The Bulletin 11/5/05

Terrorism: what they've said

The 't' word has many meanings, as Susan Skelly finds.

"The unofficial or unauthorised use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims." Concise Oxford English Dictionary

"We sincerely believe that terrorism is of negative value, that it by no means produces the desired effects, that it can turn people against a revolutionary movement, and that it can bring a loss of lives to its agents out of proportion to what it produces." Che Guevara

"They rob us of our wealth and of our resources and of our oil. Our religion is under attack. They kill and murder our brothers. They compromise our honour and our dignity and dare we utter a single word of protest against the injustice, we are called terrorists." Osama bin Laden (1998)

"Terrorist. A noun. A victim of Jewish and American aggression who dares to fight back." Ramee Muhammed, an American Muslim who had voiced support for al Qaeda

"All terrorists, at the invitation of the government, end up with drinks at the Dorchester." Hugh Gaitskill, former British Labour Party leader

"A definition of terrorism is hopeless ... terrorism is just violence that you don't like." Professor Richard Rubinstein, Centre for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University, Virginia.

"These terrorists ... we have seen their kind before. They're the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions, by abandoning every value except the will to power, they follow in the path of fascism, Nazism and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way to where it ends in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies." George W. Bush

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Racism, No way! is an Australian anti-racism education initiative managed by the Department of Education and Training on behalf of education systems nationally.