صناعة الإرهاب

The history of terrorism is as old as human history itself. Our Arab region witnessed in the tenth century the emergence of a notorious terrorist organization in the Islamic world, known as the Hashshashin, which reached a high level of organization. Its leader, Hassan al-Sabbah, made the "Castle of Death" in Iran its base, and this organization instilled fear in the hearts of rulers, military leaders, and public opinion leaders in the Islamic community. It succeeded in inventing terrorist methods to achieve its political aims, as this extremist group was small in number, which made it incapable of engaging in traditional wars against its adversaries. Therefore, it relied on assassination teams to target leaders and opinion makers, forcing them to submit to its political demands. The crime of highway robbery, which is punishable by Islamic law, is merely a type of terrorism, and God Almighty described it as corruption on earth.

In the Middle Ages, Europe witnessed various forms of terrorism, manifested in gangs that nobles used to disrupt security in the fiefdoms of their opponents. Piracy was also considered a crime against the law of nations, leading to the jurisdiction of all countries in the world to prosecute sea pirates, even if the crime did not occur within their territorial waters, based on the premise that piracy is a crime against all humanity. Between the Paris Declaration of 1856 and the Geneva Convention of 1958, many international agreements were made to combat terrorist violence on the high seas. On this basis, some believe that hijacking airplanes is the modern equivalent of maritime piracy, which was addressed by the Hague Convention known as the "Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Civil Aviation."

The danger of terrorism increased with the emergence of the nation-state since the sixteenth century, during which Europe developed a better understanding of this phenomenon. Western colonialism also sought to employ terrorism in the countries under its control, with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt being a glaring example, as it grew and emerged under British colonial rule. Major powers exploited terrorist groups to achieve their interests in geopolitical conflicts, as seen in the support of the United States for Afghan mujahideen against the Soviet Union. Political factors such as repression and tyranny, economic factors like poverty and unemployment, and social and cultural factors such as religious or ethnic marginalization play a significant role in fueling terrorism, in addition to the role of colonialism and foreign intervention in sowing chaos. There is no doubt that terrorism is not an isolated phenomenon but rather the result of the interaction between internal policies (such as corruption and repression) and external interventions.

Terrorism is a tool used by colonial powers to undermine stability and growth, tightening their grip on developing and weak countries to exploit their resources and wealth. This tool has been well understood by Western countries, which have employed it to serve their interests and enhance their dominance.

The long history of terrorism shows that it is not a product of the modern age; rather, it is a tool that has been used throughout the ages to achieve political and economic goals. Despite the evolution of its methods and means, its essence remains the same: systematic violence to instill terror and impose dominance. In our world today, where local and international factors intertwine, there is a pressing need for a comprehensive response to terrorism, which should not be limited to security aspects alone but should also address its political, economic, and social roots, and cut off any foreign intervention that fuels its flames. Combating terrorism is a collective responsibility that begins with restoring justice and human dignity and ends with creating space for peoples to build their future away from exploitation and chaos.