Abstract

Since the September 11, 2001 attack, religious extremism and terrorism has been the forefront of news media and a political loophole of discussion. The aim of this paper is to decipher how complex the relationship of religion is with terrorism, if at all there is a signifying element in terrorist organization’s decision making. The paper will also try to answer if religion is truly a modus operandi for terrorist organizations existing now. Taking in consideration two cases: lone wolf attacks and terrorist organization’s planned attacks through qualitative research and case study analysis—the paper concludes that the ideologies that these individuals and groups are built on are usually a perverted view of what is written in the religion’s scriptures. The paper proposes that religion does not influence terrorism but is used as a tool for recruitment, justification, and political ends. Also, it is crucial for the media and the government to ensure proper depictions of terrorism.

Keywords: Terrorism, Religion, Media, Counterterrorism, Government