Why aren’t we calling the Pittsburgh shooting ‘terrorism’?
6 years, 5 months ago

Why aren’t we calling the Pittsburgh shooting ‘terrorism’?

Al Jazeera  

A white gunman walks into a synagogue outside of Pittsburgh and guns down 11 congregants after screaming, “All Jews must die!” during Sabbath services. “Whites don’t shoot whites,” reveals another gunman, amid a racially motivated shooting outside of a Kentucky grocery store that left two elderly Black customers dead. Yet, despite the racially and religiously-driven murders that unfolded in Pittsburgh and Kentucky, and the politically motivated mass violence prevented out of Florida, the words “terror” or “terrorism” were seldom used in the media coverage of these three incidents. Certainly, one would presume that a Muslim or Arab culprit involved in any of one of three incidents would immediately trigger suspicion of terrorism. These culprits are routinely dubbed “lone wolves” or mere “violent gunmen,” labels that exempt them from the charge of terrorism in the minds of Americans, and the public imagination at large.

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History of this topic

How 9/11 made politicians and media turn terrorism into an Islamic issue
3 years, 6 months ago

How 9/11 made politicians and media turn terrorism into an Islamic issue

Firstpost  

Perhaps the most damaging legacy of 9/11, however, has been the homogenisation and Islamisation of the terror threat Sheffield: As we mark the 20th anniversary of the 11 September attacks, it is important to reflect on the legacy that event and the war on terror more broadly has had for the way news media cover terrorism. Yet studies reveal how, …

Jamia and Shaheen Bagh shootings: It's deeply worrying that the word 'terrorist' is absent from popular discourse
5 years, 2 months ago

Jamia and Shaheen Bagh shootings: It's deeply worrying that the word 'terrorist' is absent from popular discourse

Firstpost  

The absence of the word ’terrorist’ in the Jamia shooter’s story isn’t because there ought to be any confusion about the term Editor’s note: This piece, originally published after the Jamia shooting, is being re-posted following Saturday’s firing at Shaheen Bagh. “Koi Hindu media nahi hain yahaan,” wrote the shooter on his Facebook page in the minutes before he opened …

It's vital to find the root cause of terrorism
7 years, 4 months ago

It's vital to find the root cause of terrorism

China Daily  

Police examine a rented truck used by a driver who fatally ran over eight people on a bicycle path on the West Side of Manhattan on Oct 31. The attack in Lower Manhattan in New York City on Tuesday that killed eight people and injured at least 11 was a ruthless assault on innocent civilians and deserves the strongest condemnation. …

Las Vegas shooting was not an act of terror, say police: Is 'terrorist' label selectively applied to Indian Muslims?
7 years, 5 months ago

Las Vegas shooting was not an act of terror, say police: Is 'terrorist' label selectively applied to Indian Muslims?

Firstpost  

A few days ago, an American in Las Vegas killed 58 strangers at a concert. American law defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” This definition aligns more or less with the dictionary …

Las Vegas shooting doesn't classify as 'terrorism'; Donald Trump's refusal to call it so is justified
7 years, 5 months ago

Las Vegas shooting doesn't classify as 'terrorism'; Donald Trump's refusal to call it so is justified

Firstpost  

Louise Richardson, a political scientist stresses upon the need to determine the motivation behind the crime, before labelling it as terrorism As Americans recuperate from the initial shock and grief of Sunday’s shootout in Las Vegas that killed 59 people, there has been a strong demand of condemning the crime as “an act of terrorism”. From singer Ariana Grande, whose …

Terrorism, race, religion: Defining the Las Vegas shooting
7 years, 5 months ago

Terrorism, race, religion: Defining the Las Vegas shooting

Associated Press  

The mass shooting in Las Vegas is the deadliest in modern U.S. history, but is it terrorism? Then-President Barack Obama called it “an act of terror and an act of hate.” Within hours of the Pulse shooting, then-candidate Donald Trump send a self-congratulatory tweet “for being right on radical Islamic terrorism.” On Monday, as president, Trump offered condolences to victims …

Why the Quebec mosque shooting happened
8 years, 2 months ago

Why the Quebec mosque shooting happened

Al Jazeera  

Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crimes have been on the rise in Quebec and Canada as a whole for years. Neither Trump’s “Muslim ban” nor Quebec’s “Mosque shooting” emerged in a vacuum. Quebec’s Islamophobia Anti-Muslim sentiments similar to those Trump has so adeptly encouraged in the US have been present in Quebec City, whose mayor previously spoke of mosques as a …

When terror isn’t terrorism
8 years, 7 months ago

When terror isn’t terrorism

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Philip Mudd comments on counterterrorism and security policy for CNN. Story highlights Terrorism isn't just an act of violence -- it's a political statement, the politically motivated killing of innocents, writes Philip Mudd So, random attacks by disturbed people shouldn't be falsely labeled terrorism, he says CNN — Terrorism isn’t just an act of violence – it’s a …

Call it terrorism in Charleston
9 years, 9 months ago

Call it terrorism in Charleston

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Peter Bergen is CNN’s national security analyst, a vice president at New America and a professor of practice at Arizona State University. Story highlights The attack at the historic Charleston, South Carolina, church is being investigated as a hate crime targeting African-Americans Peter Bergen says such instances of extremist terrorism have been more prevalent in the U.S. than …

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