User:Louis P. Boog/sandbox/proposed CRA
Acts of terrorism committed in the name of Islam / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Islamic terrorism (also Islamist terrorism or radical Islamic terrorism) refers to terrorist acts committed by Islamists who have a religious motivation.[1][2]
Incidents and fatalities from Islamic terrorism have tended to be concentrated in a few Muslim majority countries (Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Syria),[3] and committed by one of just a few Islamic extremist groups. ISIS, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda were responsible for 74% of all deaths from Islamic terrorism in 2015.[4] The annual number of fatalities from terrorist attacks grew sharply from 2011 to 2014 when it reached a peak of over 32,000, before declining to less than 14,000 in 2019.[5]
Since approximately 2000, these terrorist incidents have occurred on a global scale, affecting not only Muslim-majority states in Africa and Asia, but also Russia, Australia, Canada, Israel, India, the United States and countries within the European Union.[Note 1] Such attacks have targeted both Muslims and non-Muslims,[7] with one study finding 80% of terrorist victims to be Muslims.[8][9] In a number of the worst-affected Muslim-majority regions, these terrorists have been met by armed, independent resistance groups,[10] state actors and their proxies, and elsewhere by condemnation by prominent Islamic figures.[11][12][13]
Justifications given for attacks on civilians by Islamic extremist groups come from extreme interpretations of the Quran, the Hadith[14][15] and Sharia law. These include retribution by armed jihad for the perceived injustices of unbelievers against Muslims (especially by al-Qaeda);[16] the belief that the killing of many self-proclaimed Muslims is required because they have violated Islamic law and are disbelievers (takfir); the overriding necessity of restoring and purifying Islam by establishing sharia law, especially by restoring the Caliphate as a pan-Islamic state (especially ISIS);[17] the glory and heavenly rewards of martyrdom;[15] the supremacy of Islam over all other religions.[Note 2]
The use of the phrase "Islamic terrorism" is disputed. In Western political speech, it has variously been called "counter-productive", "highly politicized, intellectually contestable" and "damaging to community relations", by those who disapprove of including the word Islamic.[20] Others (John Fund, Megan Oprea, Daily Telegraph) have condemned the refusal to use the term as an act of "self-deception", "full-blown censorship" and "intellectual dishonesty".[21][22][23][24]