Can Terrorism Be Morally Justified

By

Jacob Cline

College Prep English

Ms. Tamez

7th Period
 The definition of terrorism according to Merriam-Webster is the systematic use of terror

especially as a means of coercion. In 2015 alone, there were 11,774 terrorist attacks resulting in

more than 28,300 deaths and injuring a further 35,300 people (US. Department of State). Those

are not small numbers, meaning that this is a significant problem in our society. It is not apparent

that there is any ethical or moral value in committing these acts of mass violence. Any act of

terrorism can never be morally justified.

The people committing these acts of violence, while going about it in drastically the

wrong direction, are doing it because they honestly believe that they are doing it for the

betterment of their cause; whether it's for political, economic, or religious reasons. However,

while these attacks are beyond heartbreaking and while they think that they are trying to

accomplish a goal, the reality is that it is just a weaker force attacking a stronger force in a way

that has no lasting implications. They do not disrupt government, nor do they destroy

communication, utilities or emergency services to a large portion of the country. The attackers

are almost always caught or killed. There is no attempt at an invasion because they do not have

the resources for one.

Sowing fear and getting a response is the real goal. The populace panics and the

government feels the need to do something concrete to satisfy them, which gives a purpose to the

small terrorist organization. While we recognize the threat they pose and engage them, the terror

organization gains influence among our enemies and therefore gain more resources. An example

of this is Al Qaeda involvement with ISIS. The terrorist state of ISISs expressed purpose is to

see the destruction of western culture as their ultimate goal in which they want to create a state,

completely opposed to the U.S. To do that, they need resources and aid. What they do then

without followers is that they accumulate followers and sacrifice them for small but terrifying
attacks in large, western metropolitan areas. They gain notoriety, fear, resources, influence and

power where there was none before.

You often wonder what do terrorists think theyre accomplishing when they commit acts

of terror. Or you think for what reason are they doing this and how could they just sacrifice

themselves for this reason. It is similar to when Charles Darwin was studying human psychology

and was profoundly perplexed by the fact that men voluntarily go off to war and die for their

platoon. It didnt fit into his idea of people selfishly pursuing their self-interests (Gambino). The

terrorists have decided that communicating their grievances in a peaceful way has proven to be

ineffective. Their point of view is that extreme measures are needed to grab the attention of their

antagonists.

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh blew up a truck parked in front of the Alfred P.

Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. His motivations were an intense dislike of the U.S.

federal government and as retaliation for the federal government sieges at Ruby Ridge and Waco.

McVeigh had timed the attack to coincide with the second anniversary of the deadly fire that

ended the siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. The selection of a federal

building as the target was to communicate his anger at the federal government by destroying

government property and killing a large number of people. McVeigh believed his message

would resonate better if there were a large number of casualties. He also had a strong conviction

that he was acting as a patriot, witnessed by the many historical quotes found in materials when

he was captured. He believed that this violent act was the only way to get the governments

attention, the time for talk had passed.

As a result of the bombing, one hundred sixty eight people were killed in the Murrah

Federal Building and the surrounding area (USA Today). Timothy McVeigh was captured within
ninety minutes of the explosion. Co-conspirator Terry Nichols was arrested two days later.

Michael and Lori Fortier were later charged as accomplices for the knowledge of the bombing

beforehand. McVeigh was tried and convicted of multiple counts of murder and conspiracy on

June 2, 1997. He was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001.

Terry Nichols was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Michael Fortier was

convicted of failing to warn authorities of the attack and was sentenced to twelve years in prison

and fined $75,000. For agreeing to testify against McVeigh and Nichols, he earned immunity for

his wife.

In the aftermath of the bombing, laws were passed in the areas of victims rights and

hazardous materials access. Building security and construction standards were reviewed and

improved. McVeigh believed that the attack had a positive impact on government policy, as

referenced by the peaceful resolution of the Montana Freemen standoff in 1996, the financial

settlement with the Ruby Ridge group and the comments made by Bill Clinton regretting the

decision to storm the compound in Waco.

On September 11, 2001, militants associated with the Islamic fundamentalist group al-

Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States.

Two jets were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, one plane hit the

Pentagon outside Washington D.C. and a fourth plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field. The

stated motivations for this attack were the U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in

Saudi Arabia and the ongoing sanctions against Iraq. It is clear that al-Qaeda felt that the only

way to effect change was an extremely high-profile violent event to shock the U.S. into taking

the desired action. They felt that communication and negotiation would not work in advancing

their views.
 As a result of the attacks, nearly three thousand people were killed and over six thousand

people were wounded (CBC News). All the al-Qaeda militants involved also perished in the

attacks. The U.S continued friendly relations with Israel, kept troops in Saudi Arabia and

continued the sanctions against Iraq. The attacks caused increases in airline security and border

security. There was also an upwelling of patriotism in the U.S. Unfortunately, hate crimes

against Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent increased markedly.

On February 26, 1993, a truck bomb was detonated below the North Tower of the World

Trade Center in New York City. The idea was to collapse the North Tower, sending it crashing

into the South Tower. This would bring both towers down and kill thousands of people. The

attack was planned and carried out by a group led by Ramzi Yousef. The attack failed, with both

towers remaining upright, but six people were killed and over one thousand wounded (US Fire

Department). Many of those involved were captured and jailed by authorities. The stated

motives for the attack were a dislike of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and a dislike of the

relationship that the U.S. maintained with Israel. U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and

relation with Israel remained unaffected by this event.

Six people were killed as a direct result of this attack, far less than the intended amount.

U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and relation with Israel remained unaffected by this

event. Emergency procedures, particularly relating to the evacuation of the towers, were

extensively revamped. Building security measures, especially package scanning and roof access,

were reviewed and strengthened.

When referencing the dictionary, it defines the term terrorism as the systematic use of

terror especially as means of coercion. In the three examples given, none of the terrorist acts
achieved the stated motivations. There is no obvious moral or ethical value in committing these

acts of mass violence. Therefore any act of terrorism can never be morally justified.
 Works Cited

1. United States Department of State (2015). National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and

Responses to Terrorism: Annex of Statistical Information. May 07, 2017, from

https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2015/257526.htm

2. Gambino, M. (2012, May 03). How Humans Became Moral Beings. May 07, 2017, from

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-humans-became-moral-beings-80976434/?

no-ist

3. Victims of the Oklahoma City Bombing, USA Today, Associated Press, June 20, 2001.

4. Winnipegger heads to NY for 9/11 Memorial. CBC News. September 9, 2011.

5. The World Trade Center Bombing: Report and Analysis (PDF). US Fire Administration.
DHS. February 1993.