ABSTRACT
The role of religion in international terrorism has been exaggerated. While groups with religious affiliation engage in violence, factors other than religion appear to be the cause of this violence. Rather than serving as a catalyst for violence, religion is a means of polarizing populations, often taking the place of other ideologies that have failed. Ideologies are systems of beliefs that justify behavior. They serve three primary functions: First, they polarize and mobilize populations toward specific objectives; second, they create a sense of security by establishing systems of norms and values in the pursuit of common objectives; and third, they provide a basis for the justification and rationalization of human behavior. Violence becomes a primary form of communication when other forms of communication fail. This basic axiom holds true at all levels of analysis, from suicide to domestic violence, from gang warfare to political terrorism, from interstate conflicts to world wars.
