Islamic Terrorism - Myth and Reality

Terrorism is an extremely complex set of phenomena, covering a wide variety of groups with different origins and causes. Statements that researchers have identified more than 200 definitions of terrorism without being able to agree on any of them and that one person's terrorist is another's freedom fighter have become clichés. However, there is a growing consensus among scholars as well as governments on the essential meaning of the concept of terrorism. Most agree that terrorism is a set of combat methods or strategies rather than an identifiable ideology or movement, and that terrorism involves the premeditated use of violence against (at least primarily) non-combatants in order to achieve a psychological effect of fear on others than the immediate targets.