The War on Terrorism Essay -- Religion, Islam, Taliban

Before the September 11 attacks many Americans believed the United States, a country founded upon its bravery and freedom, was untouchable. On that dreadful day, America was knocked off its pedestal and forced into the war on terror. Inadvertently to many Americans, they fail to realize why this war was unique and not like any other conflict the United States has come across before. America now faced a new type of enemy the Taliban, an organization known for its ruthless behavior and severe attacks and driven by the true nation of Islam. Many Americans wondered why such a violent organization would attack the United States, as well as, what would drive an organization to revert to such evil tactics. Upon research to answers to these questions all too often religion came into play. The nation of Islam seems to be the driving force into the war on terrorism. Religion has always been a controversial subject. Many had suffered and loss their lives because of their personal beliefs. Strangely, what’s even more revealing is that the nation of Islam has an integral role in the war on terror. The nation of Islam has ties to some of the most dangerous and violent groups of people. Within the nation of Islam there are a couple of groups that are notorious for their terrorist behavior. The Taliban, Hamas, and the Hezbollah are the most lethal and violent. For example, the Taliban was founded in 1994, which is pretty young for organization that is notoriously known for violence. The Taliban began as a small group of students that studied Islam from Afghan refugee camps (Berman 4). The Taliban members were poor and started off originally with good intentions. They sought to provide services, both spiritual and tangible to local residents... ...fer about the idea of religion having its role on terrorist organizations. As stated by Professor John Esposito of Georgetown University, he says† So, is it religion that causes terrorism? Does Islam in particular have a terrorism problem?† The question is simple but the answer is difficult to define. Of course religion has its role on terrorist organizations but the concept of terrorists groups having just radical members is absurd. Many of the members of these organizations are moderate and believe that such attacks like the September 11 attacks are justifiable (Esposito 1). The point that many fail to realize is that radicals simply wield religion instrumentally (Esposito 1). Members of these organizations used religion to make the things they do justifiable. Comparably many of the members of the Taliban and other organizations are considered to be fanatics.