Posted: July 14th, 2022

Why are Muslims the most victims of terrorism

Why are Muslims the most victims of terrorism when there are so many religions? Why it happens when 24%+ global terrorism are named Islamic?
A recent report released by a French NGO showed that cases of terrorism have increased by over 320 percent in the past five years, and nearly 80% of the terror victims are Muslims. This is not a complete shock, but the report contradicts the general belief that the terrorists are Muslims and the victims of the attacks are non-Muslim. A report by the US government’s National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC) also shared a similar view. According to the report, in cases where the fatalities’ religious affiliation was established, Muslims accounted for 82-97%.
The actual numbers remain unconfirmed, but they can not be far from the truth. While not all victims of terrorism are Muslims, most incidences of terrorism occur in countries dominated by Muslims. GTD found that out of the ten countries with the highest and most hazardous cases of terrorist attacks, seven are Muslim dominated. This leaves us to conclude and assume that majority of the victims of the attacks in Muslim countries are Muslim.
There is also a biased representation by the media portraying Muslims as terrorists. But while terrorism is not an Islamic phenomenon by definition, we can’t help to notice that most of the terrorist attacks, especially the most recent and devasting ones, have been committed in the name of Islam. When people think about terrorist attacks, they think of Osama Bin Laden, who cited religious reasons for multiple attacks he oversaw. We also think about well-known terrorist groups Like Al Shabaab and the Islamic state, which are affiliated with the Islamic religion.
Elmasry, Mohamad Hamas, and Mohammed el-Nawawy. “The value of Muslim and non-Muslim life: A comparative content analysis of elite American newspaper coverage of terrorism victims.” Journalism (2020): 1464884920922388.
Matthes, Jörg, Ruta Kaskeleviciute, Desirée Schmuck, Christian von Sikorski, Claudia Klobasa, Helena Knupfer, and Melanie Saumer. “Who Differentiates between Muslims and Islamist Terrorists in Terrorism News Coverage? An Actor-based Approach.” Journalism Studies (2020): 1-19.
Do people use religion as a justification for their actions?
Yes, different people, organizations, and movements have used religion as a justification for their actions. For instance, there is a very close link between using religion and racism in the United States. A good example is the “Christian identity,” a religious movement that Unites many White supremacists in the US. The leaders of the movement support and promote racism and sometimes violent behaviors. Racist supremacists often use select scriptures from the bible to justify acts like slavery and the ill treatment of black people and other minority groups. Religion has also been used to discriminate and inflict violence on women, girls, and members of the LGBT, which hinders them from enjoying their freedom and other rights.
Many political leaders have also used religion by affiliating themselves with a particular religion and quoting scriptures during campaign rallies to attract a following. Some well-known terrorists have also tried to justify their violent attacks with religion. However, even with dozens of atrocities being committed in the name of God, this does mean that it is the religion that causes violence but rather the people who use the religion to wrongly justify their actions.
Daskin, Emin. “Justification of violence by terrorist organisations: Comparing ISIS and PKK.” Journal of Intelligence and Terrorism Studies 1 (2016): 1-14.
Gurski, Phil. When Religion Kills: How Extremists Justify Violence Through Faith. Lynne Rienner Publishers, Incorporated, 2020.

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