Faculty speaks out about terrorism at forum

by Amy Gassen news editor

Due to the recent attacks on our nation, a faculty forum was held to shed some light on terrorism. Dr. James Hedtke, history and political science chair, Dr. Jolyon Girard, history professor, and Dr. Sharon Schwarze, philosophy chair, gathered on Thursday, Sept. 20 to discuss the basic profile of a terrorist, the history of terrorism and the philosophy behind terrorism.

"Individuals of great weight and lighter individuals have all described this as pivotal," Hedtke said. A pivotal action is when something changes and something stays the same. In this instance, the profile of a ter- rorist stayed the same, but the reasoning behind the terrorist actions changed. Hedtke laid out the most common profile of a terrorist. According to Hedtke, a terrorist is generally "young, male, single, welleducated and with an urban background."

They are most likely to be recruited "through families or schools."

They use random acts of violence to reach their goals," Hedtke said. "Terrorists struck symbolic, soft targets to grab the attention of the media and then of the United States through the media."

In this instance, the random acts of violence were the plane highjack:ings that culminated in the destruction of the World Trade Center, the hit on the Pentagon and the crashed plain in rural Pa.

"This was done for very specific political goals," Hedtke said. He listed the possible goals as "to get the U.S. out of Saudi Arabia, to get the U.S. out of the entire Middle East, or to bring about the destruction of democracy." In the past, terrorists attacked for monetary gains.

Girard summarized the history behind terrorism and of Afghanistan. He informed that the Afghan people have never been defeated through warfare. The country went to war with Russia. Many Afghan people died, leaving behind many orphans. These orphans were then raised in the mountains of Afghanistan. Theses Muslim peoples were sheltered from the rest of the world. These sheltered peoples formed a radical Muslim group known as the Taliban. The literal meaning for the word "Taliban" is student. Schwarze gave the philosophy behind the terrorism. "They believe in a theocracy," Schwarze said. "They see democracy as an evil."

"These people (were) motivated by selfrighteous anger. This (type of) anger occurs when you think you've been wronged," Schwarze said."

According to Schwarze, the terrorism is "obsessive, insatiable, vicious, venomousness" of one group towards another.

"I really think that's what we are facing now," she said.