Religious Terrorism

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course examines the multidimensional facets of secular and religious terrorism. It aims to challenge some of the conventional thoughts about terrorism and radical political violence, exposing students to the multiple definitions, historical progression, and political and sociological developments of secular and religious terrorism throughout the past centuries. Drawing on a range of historic and current examples from around the world, we will tackle a variety of questions on the subject, including: What are the differences between political violence, guerilla warfare, terrorism, and international warfare, and why do such distinctions matter? How and why is religious terrorism different than terrorism in the name of a consecrated secular cause? What are the historic developments that led to the rise of religious terrorism at the end of the 20th century, and is it still on the rise? Who are the major secular and religious terror groups that have operated around the world, and which have been more successful in advancing their cause? The course is broadly divided into two sections. The first focuses on the theoretical aspects of terrorism studies, exploring the definitions of the concept and a range of theories regarding why different groups and individuals turn to using such violence. Particular attention is given to the debates regarding the distinctions between secular and religious groups who turn to such tactics, exploring how different theories distinguish between the two, and considering the strength and weaknesses of these distinctions. The second half of the course focuses on the historical progression of terrorism over the past centuries. Exploring the main waves of anarchist, anti-colonial nationalist, ‘new left’ communist, and religious terror, the similarities and differences among the various waves are considered, raising the question of whether the rise in xenophobic white-supremacist attacks around the world constitutes a new wave of terror. Throughout the second half of the course attention is given to exploring select case studies among the main groups that operated in each wave, analyzing and comparing their ideological worldviews, violent tactics, and respective successes and failures in advancing their cause.