Social Injustice and Terrorism

Terrorism is wrong. It should be condemned in every circumstance. Terrorism could come in the form of a radical Christian killing an abortion doctor, a man blowing up a building to express discontent with the American government, or radical Muslims killing in the name of God.

On July 7, 2005, dozens of London commuters were killed when four bombs were detonated on London’s mass transit system. Please understand that I am not condoning these attacks. They were horrible atrocities that killed innocent civilians. Terrorism is never an appropriate means of giving a voice to social injustice, but in the quest to end terrorism, I want to take a look at what two of the perpetrators of the London bombings said in their videos in the days before the attacks.

“I and thousands like me are forsaking everything for what we believe. Our drive and motivation doesn’t come from tangible commodities that this world has to offer. Our religion is Islam, obedience to the one true God and following the footsteps of the final prophet messenger. Your democratically-elected governments continuously perpetuate atrocities against my people all over the world. And your support of them makes you directly responsible, just as I am directly responsible for protecting and avenging my Muslim brothers and sisters. Until we feel security you will be our targets and until you stop the bombing, gassing, imprisonment and torture of my people we will not stop this fight. We are at war and I am a soldier. Now you too will taste the reality of this situation.”

“What have you witnessed now is only the beginning of a string of attacks that will continue and become stronger until you pull your forces out of Afghanistan and Iraq. And until you stop your financial and military support to America and Israel.”

Despite what our emotions may tell us, a terrorist attack is rarely an isolated event that is unconnected to a tragedy occurring in another part of the world. In the case of the London bombing tragedy, the terrorists were trying to raise awareness of the human rights violations in Palestine under the Israeli apartheid, which is supported by Britain and the United States, as well as the unwanted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Osama bin Laden said that there will be no peace for America until there is peace for Palestine; this was one of his motives for masterminding the September 11 attacks. Sayyed al-Qatb, whose writings greatly influenced bin Laden, was incited by the ill-effects of Westernization. The motive behind the Mumbai hotel bombing in 2008 was the Pakistani struggle over Kashmir, as well as the plight of Palestinians.

Terrorism is never acceptable. The United States government refuses to cooperate with terrorists. The social injustice aspect of their message is getting lost, while terrorism is only increasing. Perhaps in the struggle to end terrorism, we should examine these issues that they are trying to bring to light through violence. And instead of invading Iran (as Israel wants the United States to do) or scratching our heads as to what went wrong in Iraq and Afghanistan and why terrorism is only increasing, we should work towards resolving these complex issues.

About the author

I grew up in conservative Christian circles in the American South, and majored in theology at an Alabama Southern Baptist college. Without really understanding why, I believed that Muslims were to be avoided at all costs, and we have to unilaterally support Israel. Like many young adults, after college I wasn't sure at all of what I wanted to do with my life, so I traveled to the Middle East for a year and a half. Most of the people I met were descendants of the Palestinian refugees forced out of their homeland in 1948, when Israel was recreated. I fell in love with Arab culture, and realized that on the world scene, Arabs have no voice. Living in the Middle East gave me fresh new eyes to read the Bible, and interacting with Arab Christians, especially Palestinian Christians who live in Jordan, caused me to question all the dogmas regarding Israel with which I had grown up.

Living in the Middle East also gave me the courage I needed to pursue my lifelong dream of being an author. My first book, A Theology of Chaos, will come out this next spring. I plan to use the profits from it to support organizations in the Middle East that are fighting for justice. I have written some short stories as well, which you can find on smashwords.com under my full name, Margaret Elysia McColley.

I now live in New York City, where emergency procedures for a potential terrorist attack are constantly updated, and where the sharp divide between Christians, Muslims, and Jews can be clearly seen on posters in the subways. My goal in life is simple: to end terrorism in my lifetime, by giving a voice to social injustices that compel terrorists to violence.

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