Terrorism emanates a distorted ideology, which dictates massive destruction of institutions, foundations and national symbols, while insinuating thoughts and ideas, which do not comply with common sense. On the other hand, an ideology doesn't wait for reasons. So does religion.

Religion has often been the root cause for acts of terrorism around the globe. Regardless of being produced from Muslims, Christians or Jews, religious extremism always aims to kill a large number of innocent people so that society is forced to put pressure on the government to proceed to policy changes.

The power of religious beliefs is difficult to overcome. Being focused on the interpretation of supernatural and moral claims about what is real and what is good, religion encompasses tradition, history, and faith. Moreover, religion reflects a social construct which views a particular religion as indisputably true and tries to progress to a higher objective truth emanated by this religion. However, although the truth is objective, the way people interpret what is allowed to do in the name of religion is subjective.

Terrorism and religion are closely related.

Islamic terrorist groups are blinded by religion and own convictions about destroying anything non-Muslim as inferior and threatening. One good explanation of the flourishing terrorism in the Middle East is poor education, poverty, and political instability, which led people to believe in a great power, the power of Allah, expressed through suicide terrorism.

Something similar happened in Christianity in the years of the Crusades. Bearing a religious character and called from the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire to conquer Jerusalem from Muslims, the Crusades were military conflicts between the Christian Europe and the rest of the world, namely Muslims, Mongols, Magyars, Slavs and Orthodox Christians. In the name of religion, innocent people were brutally beaten and killed.

Jewish terrorism is not new either. Extremist behaviors in Palestine, but also the UK, France and Israel are being committed by religious zealots, who cannot accept any peaceful settlement mainly with the Muslims.

To my view, in today's world Muslim terrorism is the most dangerous. In the years of the Crusades people were less educated and advanced and it was natural to behave with extreme aggression in order to convince the opposite part that one religion was better than the other. Today, killing in the name of God is an act of desperate contradiction to the religious essence. Religion dictates to do the good and love the different. Instead of fostering diversity in the name of religion, Muslims proceed in the mass destruction of any other religious belief to gain eternity in Paradise. How crazy this is... And how unlikely to end...

Learn more about this author, Christina Pomoni.
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