I'm not your Terrorist


 

“My commitment to peace is no longer a realistic choice when your response has consistently been violence.” Dr. BLR

 

The world is divided on the definitions of controversial subjects, and rightly so. We should all be free thinkers and able to express ourselves. I’ve been troubled by the term “terrorist,” its definition, and who gets to define it. The FBI classifies it into two categories: international and domestic. Both have a place in this essay. I’ve asked this question of my students every semester, and you’d be surprised by what they say. I will address domestic terrorism first. 

The FBI defines domestic terrorism as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” Having grown up in the 1960s, I’ve seen it up close. The race riot in the City of Newark, sparked by local police actions, saw the Newark Police, New Jersey State Police, and the National Guard commit acts of violence against innocent people protesting the initial Newark Police actions. Was this an act of domestic terrorism on the part of the police? Well, it depends on who is doing the defining. Unfortunately, the FBI didn’t officially define it until 1988. Those who’ve studied it have not defined it as terrorism. So, I want to go back in time and discuss someone who, by the 1988 standard, would be considered a domestic terrorist. You decide.  

On August 21, 1831, Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher, and his followers killed his enslaver, his family, and approximately fifty other white people in an effort to end slavery. You must put into perspective what all enslaved people endured at the hands of the “God-fearing” men. If you don’t know, here are a few examples: whippings, floggings, branding, mutilation, rape, sexual abuse, and forced breeding. While the actions of the slave master may be considered heinous and a haunting testament to the brutality inflicted, would they be an act of domestic terrorism? You decide.

The FBI has a way of labeling people and groups it doesn’t like. The infamous COINTELPRO program, initiated by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, used deceptive tactics to spy on and disrupt Black activist groups. In 2017, the FBI created an investigative classification, Black Identity Extremists (BIEs), to track civil rights groups. However, after controversy arose, it was renamed “racially motivated violent extremist.” You see what I mean. 

Let’s move on. The FBI defines international terrorism as “violent criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored).” Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the term terrorism has, for the most part, been universally associated with the Islamic religion, if we are being honest. We can quibble over the different groups, but what they all have in common is their Islamic religion. I will stop here and ask this question. If you were to poll university students who have done their research and ask who the most lethal terrorists are, what do you think they would say? Every semester, I ask my students, and they respond, "The United States of America.” I then follow up with the question, “What do you call those who fight against the U.S. in these wars?” The quizzical looks on their faces tell me they are engaging the critical-thinking portion of their brain. I immediately stop them and share the following definition. “Freedom fighters are individuals who resist oppressive governments or colonial rule to achieve political freedom, often through rebellion, though methods vary from nonviolence (like Mahatma Gandhi) to armed struggle.” The term is subjective and may be used interchangeably with 'terrorist' or 'rebel', depending on perspective. A brief Google search shows that, collectively, former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama have killed more than a million Muslims over 23 years. Do we call them terrorists because those deaths occurred on lands outside of the United States? Moreover, should we call individuals protecting their land from an external invader "freedom fighters"? You decide. 

We need moral clarity about actions taken in furtherance of a false agenda that harms people. Those who control the writing apparatus get to tell their story and demand that everyone buy in. At some point, we humans must be honest about what we see, know, and hear, not just what is fed to us. Freedom fighters have a right to protect themselves, even against those who are supposed to be honorable. 

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