INTRODUCTION
“One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter.” This quote is a well-known one – with the on-going conflict around the world, the debate surrounding this quote is more fervent than ever. While the West has categorically labelled those fighting for the Islamic State and other similar groups as terrorists, for others, they are freedom fighters. The question is though, which of these beliefs is correct, or do both have grounds?
IDEOLOGIES
Western and Eastern ideologies play a big part in this overall debate. While the West is firmly in the modern day, offering an opportunity and a better life for many, the East appears at times to be in the dark ages, often medieval with some of their rules and regulations. As mentioned, there are a host of conflicts going on at the moment – the on-going conflict in Iraq and Syria, the battle in the Congo and also the Nigerian encounter.
TERRORISTS?
To take an example – the Islamic State – formally known as ISIS or ISIL. During their bid to claim large swathes of Iraq and Syria, forming a “caliphate”, they have left a bloody trail behind, killing thousands. Without doubt, this has been an act of evil. While they suggest that they do this in the name of religion, no religion can condone the acts of violence we have seen in recent months. There have been so many victims of the advancement of the Islamic State. When the West designates an organisation like this as a terrorist group, there are always grounds to do this.
Perhaps the biggest signifier that they are terrorists is their sickening videos they have released through their Al-Furqan media arm. Many journalists, even some aid workers – all innocent bystanders in the conflict, have been murdered in cold blood, before putting their families through the pain of releasing a video of the act. While these videos have been released in their dozens, we are yet to see a video of Barack Obama or any leading authority figure from the West engaging in such a brutal act. The US continue to help the Iraqi and Syrian civilians in trying to halt the advance of the Islamic State, however there is only a certain amount they can do.
FREEDOM FIGHTERS?
While the obvious idea is that those that take part in these mass executions, suicide bombings and despicable videos are terrorists, it would be unfair to not analyse the other side of the story. A freedom fighter is defined as a “person engaged in a resistance movement against what they believe to be an oppressive and illegitimate government.” When applying this to Syria – you could suggest that the Islamic State can fit this category. The Assad regime have been known to not treated their civilians well.
The Nigerian group Boko Haram have also labelled themselves’ freedom fighters. They bid to impose sharia law in Nigeria. Their name translates close to “Western Education is forbidden.” One thing is for certain – it is unfair to deny children the right to an education – no freedom fighters would be doing this. But it is only to fair to an extent to consider terrorist groups freedom fighters – after all, many consider them to be.
OVERALL
In conclusion, this is a topic very much open to opinion. From a Western perspective, it is clear that these organisations are terrorist-related. No politically-correct group would go round killing masses in sickening executions. The Islamic State are an ideal example of how a group can be designated terrorist. What is important to remember is that these groups do have support, whether those who support them have had their mind-warped is a question for another day, but to some, they are freedom fighters. However overall, it is hard to justify the acts of terrorist groups around the world, with their designation as a terrorist group surely correct.
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Millicent Faith 