Violence is the common feature in both armed freedom struggles and acts of terrorism (whether by an individual, group, society or state). Whereas the society has given moral and legal sanctity to the former, the latter is considered evil and immoral. Articles and talk shows abound on the issue of defining terrorism and how it must be differentiated from genuine freedom struggles. While this is a very legitimate concern, in practice the issue is complicated enough to defy an easy answer. I recall having a discussion on this subject with a group of foreign students from Iran and Syria. They vehemently argued that the world must have a clear distinction between terrorism and freedom struggle. I asked them to define freedom struggle for me.
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