Some Thoughts on the "Staircase to Terrorism"

Autor/in	Paniagua, Freddy A.
Titel	Some Thoughts on the "Staircase to Terrorism"
Quelle	In: American Psychologist, 60 (2005) 9, S.1038-1039 (2 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0003-066X
Schlagwörter	Stellungnahme; Terrorism; Political Attitudes; Figurative Language; Justice; Democracy; Crime Prevention; Muslims; Islamic Culture; Social Action; Political Influences + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Terrorismus; Political attitude; Politische Einstellung; Gerechtigkeit; Demokratie; Muslim; Muslimin; Islam; Kultur; Soziales Handeln; Political influence; Politischer Einfluss
Abstract	Comments on F. M. Moghaddam's article (see record 2005-01817-002) which uses the metaphor of a narrowing staircase "to provide a more in-depth understanding of terrorism." In the article, "staircase to terrorism," a person will become a terrorist because he or she experiences "injustice and the feelings of frustration and shame" on "the ground floor." If this situation does not change on higher floors, particularly on the fourth and fifth floors, this person will realize that terrorism is the only way to have a "democratic participation in addressing perceived justices." Therefore, the prevention and end of terrorism will be achieved "only by reforming conditions on the ground floor." People who perceive injustices and unfairness in a given political system may, indeed, try to destroy that system with terrorism. But this is political terrorism, not the form of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism or messianic terrorism directed by Osama bin Laden and Abu Musad al-Zarqawi. The author concludes that the metaphor may explain the origin of political terrorism but not the origin of Islamic fundamentalist or messianic terrorism. (Author).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10