrorism—thus paving the way to a brighter future.
Sources Cited:
BBC News: Who Are the Taliban?
Britannica: Al-Qaeda https://www.britannica.com/topic/al-Qaeda
Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives: BOKO HARAM: Emerging Threat to the US Homeland
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-112HPRT71725/pdf/CPRT-112HPRT71725.pdf
CIA Electronic Reading Room: Terrorism in South America
Congressional Research Service: Latin America: Terrorism Issues
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RS21049.pdf
Naval History and Heritage Command: Terrorism in Southeast Asia
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-112HPRT71725/pdf/CPRT-112HPRT71725.pdf
Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC): Mapping Militants Project
https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants
http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/pakistan_un
http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/iraq
http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/maps/view/syria
History: ISIS – Leaders, Beheadings, and History – HISTORY https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/isis
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp85t00353r000100310004-8 ince911.com: Terrorism Statista: Number of fatalities due to terrorist attacks worldwide between 2006 and 2019
https://www.statista.com/statistics/202871/number-of-fatalities-by-terrorist-attacks-worldwide/
The New York Times: The Politics of Terrorism in a Combustible Europe
Timeline https://since911.com/explore/terrorism-timeline#jump_time_item_397
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