Assignment : Terrorist Motivation

Terrorism exists for various reasons. For some individuals, the issue of terrorism is rooted in a clash of ideology. Others contend that terrorism is a "clash of civilizations." (Fiala, 2007, p. 165).

With the fight against terrorism launched in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East, many in the Muslim world feel that America is evil and that its ways are misguided. In fact, some say that you need look no further than the Abu Ghraib scandal, where administrative evil was displayed (Adams, Balfour, & Reed, 2006, p. 680).

In addition, experts would argue that many terrorist attacks are not conducted by crazy people, but rather by intelligent and religiously motivated individuals who could be seen as martyrs (Guss, Tuason, & Teixeira, 2007, p. 417).

Tasks:

Prepare a 3- to 4-page report to answer the following questions.

Analyze and explain the differences in ideology that might force an individual to commit a terroristic act?

Do you think terrorists could be viewed as martyrs? Why?

Do you think people who are willing to give their life for their cause are sane and rational or insane and irrational? Why?

References:

Adams, G., Balfour, D., & Reed, G. (2006). Abu Ghraib, administrative evil, and moral inversion: The value of "putting cruelty first." Public Administrative Review, 66(5), 680-693.

Fiala, A. (2007). Crusades, just wars, and the Bush doctrine. Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice, 19(2), 165-172.

Guss, C. D., Tuason, M. T., & Teixeira, V. B. (2007). A cultural-psychological theory of contemporary Islamic martyrdom. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 37(4), 415-445.

Note: Include at least one reference from the Argosy University online library. At the end of the paper, prepare a reference page formatted in APA style that links back to your in-text citations and supports your answers.