The Nature of Islamic Extremists and Terrorists Threats
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The United States continues to face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat from Islamic extremists, which can be definite as catastrophic terrorism because it aims to kill people on a large scale. This discussion is an explanation of the specific nature of the threat.
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A significant problem facing the United States is that the Islamic extremists' perception of the world draws support for its actions precisely from the policies of Western states. In their view, Western nations, such as the United States have been engaged in a crusade against Islam.
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The United States continues to face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat from Islamic extremists, which can be definite as catastrophic terrorism because it aims to kill people on a large scale. This, however, does not explain the specific nature of the threat. The attacks of 9/11 were directed at outstanding symbols of Western civilization; bin Laden had often spoken of targeting the "Zionist-Crusader Alliance" and of dealing blows to Americans and Jews. This kind of terrorism is of a cultural and religious nature and aimed at removing alien influences from the Islamic world. Therefore what really distinguishes the events of 9/11 from other terrorist acts is that the Islamic extremists try to change the American system through mass destruction. A better term therefore is anti-systemic terror, defined as the unconventional, but worldwide and large-scale use by (state-sponsored) non-state actors against civilian and government targets, with the aim to change the system. Besides being spread out internationally, their recruitment activities and operations take place within the ...
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