The first recorded use of the term “terror” or “terrorist” was in 1795 during the French Reign of Terror and referred to anti- government activity (Levin). Throughout history, terror has been used to motivate people to change their behavior through fear. Normally in today’s world, terror is referred to as violent actions that are performed by anarchists to decrease faith in the government. Today, usage of the word terrorist has become common place in schools, at home, and in daily conversation. Although solutions to terrorism are controversial, the view of the American people towards terrorists and the United States government’s actions encourage the activity of domestic terrorists.
The Islamic State, or ISIS, is a Muslim extremist group that implements Sharia Law. According to the U.S. State Department, there are 45 terrorist groups outside of the United States (Levin). The Islamic State is one of the most publicly known terrorist groups. Since 2006, ISIS aims to create an Islamic State similar to that of ancient Islam in the Middle East by conquering land and capturing people. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State stated, “Islam was never a religion of peace. Islam is the religion of fighting” (Saul). In 2014, ISIS controlled more than 34,000 square miles of land in Syria and Iraq. The Islamic State is holding 3,500 citizens and prisoners of war as slaves, and is commonly known for carrying out public executions of their prisoners. The Islamic State’s revenue comes from “oil production and smuggling, taxes, ransoms from kidnappings, selling stolen artifacts, extortion and controlling crops” (ISIS). Horrifyingly ISIS recruits describe their jihad as a “…war of the people of faith against the people of disbelief” (Saul). The want for a triumph of true Islam as described by the Prophet Mohammed has led the Islamic State to perform violent acts of power, which have resulted in numerous airstrikes from the United States and other members of the United Nations
(ISIS).
When terror ensues in the world, the United States is known as the shining champion of democracy. Although he promised neutrality in World War I, Woodrow Wilson sent funding and supplies to the Allied forces. When a small act of war was waged on the United States, President Wilson responded by saying, “Neutrality is no longer feasible or desirable where the peace of the world and the freedom of its people, and the menace to that peace and freedom lies in the existence of autocratic governments backed by organized force which is controlled wholly by their will, not by the will of their people” (Wilson). Similarly to today’s foreign policy, President Wilson, who is knows as the champion of democracy, believed that whenever the citizens of a country were being challenged by tyranny, the United States was to go and save them from oppression. Since terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001 the United States has been fighting terror. Terror not only against ourselves, but also against other nations. Those who support involvement with terrorism believe that the United States should stand as a shining beacon freedom. By sending troops, weapons, and money to countries fighting terror in the Middle East, America is thought to be fulfilling its divine mission to bring freedom to all.
While the United States has protected their allies against terrorist attacks, the U.S. is really arming terrorists abroad and radicalizing Muslims at home. A priority for the 155th Congress of the United States is to combat the American struggle with terrorism. The proposed “Stop Arming Terrorists Act” would put an end to the CIA “train and equip” program in Syria. The rebels who fight their oppressive and tyrannical government often have the same radical ideology as their opponents (Carden). A Syrian rebel group, who is funded by the U.S., gained worldwide when its members cut off the head of a child. last summer (Chulov). In many of the countries that the U.S. enters to stop terrorism against the people, it is unclear who the real enemy is. A Department of Homeland Security intelligence assessment concluded, “Most foreign-born terrorists operating in the United States were radicalized ‘several years’ after entering the country” (Sands). 105 out of 147 plots and attacks were planned by U.S. citizens. In fact, eighty- five percent of terrorists were either citizens or legal residents of the U.S. before carrying out a terrorist attack and were radicalized within the United States (Jenkins). In the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, the two suspects, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, were United States permanent residents who were in contact with international terrorists while still in the U.S. (Ahmed). Their lawyer released a statement explaining that because of the racial prejudice that they faced within the U.S., they felt that they needed to fight back (Ashford). Although the United States is believed to be helping helpless people around the world, they are really just fighting an unclear enemy while not paying attention to domestically raised terrorists.
Surprisingly, proposed solutions to terrorism have been adopted, which also have a negative effect on the security of the United States. Immediately after 9/11, the USA PATRIOT Act was passed to stop another terrorist attack from happening at home. This act of Congress was designed to strengthen measures to stop money from going to terrorist groups, punish domestic and foreign terrorists, and “snoop” on citizens who are suspects. FBI Agents who were interviewed by the Washington Times “did not identify any major case developments” (Ybarra). The provisions set forth in the Patriot Act have proved to be ineffective and only a means of the federal government to collect more information from unknowing and innocent U.S. citizens. In February of 2017 President Donald Trump signed a travel ban, which stopped individuals from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen from visiting the United States. Upon signing this executive order, President Trump stated, "It was done for the security of our nation, the security of our citizens, so that people come in who aren't going to do us harm. And that's why it was done” (Engel). The travel bans that have been passed by Presidents Chester Arthur, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump did not tighten internal security (Six). They only radicalize muslims living inside and outside the US more. The proposed solutions to solving the perpetual terrorist problem make what the United States fears most worse.
Abraham Lincoln said, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves” (Abraham). The fear of terrorism and radical Islamic ideas coming to the United States will not be cause of the fall of America. Internal forces will be. The U.S. needs to stop fighting unnecessary and bloody wars in the Middle East. Instead the U.S. needs to focus on the internal problems that arise. In a comprehensive study of al Qa’ida, it was concluded, “Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors. Our analysis suggests that there is no battlefield solution to terrorism. Military force usually has the opposite effect from what is intended: It is often overused, alienates the local population by its heavy handed nature, and provides a window of opportunity for terrorist-group recruitment” (Jones XVII). While terrorism is a very real and frightening, the solutions and attitude of Americans toward radical Muslims only fuel that threat.
Laine McKay Norton is a 15 year old junior in high school at Heritage Academy in Mesa, Arizona. Laine is a company member with the prestigious youth ballet, Ballet Etudes. She participates in her school's debate club and newspaper, and has owned a small business since she was 12 years old. She is a student at the Center for Self Governance and enjoys studying human nature and social contracts. Laine has traveled with her father speaking at various conferences. Laine currently resides in Gilbert, Arizona.
Works Cited
Ahmed, Saeed. "Who were Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik?" CNN , Cable News Network, 4 Dec. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/. Accessed 7 May 2017.
Laine McKay Norton is a 15 year old junior in high school at Heritage Academy in Mesa, Arizona. Laine is a company member with the prestigious youth ballet, Ballet Etudes. She participates in her school's debate club and newspaper, and has owned a small business since she was 12 years old. She is a student at the Center for Self Governance and enjoys studying human nature and social contracts. Laine has traveled with her father speaking at various conferences. Laine currently resides in Gilbert, Arizona.
Works Cited
Ahmed, Saeed. "Who were Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik?" CNN , Cable News Network, 4 Dec. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/. Accessed 7 May 2017.
Ashford, Ben, and Ruth Styles. "Radicalized US Muslim Was Teased by Colleagues About His Islamic Beard and had Clashed with Jewish Co-worker Before He and Pakistani Wife Killed 14 at San Bernardino Holiday Party." Daily Mail , Associated Papers Ltd, 3 Dec. 2015, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3344350/. Accessed 7 May 2017.
Carden, James. "Why Does the US Continue to Arm Terrorists in Syria?" The Nation , 3 Mar. 2017, www.thenation.com/article/. Accessed 7 May 2017.
Chulov, Martin. "Syrian Opposition Group that Killed Child 'was in US-vetted alliance.'" The Guardian , Guardian News and Media Limited, 20 July 2016, www.theguardian.com/world/ . Accessed 7 May 2017.
Engel, Pamela. "'Courts seem to be so political': Trump Defends Travel Ban in Rambling Speech." Business Insider , Business Insider Inc., 8 Feb. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/trump-travel-ban-speech-2017-2. Accessed 8 May 2017.
Kabbani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham. "Jihad: A Misunderstood Concept from Islam - What Jihad Is, and Is Not." Islamic Supreme Council of America , islamicsupremecouncil.org/. Accessed 4 May 2017.
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Jenkins, Brian Michael. "Why a Travel Restriction Won't Stop Terrorism at Home." RAND Corporation , 10 Feb. 2017, www.rand.org/blog/2017/02/ Accessed 7 May 2017.
Jones, Seth G., and Martin C. Libicki. How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering alQu'ida . PDF ed., RAND.
Levin, Mark. "10 Things to Know About Terrorism." WUSSU , Oct. 2001, www.wussu.com/current/levine.htm. Accessed 9 May 2017.
Lincoln, Abraham. "Abraham Lincoln Quotes." Brainy Quote , www.brainyquote.com/quotes/l .Accessed 9 May 2017.
Sands, Geneva. "Most Foreign-born Terrorists Radicalized 'years' After Coming to US, DHS Report." ABC News , ABC News Network, 3 Mar. 2017, abcnews.go.com/ Accessed 7 May 2017.
Saul, Heather. "Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Resurfaces in Audio Urging Supporters to Join Terror Group." Independent , 15 May 2015, www.independent.co.uk/news/ Accessed 4 May 2017.
"Six Other Times the US has Banned Immigrants." Aljazeera , Al Jazeera Media Network, 29 Jan. 2017, www.aljazeera.com/indepth/ Accessed 8 May 2017.
"U.S. Should Rethink 'War On Terrorism' Strategy to Deal with Resurgent Al Qaida." RAND Corporation , 29 July 2008, www.rand.org/news/. Accessed 7 May 2017.
Wilson, Woodrow. “Declaration of War with Germany.” Readings for Scholars of American History, Semester 2 , compiled by Cara Palmer, Heritage Academy, 2016.
Ybarra, Maggie. "FBI Admits No Major Cases Cracked with Patriot Act Snooping Powers." The Washington Times , 21 May 2015, www.washingtontimes.com/news/. Accessed 7 May 2017.
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