Nationalist terrorism

Nationalist terrorism is a form of terrorism motivated by nationalism (often ultranationalism). Nationalist terrorists seek to form self-determination in some form, which may take the form of gaining greater autonomy, establishing a completely independent sovereign state (separatism), or joining another existing sovereign state with which the nationalists identify (irredentism). Nationalist terrorists often oppose what they consider to be occupying, imperial, or otherwise illegitimate powers. Nationalist terrorism is linked to a national, ethnic, religious, or other identifying group, and the feeling among members of that group that they are oppressed or denied rights, especially rights accorded to others. As with the concept of terrorism itself, the term "nationalist terrorism" and its application are highly contentious issues. What constitutes an illegitimate regime and what types of violence and war are acceptable against such a state are subjects of debate. Groups described by some as "nationalist terrorists" tend to consider themselves "freedom fighters", engaged in valid but asymmetric warfare. Other nationalistic terrorism can include violence against immigrants in a country. Nationalists in many countries see immigration as a threat to the prosperity of the local or native population of that country. The following are nationalist groups, which in some circles have been deemed terrorist: Grey Wolves Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) Khalistani groups ETA EOKA Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan (PKK) Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) People's Mujahedin of Iran (MKO) Tamil Tigers (LTTE) Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) Wawelberg Group Lehi Irgun Chetniks Ustashe Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) National Bolshevik Front (NBF) Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK) The label of a group as carrying out "nationalist terrorism" does not preclude it being described in other terms: Nationalist terrorism may overlap with religiously-motivated terrorism, so Palestinian nationalist militant/terrorist groups are also sometimes Islamic (Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad), and Zionist groups are also sometimes Jewish (Kach and Kahane Chai, Gush Emunim Underground).

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Related concepts (5)

Religious terrorism

Religious terrorism is a type of religious violence where terrorism is used as a strategy to achieve certain religious goals or which are influenced by religious beliefs and/or identity. In the modern age, after the decline of ideas such as the divine right of kings and with the rise of nationalism, terrorism has more often been based on anarchism, and revolutionary politics. Since 1980, however, there has been an increase in terrorist activity motivated by religion.

Jewish religious terrorism

Jewish religious terrorism is religious terrorism committed by extremists within Judaism. Zealotry in Jewish history According to Mark Burgess (a Center for Defense Information research analyst), the 1st century Jewish political and religious movement called Zealotry was one of the first examples of the use of terrorism by Jews. They sought to incite the people of Judaea to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from Israel by force of arms. The term Zealot, in Hebrew kanai, means one who is zealous on behalf of God.

Islamic terrorism

Islamic terrorism (also known as Islamist terrorism or radical Islamic terrorism) refers to terrorist acts with religious motivations carried out by fundamentalist militant Islamists and Islamic extremists. Incidents and fatalities from Islamic terrorism have been concentrated in eight Muslim-majority countries (Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Syria), while four Islamic extremist groups (Islamic State, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda) were responsible for 74% of all deaths from terrorism in 2015.