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Last update - 01:48 26/09/2006
The 10 most useful lies about terrorism
By Bradley Burston

Note: This article will be followed by an experiment. In an effort to foster rational dialogue, Talkback responses to this piece will be subject to stringent new guidelines, as specified below.

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1. 'Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.'
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Perhaps the most often quoted of all chestnuts about terrorism, is the idea that it is solely a product of fundamentalist Islam.

A few examples of non-Islamic terrorist groups of the present and recent past:

The Irish Republican Army

Kach

ETA, or Basque Homeland and Freedom

Babbar Khalsa (Sikh)

Ulster Defense Association

Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka

Aryan Nations, United States

2. 'One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.'

More of a half-truth than an out and out lie, given the propensity of supporters of one side to explain and forgive atrocities committed by that side, while condemning and often exaggerating atrocities committed by the other.

It is worth noting that definitions of terrorism are legion and agreement is rare.

For the purposes of this piece, however, we will use a formula contained within a UN report issued last year, which defined terrorism as any action: "intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act."

For the purpose of this piece, therefore, we will declare that any side which intentionally attacks non-combatants is practicing terrorism.

3. All resistance to illegal occupation is legitimate.

Intentional attacks on innocents are inherently illegitimate.

4. 'Terrorists are generally drawn from the disadvantaged sectors of a population, those who have suffered the worst oppression.'

Attempts by social scientists and intelligence agencies to create a workable profile of an "average" terrorist or terror commander have been notably unsuccessful.

There have been few common denominators found to characterize suicide terrorists. Many were model students and professionals, raised in relatively well-off home environments.

There is, before all else, the case of Osama Bin Laden, son of a multi-millionaire building contractor who made a fortune through his close ties with the Saudi royal family.

Many prominent leaders of Palestinian organizations which engage in terrorism have been physicians by profession, among them George Habash, founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Hamas founders Abdel-Aziz Rantisi, a pediatrician, and Mahmoud Zahar, a surgeon.

5. 'Profiling works.'

Terrorism, as shown by the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks and Hezbollah rocketry, has proven to be highly adaptive and relentlessly creative.

There is evidence that Islamic terror organizations are seeking out white European converts to Islam as terrorists who could easily slip through a profiling dragnet.

Lord Stevens, a former head of Scotland Yard, said recently that airport chaos could be cut if certain passengers were targeted for more intensive checks, particularly "young Muslim men."

But one of the U.K.'s most senior Muslim police officers, Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Ali Desai, responded that terrorists come in no easily categorized form, and that such a profiling system suggested "that we should have a new offence in this country, called 'traveling whilst Asian'."

6. 'We don't negotiate with terrorists'

Of course we do. Sooner or later everyone does. The underlying translation of this statement is, "At first, we say no. Then we say no again, even as we initiate indirect, behind-the-scenes contacts. Then we hem, haw, launch trial balloons, plant leaks.

"And then we go ahead and make the deal."

In theory, this approach buys time in such situations as efforts to trade prisoners for a captive soldier. In practice, it may squander the sole opportunity to bring the captive home alive.

In theory, it also buys time with the terrorists and with domestic public opinion. In practice, the terrorists are not fooled, and neither is the public. This is closely akin to:

7. 'There will be no compromise or accommodation with terrorists.'

It is also a blood relative of:

8. 'The objective of the [(check one) war / incursion bombing campaign / liquidation raid] in [Lebanon / Gaza / northern Samaria] is the swift release of the kidnapped soldier/s.'

There is little persuasive evidence that the kidnappers of IDF soldiers can be bombed, assassinated, or otherwise militarily pressured into agreeing to release the captives they hold.

There is more than circumstantial evidence to suggest that the kidnapping may become a pretext for military action aimed at attacking an organization which engages both in guerrilla activity and in terrorism, with Hamas and Hezbollah the primary illustrations.

9. 'If there were no occupation, there would be no terrorism.'

It is debatable whether this statement fits better into the status of a lie or a contention. It is, in any event, an argument which has lost much of its power in the wake of the pull-out from the Gaza Strip. Within days, evacuated settlements were used as launching pads for rocket attacks that markedly increased terrorist attacks against southern Israel.

10. 'Terrorism is the only defense of oppressed peoples against the vastly better equipped oppressor.'

On the surface, terrorism seems to work, despite its moral failings. But in the case of the Gaza withdrawal, hailed by Hamas as the Great Victory of Resistance, it may be persuasively argued that Israel would have withdrawn from the Strip years, perhaps even decades before, had terror groups not worked to foil every attempt at a peace agreement.

The fact is that Israelis were trying to find a formula to leave Gaza for years. There were even many in the settlement movement who viewed Gaza as a distinct liability to the wider cause.

One thing is certain - terrorism is self-destructive on the broadest levels. It has cost the Palestinians their once-broad support in Israel and around the world for the swift creation and recognition of an independent Palestine.

Terror attacks following the disengagement have persuaded most Israelis that further withdrawals would be mistaken.

Terrorism, particularly the concept of suicide bombing, has tarnished the Palestinians' good name in the world, and their image of David in the contemporary Goliath myth.

There are many diplomatic, political and public relations alternatives to terror. Had the Palestinians focused on them and not on the armed struggle, they would have had statehood long ago.

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Talkback Guidelines

The guiding principles of the talkback forum for this article will be mutual respect and an openness to dialogue. Participants, even if they rule out, dismiss or oppose coexistence, must, within the confines of this forum, practice it.

Censorship will be unapologetic.

Political orientation will have absolutely no bearing on whether a comment is posted or rejected.

The following will be grounds for deletion:

1. Racist remarks, as well as slurs on the basis of religion, ethnicity and gender.
2. Use of the terms Nazi, Hitler, genocide, ethnic cleansing, to describe the actions and policies of Israelis, Palestinians or other parties to the Israel-Arab conflict.
3. Disparaging remarks, personal attacks, vulgarities and profanities directed at other participants in the forum.
4. Advocacy of violence against individuals or religious, ethnic or racial groups, including statements which may be construed as urging attacks on leaders, officials, security forces or civilians.
5.Use of the phrase: "There are no Palestinians" or derivatives thereof.

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  1.   Not all Terrorists are Muslims 11:48  |  F.R.Leavis 22/09/06
  2.   TO BRADELY BURSTON 11:49  |  CYRINE 22/09/06
  3.   Great article nothing to say yet 11:51  |  Jabadini 22/09/06
  4.   kach as terrorists 12:18  |  gee 22/09/06
  5.   Terrorism, a view 12:34  |  Free thinker 22/09/06
  6.   BETWEEN TOM CRUISE AND ATTA 12:37  |  indrajaya 22/09/06
  7.   Terror is okey dokey. 12:44  |  Kym 22/09/06
  8.   half bake 12:55  |  Barman 22/09/06
  9.   Justifying Terrorism 12:56  |  Richard 22/09/06
  10.   does terrorism really not work? 13:06  |  cristina 22/09/06
  11.   You forget one 13:20  |  John 22/09/06
  12.   war or terrorism? 13:28  |  fouad 22/09/06
  13.   # 1 Irgun targeted the British colonial army 13:29  |  Haham me Bat Yam 22/09/06
  14.   Alas, the statement nr.9 is just as lie as its opposite. 13:29  |  zmogus 22/09/06
  15.   I presume Israel is talking to Hezbollah 13:33  |  Chris Linthwaite 22/09/06
  16.   To #2 F.R. Leavis 13:39  |  Josh Korn 22/09/06
  17.   To Indrajaya 7 13:45  |  Jozef 22/09/06
  18.   Mr Burston 13:49  |  Walid 22/09/06
  19.   Past Terrorist Organizations 13:51  |  Raden 22/09/06
  20.   To Free Thinker, Beirut 13:59  |  Josh Korn 22/09/06
  21.   Differentiation between types is important. 14:01  |  Tony Price 22/09/06
  22.   Let`s Get Real 14:06  |  Peace Train 22/09/06
  23.   part 1 because of space 14:07  |  eli 22/09/06
  24.   Bradley is Reversing the Spin 14:17  |  Ronnie Wolman 22/09/06
  25.   Good morning gee. No more Kach? Welcome to its official site 14:23  |  zmogus 22/09/06
  26.   If there were no occupation... 14:36  |  Pascal 22/09/06
  27.   Don`t forget Menachem Begin and the Irgun 14:51  |  Natallie Durson 22/09/06
  28.   #5 gee is not me 14:53  |  Gee 22/09/06
  29.   Burston 14:54  |  mona 22/09/06
  30.   Tell it to EL AL 14:56  |  Gee 22/09/06
  31.   They call it CRIME 15:12  |  Mario Fiorito 22/09/06
  32.   Mona 15:13  |  JS 22/09/06
  33.   One flawed premise backs up the next 15:14  |  Joe Frazier 22/09/06
  34.   An issue with point 9 15:39  |  p 22/09/06
  35.   #14, the Irgun also bombed markets, they targeted civilians. 15:41  |  p 22/09/06
  36.   Natallie Durson and the king david hotel...bad example 15:45  |  SHIMON 22/09/06
  37.   Israel must have known bombing Lebanon would kill hundreds 15:50  |  Michael 22/09/06
  38.   Bradley`s no. 9 15:53  |  David McC 22/09/06
  39.   not all terrorists are muslims 16:01  |  Dvora 22/09/06
  40.   Mr. Korn 16:02  |  Free thinker 22/09/06
  41.   To Walid 16:03  |  Yaron 22/09/06
  42.   SHIMON - a couple of questions to you 16:05  |  Hanoman 22/09/06
  43.   Re 28. Natallie Durson (Don`t forget Menachem Begin) 16:15  |  Vittorio 22/09/06
  44.   Add the IOF 16:23  |  Geronimo 22/09/06
  45.   # 21 Burston is Diluting the Topic 16:29  |  Tony Anthony 22/09/06
  46.   #36, SHIMON. The power of poetry. 16:42  |  zmogus 22/09/06
  47.   TO Michael - your premise is right, you`re dishonest 16:48  |  Richard 22/09/06
  48.   Myth: Israel Targeted Civilians in Lebanon 16:51  |  Bruriah Sarah 22/09/06
  49.   The Irgun and Stern gangs were Israeli terrorists organizations 16:53  |  hollingsworth 22/09/06
  50.   Wrong number one sentence 17:01  |  Robert 22/09/06
  51.   Bradley`s Experiment 17:03  |  Gullible Cynic 22/09/06
  52.   #42, Yaron. Little gift misunderstood 17:09  |  zmogus 22/09/06
  53.   NEVER JUSTIFIED!!!!!! 17:17  |  Alicia 22/09/06
  54.   with the purpose of intimidating a population 17:36  |  KenB 22/09/06
  55.   Pascal # 27 Ending the Occupation 17:38  |  Jeff Northridge 22/09/06
  56.   The Theory of Dilution 17:53  |  Tony Anthony 22/09/06
  57.   But a state is not what the Pal-Arabs want!!! 17:58  |  MG 22/09/06
  58.   to JS 18:03  |  mona 22/09/06
  59.   But a state is not what Pal-Arabs want!!! 18:04  |  MG 22/09/06
  60.   Feedback for Bradley on this article 18:11  |  Gullible Cynic 22/09/06
  61.   WHAT`S ASTOUNDING IS HAMAS`S REFUSAL TO PROGRESS 18:38  |  Smadar 22/09/06
  62.   Correction: Most Terrorists Today Are Muslims 18:42  |  Jeff Northridge 22/09/06
  63.   All Terrorists are muslims ? 18:43  |  Mike 22/09/06
  64.   Definition of terrorism 18:44  |  Ben Gurion 22/09/06
  65.   to peace train 18:50  |  berl 22/09/06
  66.   "Lie" Number 9 is questionable 18:56  |  Samantha 22/09/06
  67.   To Mario 18:58  |  Berl 22/09/06
  68.   "Lie" Number 10 is questionable 19:04  |  Samantha 22/09/06