Terrorism and Religion: A Comparative Analysis of Two Articles

This paper compares and contrasts two articles related to terrorism and religion, namely, “The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim communities” by Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick and the article “What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious terrorism?” by Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson. The paper analyzes the role of religion in terrorism and the impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim communities.

Running head: TERRORISM AND RELIGION
Terrorism and Religion
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1TERRORISM AND RELIGION
Terrorism is one of the major threats which the world is facing at the moment and the
mitigation of this is very important for the maintaining the harmony as well as the status quo
of the world (Jongman 2017)1. It is significant to note that in the present times there are
various reasons for the rise in the number of the terrorists activities which the world is facing
at the moment like the economic condition of the various third world countries of the world,
the injustices which the various communities or segments feel have been committed against
them and various others (Nacos 2016)2. Therefore, religious terrorism is on the rise and many
people are becoming victims to this particular evil. It is often seen that many culprits use the
name of religion to justify their terrorist and other anti-social activities which cause a
significant amount of damage to the other innocent people of the society (Spalek 2012)3. This
paper seeks to compare and contrast two article related to the genre of terrorist activities,
namely, “The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim communities” by Tufyal
Choudhury and Helen Fenwick and the article “What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious
terrorism?” by Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson in the context of the views articulated by
them in their articles.
The article “The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim communities”
written by the authors Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick and published in the
1 Jongman, A.J., 2017. Political terrorism: A new guide to actors, authors, concepts, data bases,
theories, and literature. Routledge.
2 Nacos, B., 2016. Mass-mediated Terrorism: mainstream and digital media in terrorism and
counterterrorism. Rowman & Littlefield.
3 Spalek, B. ed., 2012. Counter-terrorism: Community-based approaches to preventing terror crime.
Palgrave Macmillan.

2TERRORISM AND RELIGION
“International Review of Law, Computers & Technology” in the year 2011 seeks to give an
overview of the terrorism and also the concept of counter-terrorism and the role of the
religion in the process (Choudhury and Fenwick 2011)4. The article puts special emphasis on
the role of the Muslim religion in the process of terrorism and how this particular religion is
used by the various people to justify their anti-social activities which lead to a destruction of
many valuable lives and property on a yearly basis (Choudhury and Fenwick 2011)5. The
authors also seek to analyze the various legislations and policies which have been developed
to counter the increasing number of terrorist activities in the various Muslim nations
(Choudhury and Fenwick 2011)6. The article “What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious
terrorism?” by the authors Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson published in the “Critical
Studies on Terrorism” in the year 2011 also seeks to provide an overview of the concept of
terrorism and it seeks to “validate the concept of religious terrorism” which is being
committed in the various nations of the world in the name of the religion (Gunning and
Jackson 2011)7. Furthermore, the article argues that the “distinctions typically drawn between
‘religious’ and ‘secular’ terrorism are problematic” (Gunning and Jackson 2011)8. Moreover,
4Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick 2011. The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim
communities, International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 25:3, 151-181, DOI:
10.1080/13600869.2011.617491
5 Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick 2011. The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim
communities, International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 25:3, 151-181, DOI:
10.1080/13600869.2011.617491
6 Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick 2011. The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim
communities, International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 25:3, 151-181, DOI:
10.1080/13600869.2011.617491
7 Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson 2011. What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious terrorism’?, Critical Studies
on Terrorism, 4:3, 369-388, DOI: 10.1080/17539153.2011.623405
8 Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson 2011. What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious terrorism’?, Critical Studies
on Terrorism, 4:3, 369-388, DOI: 10.1080/17539153.2011.623405

3TERRORISM AND RELIGION
the article also seeks to provide an overview of the concept of the “political religion” and
tries to relate it to the current definitions of terrorism (Gunning and Jackson 2011)9.
It is to be noted that whereas the first article by the authors Tufyal Choudhury and
Helen Fenwick seeks to repudiate the concept of terrorism and criticizes the role of religion
in the process of terrorism (Choudhury and Fenwick 2011)10 whereas the second article by
the authors Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson, on the other hand, seeks the validate the
concept of religious terrorism and also the concept of political religion which the major
terrorist organizations of the world as well as the individuals use to justify their acts of
criminality and terrorism (Gunning and Jackson 2011)11. Furthermore, it is to be noted that
whereas the article by Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick focuses on the various
legislations passed by the diverse nations of the world like the United Kingdom and others to
curb the rising terrorist activities in the various Muslim nations of the world (Choudhury and
Fenwick 2011)12. The article by the authors Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson, on the
other hand, focuses on the “role of beliefs and institutional structures, religious or otherwise,
in producing political violence” (Gunning and Jackson 2011)13. Furthermore, both the articles
articulate the concept that just the development of policies as well as legislations is not
enough. The various first world nations of the world also need to find out and analyze the
major reasons behind the growing number of terrorist activities and address them in the most
9 Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson 2011. What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious terrorism’?, Critical Studies
on Terrorism, 4:3, 369-388, DOI: 10.1080/17539153.2011.623405
10 Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick 2011. The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim
communities, International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 25:3, 151-181, DOI:
10.1080/13600869.2011.617491
11 Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson 2011. What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious terrorism’?, Critical Studies
on Terrorism, 4:3, 369-388, DOI: 10.1080/17539153.2011.623405
12 Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick 2011. The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim
communities, International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 25:3, 151-181, DOI:
10.1080/13600869.2011.617491
13 Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson 2011. What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious terrorism’?, Critical Studies
on Terrorism, 4:3, 369-388, DOI: 10.1080/17539153.2011.623405

4TERRORISM AND RELIGION
effective manner in a bid to resolve the evil of terrorism which the majority of the nations of
the world are facing at the moment (Richardson 2013)14. In addition to these the various
nations of the world also needs to develop other relevant strategies for the mitigation of this
particular risk faced by the world presently (Spalek 2012)15.
The primary strength of the article “The impact of counter-terrorism measures on
Muslim communities” can be said to be the penetrating insight which it provides into the
concept of terrorism and the role which religion plays in the process of terrorism. Another
significant strength of the article can be said to be the fact that it also tries to show how
religion is used by the various people to justify their terrorist activities (Choudhury and
Fenwick 2011)16. On the other hand, the strength of the article “What's so ‘religious’ about
‘religious terrorism?” can be said to be the fact that it seek it provide an insight into the
process of religious terrorism and also seeks to validate the use of the concept of religion in
the process of terrorism (Gunning and Jackson 2011)17. The weakness of the article “The
impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim communities” can be said to be fact that the
article fails to take into consideration the role played by the other factors in the process of
terrorism. The sole focus of the article is on the role which religion plays in the terrorism and
not on the major factors. The weakness of the article “What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious
terrorism?” can be said to be the fact that the article puts too much emphasis on the concept
of political religion and seeks to validate the concept of religious terrorism which is
completely unethical.
14 Richardson, L., 2013. The roots of terrorism. Routledge.
15 Spalek, B. ed., 2012. Counter-terrorism: Community-based approaches to preventing terror crime. Palgrave
Macmillan.
16 Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick 2011. The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim
communities, International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 25:3, 151-181, DOI:
10.1080/13600869.2011.617491
17 Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson 2011. What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious terrorism’?, Critical Studies
on Terrorism, 4:3, 369-388, DOI: 10.1080/17539153.2011.623405

5TERRORISM AND RELIGION
To conclude, it becomes evident that the problem of terrorism is one of the major
issues which the world is facing at the present moment. It is significant to note that the
various individuals use the concept of religion and other factors to justify their acts of
criminality and brutal behavior which should not be the case. Therefore, the world needs to
address this particular evil as it causes a significant amount of damage to property as the loss
of lives on an annual basis. It is a reflection of this that the various nations of the world have
developed certain legislations and policies related to the control of terrorism in the various
nations of the world. However, just the mere development of policies is not enough the
various first world nations of the world also need to address the major issues which give rise
to the various terrorist activities.

6TERRORISM AND RELIGION
References
Combs, C.C., 2017. Terrorism in the twenty-first century. Routledge.
Jeroen Gunning and Richard Jackson 2011. What's so ‘religious’ about ‘religious terrorism’?,
Critical Studies on Terrorism, 4:3, 369-388, DOI: 10.1080/17539153.2011.623405
Jongman, A.J., 2017. Political terrorism: A new guide to actors, authors, concepts, data
bases, theories, and literature. Routledge.
Martin, G., 2017. Understanding terrorism: Challenges, perspectives, and issues. SAGE
publications.
Nacos, B., 2016. Mass-mediated Terrorism: mainstream and digital media in terrorism and
counterterrorism. Rowman & Littlefield.
Richardson, L., 2013. The roots of terrorism. Routledge.
Spalek, B. ed., 2012. Counter-terrorism: Community-based approaches to preventing terror
crime. Palgrave Macmillan.
Tufyal Choudhury and Helen Fenwick 2011. The impact of counter-terrorism measures on
Muslim communities, International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 25:3, 151-
181, DOI: 10.1080/13600869.2011.617491