Terrorist!

Well, I think what the boy was trying to say is more relevant to the ones actually wearing these 'explosive belts'; if the "cause" is so important to the HEROES (substitute appropriately), may be they should use their own bodies to execute these acts of terrorism/heroism rather than preying on half-wits to do the dirty/admirable work on their behalf.

kashkin,

I have asked these questions before, to no satisfactory answer. However there is an answer.

When you're fighting, you're a terrorist. If you win, you become a hero. If you lose, you remain a terrorist.

Nothing more to it.

Aadil, first a beautiful poem which illustrates the person, on his way to become either a terrorist or a mujahid depending on the paths he takes or what he is told by those puppeteers - the organizations, the governments, situations etc and its effects in terms of misery and destruction for the individual and those in its path.

And questions asked by Zeemax were interesting in their nature to explore it further and the replies as a result.
In my humble opinion, an interesting concept to be explored from both in its historical perspective and current definitions being applied by the world. If this concept was to be taken in its traditional and political sense then the concept of "interest" and "conflict" come into play...If It is in the interest of an organization or government to pursue their aims, then that cause and interest will drive them to achieve their goals at all cost provided they have the means available to do so.. For example...afghan war etc...people achieving those goals were mujahids at one time....the interests those people served were foreign and alien to them (common people had no interest or knowledge about the cold war, bipolarized world, space technologies, etc) and the rewards minor but the destruction huge of a civilization and society..And also to note that the connotation that were used were of "local origin and regional."...The moment those people served their purpose, then the gap created by this ideology and vacuum left had to be filled and for them to fill that gap came another ideology put in place by the players who had exercised the original purpose on behest of their masters and that created a conflict as the people who had served the original purpose with passion and zeal were told that now this is the policy you must policy due to the nature of interest. And this created a kind of conflict as first in the eighties they were told that they were fighting for Islam yet the hidden purpose was of other nature. So a complete shift that took place, and the gaps were filled by the local ideologies and practices…..The impact transported itself into Pakistan as we all know. Now this is the kind of analysis one will hear or read in its traditional sense with varying degrees.
Let’s view it from another angle from a psychological and human level. What do you think happens when someone slaps you? What is that first reaction? If someone slaps me, my first reaction will be of anger and I might slap that person back if I can..This reaction is purely instinctual and does not take into account, most of the time the other aspects…For example if I am slapped, then the first questions in my mind will not be of global policies, rising oil prices, think tanks and their policies, religion, and the list goes on….My first reactions are pure and instinctual. Now if one were to take this further, where a child has seen his whole family being butchered to death in a war, in a bomb attack, etc…Imagine his reaction and that pure rage…..and imagine those situations where to fulfill that rage a child will do whatever he/she can do to rid that rage in whatever means available. That rage will eat that person longer it remains in him/her. And then comes into play all those ideologies, concepts, interests dressed up and disguised to fulfill their interests utilizing that rage…They have now the perfect weapon and its free handed off to them….That person will then become terrorist for some and mujahid for others…Imagine substituting that person, with society, a nation, region and imagine the impacts it would have… This psychological profile of a human at times brings the best out of him/her if guided in a direction which is just and right ; but when there is misguidance and misconceptions and globalised policies are in abundance, then that very rage and anger will create more……

Again thanks to Aadil for posting an interesting poem and Zeemax for interesting questions..

Zeemax... partially agreed but you just can't rule out the other factors involved in making of a terrorist. During the days of the Afghan war the terminology of 'mujahid' was doing its rounds across the global media. The same people are termed 'terrorists' now and there of course are hands involved behind the conversion of a 'mujahid' to a 'terrorist'. It is not as if a particular individual chose to obtain american help and fight 'for a change'. The same can be said about a paid soldier fighting in waziristan. He is risking his life in those hilly terrains not just 'to damn it all'. Rather he's a part of something big concieved by the puppetters.

Optimistic,

That's a fair explanation. I agree.

Except that there's no puppeteer for the 'terrorist'. No puppeteer can convince a puppet to destroy him/herself for the puppeteer's cause. The 'terrorist' does what s/he does is what s/he considers necessary.

There is no such thing as being 'brainwashed'. It is the biggest fallacy of recent times. We are all brainwashed in one way or another when we go to school, or even before that in the laps of our parents - into growing up to believe what is right and what is wrong from our parents/school teachers' sole points of view. Those parents/school teachers' were 'brainwashed' in the same manner in turn, and so it goes on. Maybe rightly, or wrongly.

The 'terrorist' is merely one who is sick and tired of all this and wants to do something for himself/herself for a change and damn it all!

Zeemax,

It is an ambiguous phenomena which one can't define precisely courtesy its biased used by people having different mindsets. Terrorist along with terrorism, I think is the most abused terminology of the ongoing era. People use it promoting personal, economic and religious ends.
According to dictionary.com, terrorist is "a person who tries to frighten people or governments into doing what he/she wants by using or threatening violence. The situation becomes tricky when people term the freedom fighters for some ligitimate causes, as terrorists. The 'legitimacy of causes' again becomes complicated as different people have different biases related to it. There has been a demand to define the term unanimously so as to avoid coufusions and conflicts over the usage of the term.
There might be multiple ends a terrorist will want for himself. He might be brainwased in the name of religion. He might be oppressed to a stage that taking brutal vengeance will sound to him a last option. He might be blackmailed for money. Or he just might be a nerurotic thinking terror and destruction.
The above peom is contexed in our society which is a favorable breeding place for such individuals courtesy the interest of the puppeteers lurking around us.

Optimistic,

I have two questions for you:

1) Where does the definition of a 'terrorist' begin and end?

2) What does a 'terrorist' want for himself?

Thanks.