📂 The Politics behind the Term "Terrorism"

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By: TimesOfFitan

In the Name of Allāh, the Beneficent, the Merciful [  ]

Donald Trump's recent designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization  [1], has only increased the ambiguity surrounding the definition of the term terrorism.

For although Trump asserts that such a designation, "underscores the fact that Iran’s actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments", little distinguishes the activities of  this military unit from those of Western states such as the US or the UK.

For example, while the Revolutionary Guard Corps has carried out operations across the Middle East and trained Shiite militias, the US military has also conducted operations in the same region and provides support for the PKK organisation. This is despite the fact that the State Department announced that it is maintaining the group's status as a foreign terrorist organisation, in solidarity with its NATO ally Turkey. [2]

The reality, however, is that the term terrorism is merely a poor descriptor that tends to be politically loaded. Its negative connotations make it an ideal tool often used by a party to portray a negative image of its opponents. Indeed, use of the term implies a moral judgement; and if one party can successfully attach the label 'terrorist' to its opponent, then it has indirectly persuaded others to accept it moral viewpoint. Terrorism is what the bad guys do. [3]

The negative connotations of this term have caused many contemporary Muslims to go to great lengths in order to convince the disbelievers that Islām does not condone terrorism.  This is despite the fact that Allāh تعالى says:

“And prepare against them whatever you can of power and tethered horses in order to terrorise the enemy of Allāh, as well as your enemy.” [4] 

Whether Islām sanctions acts of terror against the disbelievers or not is a discussion that is forthcoming in the series entitled The Reality of Counter-Extremism, Inshā’Allāh. 

Trump’s move is nothing more than an act of aggressive politics, as can be understood from his statement, "This action will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. It makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the I.R.G.C."

The political objective behind this act, which came one day before the Israeli general elections, was exposed when Netanyahu thanked Trump on Twitter, saying "Once again you are keeping the world safe from Iran aggression and terrorism." [5]

Indeed, Netanyahu is currently enjoying tremendous support from the US Presidency in the run up to these elections, as Trump’s recent recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights clearly demonstrates.

The designation of the Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization effectively criminalises the military unit. For the terms terrorism and terrorist are but effective legal instruments that serve only to deny an individual, groups, movements, and even states political legitimacy.

The New York Times thus stated that, "The move on the Iranian group could give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a boost in the final hours of his re-election campaign". The Zionist leader has repeatedly raised the specter of the Iranian threat to Israel and tried to reinforce the notion that his close ties to Mr. Trump strengthen Israeli security. (5)

The disbelievers' intention behind labelling the Mujāhidīn terrorists is no different in this regard: it is but an attempt to criminalise the Jihādī movement.

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FOOTNOTES

(1). Trump Designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a Foreign Terrorist Group, New York Times, 8 April, 2019

(2). US Keeps PKK's Status as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, Anadolu Agency, 1 March, 2019

(3). Brian Michael Jenkins, The Study of Terrorism: Definitional Problems, 1980

(4). Sūrah al-Anfāl: 60, for further reading click here

(5). New York Times, 8 April 2019

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