Religious Terrorism And Its Global Effects Politics Essay

Religious Terrorism And Its Global Effects Politics Essay Religious terrorism is terrorism by those whose motivations and aims have a predominant religious character or influence. In the modern age, after the decline of ideas such as the divine right of kings and with the rise of nationalism, terrorism more often involved anarchism, nihilism and revolutionary politics, but since 1980 there has been an increase in activity motivated by religion. Former United States Secretary of State Warren Christopher said that terrorist acts in the name of religion and ethnic identity have become one of the most important security challenges we face in the wake of the Cold War. Steven Weinberg has argued that religion is the most important factor, famously saying for good people to do evil things that take religion. (Arquilla, 1999) In the wake of the tragic events of September 11, and as evidence mounted that Islamic extremists committed the acts, the Muslim community in the United States quickly moved to distance itself from the terrorists. In stark contrast, Muslims in many parts of the Middle East could be seen on television news programs wildly cheering the attack on America. Those unfamiliar with Islam suddenly had a deep interest in knowing which of these really represented Islam. In the first days after the attack, uncertainty bred fear and contempt in some Americans who lashed out at an innocent Muslim community. Many Muslims, fearing for their safety, would no longer go out in public. Political leaders and the media joined Muslim leaders in trying to educate the general public about the differences between true Muslims and those who committed these terrible crimes. (Arquilla) U.S. officials believe that at least 19 Islamic men orchestrated the suicidal hijacking of four Boeing jets who had connections to the fanatical religious leader, Osama bin Laden. At least one of the hijackers owned a copy of the Koran, which authorities found in a bag that didnt make the flight. They also found pages of spiritual instructions which contained statements such as: Youre doing a job which is loved by God, and you will end your day in heavens where you will join the virgins, and I pray to you God to forgive me from all my sins, to allow me to glorify you in every possible way. The Koran, their faith and their will to die for their beliefs provide important clues as to the reason for their actions. Apparently these clues have yet to affect the minds of our military and political leaders. Long before September 11, 2001, Muslims in the U.S. realized that Islam was associated with terrorism and they set about to distinguish moderate Islam from that of Muslim extremists, fundamentalists and terrorists. Moderates claim Muslim extremists have given the wrong impression of Islam and contend that to equate religious terrorism and ethnic cleansing with Islam is like defining Christianity by David Koresh or Timothy McVeigh. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, for both history and fundamentalist theology present functional problems for Muslims to explain. (Hoffman, 1999) Despite these assurances and having moved several months past the attacks, the debate continues as to whether Islam is a religion of peace or does, in fact, support the terrorist actions that have taken so many innocent lives in America and throughout the world, in the name of Allah. This debate will no doubt continue for some time. Our purpose here is not to resolve that issue but to try and better understand the beliefs of our Muslim neighbors and our responsibility as Christians to reach out to them with the gospel. Muslims believe there are two types of jihad: a lesser and a greater. Muhammad is said to have taught that warfare to destroy the infidel is actually a lesser jihad. Instead the Muslim should practice the greater jihad, which is the war every man must wage within himself to follow Allah and do what is right. In Middle Eastern countries the emphasis certainly seems to be on the lesser jihad. However, Muslims in democratic countries, and Western Muslims in particular, currently tend to interpret jihad as the greater jihad. Causes of Terrorism Social and political injustice, these people choose terrorism when they are trying to right what they perceive to be a social or political or historical wrong. This may happen if they have been stripped of their land or rights, or denied these. The belief that violence or its threat will be effective, and move in change. Many terrorists in history said that they chose violence after long deliberation; because they fell they have no choice. Here are some stories where these two elements are basic in their story. Zionists who bombed British targets in 1930s mandate Palestine felt they must do so in order to create a Jewish state. The IRA (Irish Republican Army) bombed English targets in the 1980s to make the point that their land was colonized by British imperialists. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine felt that armed attacks in Israel were a justifiable response to the usurpation of their land. Osama bin Ladens war on American interests in the 1990s stemmed from his belief that U.S. troops stationed in Saudi Arabia represented an abomination to the kind of Islamic state he believed should exist in the Arabian Peninsula. Uighur separatists In China felt the Chinese religious repression justifies their terrorist tactics. In some cases, people choose terrorist tactics based on a cause whose righteousness they believe in to the exclusion of nearly all else. Abortion clinic bombers in the 1990s and groups such as the Animal Liberation Front believe zealously in their causes. (Richard, 1998) Most that choose terrorism are persuaded that by violence or threats of violence is effective. So the question what causes terrorism? we probably will not be able to answer. Although many people today believe that that religious fanaticism causes terrorism, it isnt true. It may be true that religious fanaticism creates conditions that are favorable for terrorism. But we know that religious zealotry does not cause terrorism because there are many religious fanatics who do not choose terrorism or any form of violence. So there must also be other conditions that in combination provoke some people to see terrorism as an effective way of creating change in their world. There are two more reasons why asking, What conditions create a favorable climate for terrorism? is better than asking about causes The first is, it makes it easy to remember that there are always at least several conditions. Terrorism is a complex phenomenon; it is a specific kind of political violence committed by people who do not have legitimate army at their disposal. A second reason that has been useful for me, as I ask questions about terrorism, is that thinking in terms of conditions helps I remember that people have a choice about whether to use violence. There is nothing inside any person or in their circumstances that sends them like a monopoly piece headed directly to Go directly to terrorism. Instead, there are certain conditions, some of which make violence against civilians seem like a reasonable and even necessary option. Despite this, and some of the deeply unforgivable circumstances that foster terrorism, people always have the free will to seek another course of action. The Effects of Terrorism Terrorism has occurred throughout history, but today the world is experiencing a global rebirth of attacks. Today it no longer affects only small societies, such as isolated third world countries who fall victim to regular terrorist attacks, but the whole world is becoming more familiar with Arab and Muslim names. The terrorist violence that is on the rise today has informed citizen all over the world about different types of terrorism. Also with the resurgence the world is experiencing of terrorism, the Nations have been to do what they can to eliminate terrorism. Terrorism is a major problem that is reoccurring over the globe in many different forms. The US alone spends about $5 billion dollars a year combating terrorists. The treats of bio-chemical, Suicide or psychological warfare, and information warfare are on the rise in todays societies as more political argument and groups emerge. Along with the rise of terrorism is also the increase in Counter-Terrorism acts. Even though most counter terrorist groups are kept secret, the increase of terrorism has also countered balanced. Throughout the years many radical and reactionary groups have been the cause for terrorist attacks throughout the world, but the ones that will always remain the most important to you are the ones that happen in your home nation.

The Lesson of the Cliff

The lesson of the cliff by Morton hunt tells a story of himself and how he was able to excel in experiences. It starts off when he was 8 years old. He was influences to climb a cliff with his friends, knowing that he may have been to sick to climb. The group stops halfway there to rest up and then confines their Journey, But Morton became to frighten to continue. Morton became to frightened and plan on going back but he away that it was to far down and became worried that he may fall to his death.His friends abandon his and continue on while he stays in panic. As it got dark his father came and noticed his nervous son on the cliff. His father guides him down the cliff, telling him to move his feet down one at a time on footholds. As Morton comes down step by step, he became braver and braver every passing second. As he reached the bottom to be in the comfort of his father he was taught a life lesson he will never roger.The scenario then shifted to Morton in a 1945 war, he was to fly a reconnaissance plan over enemy territory. Morton worried about this situation that he could sleep, all he could think of was him and his navigator running into enemy territory. Morton then remembered his fathers words of taking it one step at a time and succeed in the mission. This article was a clear sense of inspiration to me. Morton used advise from his father to become a survivor even in the most dangerous f situations.Morton was taught one of the fundamentals of life. When you are faced with a task that appears overwhelming, you decide what the first step is and take in accomplishing or succeeding in this task. If you can break the problem down into a series of steps you need to complete to accomplish your goal,then you must do it. But then, only focus on the step that you need to take next. When that step is taken, focus on the next one. Eventually, you will arrive at your destination.

“Good People” Essay

Love is one of the only words in this world that can’t be adequately described in words. Yet it is the strongest human emotion and most powerful force in the universe that conquers all, makes our lives worth living, and chooses our direction. In the two short stories the authors use their style, symbolism and point of views to best portray two different scenarios that both revolve around love. In â€Å"Good People† by David Foster Wallace 19 year old college student impregnates a girl he’d been seeing and is plagued with many uncertainties of life and love and is forced to make a difficult decision in the case of an abortion. In â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love† by Raymond Carver two couples sit around a table and attempt to discuss which knows more about true love while they drink gin. In the end, they both share a common theme; that love is ambiguous. In the stories, the author’s style of writing delivers the tones for which the ch aracters are feeling. Read more: Good people david foster wallace essay Effectively you also share some of the same emotions the characters are facing. In â€Å"Good People† there is a dense and intentionally clumsy style which adds to the story’s depth to portray the uncertainty and anxiousness that Lane is feeling. This style greatly immerses you into the circulating mind of teenaged Lane’s ambivalence of his love, religion, and self. Wallace uses the means of a third person narrator telling the story to capture Lane’s struggle and introverted thoughts. It is when he first told his girlfriend Sheri that he would go to the appointment with her to console her that his guilt starts to eat away at him†¦ â€Å"The worse he felt, the stiller he sat. The whole thing felt balanced on a knife or wire; if he moved to put his arm up or touch her the whole thing could tip over. He hated himself for sitting so frozen.† (Wallace 891). In the other story the authors tone is one of a darker, more mature subject matter with a fee l of â€Å"dirty realism†. Carver uses mainly dialogue to tell the story in a way that feels like an ordinary conversation but at the same time pries deeper into the unpleasant truths of the mundane world. Half way through the story, Mel makes a comment which changes the direction from the casual to the more dense subject matter. â€Å"And the terrible thing, the terrible thing is, but the good thing too, the saving grace, you might say, is that if something happened to one of us tomorrow, I think . . . the other person, would grieve for a while,  you know, but then the surviving party would go out and love again, have someone else soon enough.†(Carver 852) In the first story, Lane is constantly beating himself up and questioning himself of whether or not he’s making the right decision throughout the story at every turn. He even asks â€Å"What would even Jesus do?† (Wallace 893), revealing that this dilemma is one too complex for a mere human to make a proper judgment. The story is almost one long repeated question, where at the end even still the answer isn’t definitively answered. In the second story, Mel stumbles over his words often when discussing â€Å"love† not from the gin but from the complexity of pinpointing the meaning of love. When he tries to come to a coherent conclusion to the meaning of love he instead digresses into a convoluted meditation and becomes angered in trying to wrap his head around it. He too looks towards a higher power for guidance due to a lack of comprehension. Symbolism comes into play within these two stories where the adequacy of words isn’t enough. It gives more depth to the stories without being too blatantly obvious, keeping the reader thinking. In â€Å"Good People† there is symbolism carefully hidden throughout which Lane notices but doesn’t quite seem to entirely pick up on, it is more there for the reader to make an inferred decision at the end. The geography around him and the lake are the symbols which apply to his life and relationship with God, himself, and Sheri. It is when they are both sitting on the picnic table at the park near the lake when after realizing he was unintentionally praying with his hands that he notices the lighting has changed and it resonates with him. â€Å"†¦everything seemed distinctly lit, for the circle of the pin oak’s shade had rotated off all the way, and they sat now in sun with their shadow a two-headed thing in the grass before them† (Wallace 893). Likewise in the second story, symbolism is used for the same reason to enhance the plot, except in a more negative way. When the story begins the bottle of gin is full and the sun is bright and everyone is in a great and giddy mood. As the story progresses, the bottle of gin diminishes along with the brightness of the sun, leaving them at the end with a complex and increasingly dark conversation figuratively and a dark room literally. â€Å"He’s depressed,† Terri said. â€Å"Mel, why don’t you take a pill?† â€Å"Listen,† Mel said. â€Å"Let’s finish this fucking gin. There’s enough left here for one shooter all  around. Then let’s go eat. Let’s go to the new place.† (Carver 853) Mel sees finishing the bottle of gin as a way to finally end the conversation brought up on love and get him out of the frustration that the conversation had provoked within him. In this story the sun set and the gin was all drank yet th ey still hadn’t been able to conclude the true meaning of love from a relationship standpoint. In â€Å"Good People† the symbolism leads me to decide that Lane didn’t go through with the abortion, however in the end the two are still unsure whether or not things will work out for them and if it was the smart choice. The personal point of views of the authors feelings on love are reflected through the mediums of the characters in their stories. For example, in â€Å"Good People† Lane is a kid who is struggling with the challenge of understanding his place in the world and is constantly questioning the unknown. He wants to think of himself as a good person, but his skepticism of his belief in God, the questioning of his morals, and his â€Å"love† for Sheri weighs him down. Similar to the story, David F. Wallace was a writer known for taking the challenge of communicating what it meant to be human through writing whilst battling clinical anxiety and depression. When in deep thought, Wallace’s personal views and struggles with the belief in God are voiced through Lane’s inner thoughts†¦ â€Å"He promised God he had learned his lesson. But what if that, too, was a hollow promise, from a hypocrite who repented only after, who promised submission but really only wante d a reprieve?† (Wallace 894). Likewise in the second story, some of the rougher experiences of Raymond Carver’s life shine through directly in parallel to the story. Carver presents Mel’s heavy drinking in an understanding way, the way that only one who has witnessed the inner workings of alcohol and how it unknowingly deteriorates oneself can. Mel represents Carver in the story, his second wife Terri represents Raymond Carver’s real second wife (Tess Gallagher) who had a first husband herself both in the story and in real life, only in the story his name was Ed and in life was (Larry Edward Gallagher). In the story Terri claims Ed and she loved each other, Mel claims she is wrong, but Terri persists despite the fact he hit her sometimes and was disturbed and shot himself. In real life, Larry was MIA in the Vietnam War as a pilot and must have meant a lot to his wife seeing how  she kept his last name. The bigoted representation of Ed in Carver’s story represents the jealousy he had of his wife’s never ending love of her first husband. Carver’s first wife is also presented abstractly into the story. Carver had two kids with his first wife, (MaryAnn), who he later fought with and disliked. In the story MaryAnn’s name is Marjorie and he voices his dislike for her while still wanting to see his kids. As you can see the author’s lifetime experiences greatly influence their perspectives which is presented and passed down through their works of literature. Both writers struggle to capture the meaning of love in their own sentimental ways, however neither come up with a definitive answer. How true it is today that love really is ambiguous no matter how well we try to capture it in its natural human habitat. No matter how many years go by or how technologically advanced a society we become, the question will always at its roots remain.

Punk

Punk Punk Punk By Maeve Maddox One post often leads to another. When I wrote about the word steampunk, I learned things about the word punk that I hadn’t known before. Three meanings I’ve always attached to the word punk are: 1. punk (noun): a smart-alecky, no-account adolescent boy. Leo [Gorcey] was the filmic prototype of the young  punk. Justin Bieber is a punk, a product of social media. 2. punk (noun): a long skinny taper used to light fireworks. Fireworks should be lit with  punk  or an extended butane  lighting  device.   Dont leave matches and  lighted punk  where ladies may tread on them.   3. punk (adjective): in poor health, under the weather. Sadie is feeling punk: I think her tooth is bothering her. I woke up feeling punk, but now I feel better. Here are some other uses of the noun punk: Note: The dates refer to citations in the Oxford English Dictionary. The first is the earliest citation; the second is the most recent. a prostitute (1575-1983) a boy or young man kept as a passive sexual partner by an older man (1698-2001) the young male companion of a tramp, especially one kept for sexual purposes (1907-2002) derogatory term for a homosexual man (1935-1999) a person of no account; a petty criminal; a hoodlum, a thug (1893-2004) a coward or a weakling (1939-2003) an amateur; an apprentice (1920-1989) a performer or fan of punk rock (1976-2003) Meanings of punk as an adjective include: contemptible, despicable; thuggish; inexperienced (1907-2001) The OED offers the following definition of the word punk relating to the lighting of fireworks: soft decayed or rotten wood, especially as used for tinder 1678-1994) slang term for bread (1891-1991) incense, especially Chinese incense (1844-2000) A piece of a material that smolders when ignited, used to light fireworks or the like (1852-2005) something worthless; foolish or meaningless talk; nonsense, rubbish 1869-1973) New meanings for this old word are still developing, including a verb, â€Å"to punk.† Apparently the past participle is punk’d: Taylor Swift gets Punk’d by Justin Bieber Jusin Bieber gets punk’d by Ashton Kutcher. The odd spelling is from a candid camera show called Punk’d. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Direct and Indirect ObjectsHow to spell "in lieu of"Few vs. Several

post modernism critique essays

post modernism critique essays The 20th Century, in many ways, can be remembered as a time of scientific and technological revolution. The innovations and rapid growth in many areas of technology have cast doubt upon words such as ignorance and impossibility. This revolution also instigated new and/or radical ideas in the world of academia. The growth of post-modernism and its adherers in historical circles have caused quite a stir in dealing with the validity of many historical documents. Critical analysis of the subject of modernism and post-modernism can be simplified in one statement: What is our understanding of certainty? The modern critical analysis form is an ideal philosophy of industrialism, an ideology that adopts the correspondence theory. Facts are unbiased descriptions of past events that assist one in gaining knowledge. Since facts have consequences, modernists believe facts are not debatable. The core of modern critical analysis relies on facts to move towards a higher level of understanding (Truth). The push for facts to achieve a higher level of knowledge teaches and supports the value of HISTORY (history in the upper-case). Historical analysis in the modern form describes history as it is made by the use of facts. The common goal for modern historians is to find HISTORY, truth, and moral rights by methodically deducing facts and past events. By such ways, the truthful understanding of the past makes history useful for us in the present. In post-modern critical analysis, its philosophy lies in the critiquing the false in modernism. Truth/fact is merely a socially constructed ideal dependent on the context in which it is used [connotative meanings]. Post-modernists debunk the importance of fact due to limited personal perspectives. Since each person could have numerous perspectives on issues, the shear number would constitute the many facts once could have. Opposed to the modernist philosophy reflecting Wes...

Dell Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dell Inc - Essay Example The force of the buyer revolves around the relative strength which the buyer can exert on the business through the course of business transactions. The Force of the Buyer can also be applied to the business in terms of considering the business as a buyer from its suppliers, In each case, however, the relative strength of the company, both when feeling the force buyers exert on it, and as it buys from suppliers, is relatively weak. Neither the company nor the consumers can exert a high level of buying power on the company According to Porter, the power of the buyer is strong when those who buy from the company, or the company as a buyer, exist in a limited marketplace. In other words, when the company exists as a buyer from suppliers, and the company is the only buyer, or one of a limited number of buyers of specific goods and services. (Porter, 1980) An example of this type of relationship could be the Department of Defense as a buyer from defense contractors literally is the only buyer of goods and services for the purpose of our countries defense. (QuickMBA.com, 2004) In this case, the buyer has monopolistic power over the sellers, and can dictate what it wants and how much it is willing to pay. However, no such limited monopoly exists in the computer marketplace. ... Developed as a strategic response to the internet, Dell launched a business model which focused on 'build to order' computers. Rather than guessing what its customers wanted, and building inventory which was then stored in warehouses until ordered, Dell developed an integrated supply chain management system, and then went to the consumer and allowed the end user to drive manufacturing. The company focused on connecting with the consumer's immediate desires, and then building just what was ordered. For Dell, this decision cut costs, and increased the velocity at which the company could operate. According to Bossidy and Charan (2002) Dell became the market leader with this business model. The company turned its inventory 80 times per year, rather than 20 times which is the typical inventory turnover rate of its competitors. Through this strategy, dell became known as the market leader in terms of getting the consumer exactly what he or she wanted, on time, accurately, and at low cost. This positioned Dell to experience the success which it is now struggling to hang onto. However, this does not make Dell a strong buyer as a buyer of goods and services when compared to its competition. Dell, HP, IBM, and Sun Microsystems are all purchasers of similar products. While the companies may have their own idiosyncrasies in terms of what specific parts and pieces they purchase, they are all purchasing the same types of products, and therefore all have similar levels of power in the marketplace as a buyer. Dell may have a larger power in the marketplace than its competitors because of their higher level of volume it consumes. However, the company is not an exclusive

Perceptions of Performance Feedback Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perceptions of Performance Feedback - Essay Example Later the success of the system was evaluated by surveying the employees and it revealed that now the process is more result oriented and helps the evaluatees to know what are the criteria they are rewarded on and ultimately whether they are contributing positively to the organization’s overall goals or not. Some of them thought the process was tiresome but the results of the process were helpful.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Data Collection MethodologyThe data was collected by means of evaluation surveys, in the form of questionnaire that asked for the individual performance appraisal from other individuals of an organization. The sampling procedure was simple; for each individual of the organization, the directly associated individuals were asked to fill out these surveys; for instance for a manager, his assistant, other department managers, his own supervisor i.e. the next immediate level person was asked to fill out the survey. The questionnaire contained open ended as well as close ended q uestions that had meaningful means associated to analyzing directly the performance of individuals.Approach for Data Collection & Survey FormationAs mentioned previously, the survey was formally formulated and approved by peer reviews and the scoring criteria was clearly embarked amongst the respondents and the subject persons.The major advantage of this approach is knowing the gut feeling of individuals and their thoughts about other individuals in the organization not just in the department itself but across the department too i.e. both the horizontal.