November 28, 2011
WHICH IS WHY THE WAR ON TERROR...:
The missing martyrs : Islam specialist Charles Kurzman
What kind of numbers are we talking about?
The figures I find interesting are the number of deaths by violence per day by terrorism compared to the number of deaths by violence overall. According to the World Health Organization, 2,000 people die each day by violence around the globe. According to the National Counterterrorism Center, the number of deaths per day by terrorism peaked at 63 in 2007 and has shrunk to half that.
Where do most terrorist murders occur?
In three countries: Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Excluding those countries, the daily death toll from terrorism peaked at just over 20 per day. The 2010 figure for terrorist deaths outside those three countries is 13 per day. The figure for the U.S. is even more striking--since 9/11, terrorists have killed only 33 Americans.
Let me stress that each of these deaths is a terrible tragedy. By putting these numbers in context I don't want to minimize them. But people are disproportionately focused on what is a relatively small factor globally and in the U.S.
How do you explain the relative rarity of terrorism?
Most
Muslims do not want an Islamic government imposed by force. They
strongly support a free press, free association and other aspects of
liberal politics. Mainstream Muslims are culturally conservative, so
they share some concerns with the goals of revolutionary Islamic
movements, such as prohibiting the use of alcohol. But cultural
conservatism is generally combined with a pro-democracy viewpoint.
There are other Muslims who might not mind an Islamic government but who oppose the use of violence. Their numbers go up each time al-Qaeda uses violence against Muslims.
...wasn't about terrorism, but about using the opportunity for regime change and democratization. Al Qaeda gave us the sword....
Posted by oj at November 28, 2011 5:59 AM
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