Take terrorists at their word

What should we call terrorists, some of whom claim to be motivated by their religion? Can one be an Islamic terrorist? What about a Christian terrorist? Does what we call terrorists matter?

Abraham Lincoln once asked, "How many legs does a dog have, if you call a tail a leg?" Four, he answered, because calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.

I can think of many, many names that would be suitable for terrorists, if not for a family blog. But if we're interested in more than calling names, if we want to convey information, it would useful to indicate what motivated a person or group to engage in terrorist activities.

Some would apply a broader paradigm and claim that a person "really" is projecting repressed sexual energy, or manifesting class resentment, or demonstrating the violence inherent in the system. But it's usually most useful to do these people the courtesy of taking them at their word -- to refer to the person who blows up a power plant, for example, as an ecoterrorist.

It is undeniably the case that those referred to as "Muslim terrorists" have undertaken their activities in the name of Islam. It is for the sake of Islam, as they understand it, that they engage in terrorist activities. It may be more accurate to describe them as "Islamist terrorists," say, but to describe them as terrorists without reference to Islam is like describing Ray Lewis as a guy who hits people without reference to the game of football.

There have been historically, and still are, people and movements that may be accurately described as "Jewish terrorists" or "Christian terrorists." It is up to those of us who represent those faith traditions to make it clear to our neighbors -- and, just as importantly, to our own communities -- why their beliefs and actions are contrary to the faith for which they claim to militate.

By Jason Poling | July 12, 2010; 7:03 PM ET Save & Share:
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