DECEMBER 18 — Part 1 noted, with much simplification, that the number of religiously influenced terrorists has increased since 9/11. 

It also noted that key to the definition of terrorism is "the unlawful use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.” 

Part 1 ended with the question, "But why do people resort to terrorism?” 

This is a complex question and one that continues to be discussed and debated, as conceptually, understanding and defining terrorism remains a fraught endeavour. 

Various factors influence the journey of an individual towards becoming terrorist. 

Three important areas of research are the: (i) individual behaviour/psychological aspects; (ii) social aspects (family, community, society), and (iii) national/regional/international context. 

How these areas (and the factors within) interact to create terrorists in Malaysia are the subject of research that we are interested in investigating, to complement the existing literature. 

Returning to the definition of terrorism, G. Martin’s (2014) review of terrorism definitions identified these common features: The use of illegal force; political motives; sub-national/non-state actors; attacks against soft civilian and passive military targets; unconventional methods; and acts aimed at purposefully affecting an audience. 

These characteristics enable us to have a comprehensive approach to classifying terrorism (acts, preparators and organisations).   

However, a more fundamental question — what is terrorism? — was addressed by M. Crenshaw (2011). In her review of terrorism concepts, Crenshaw found the following essential properties in defining terrorism conceptually: 

Terrorism is part of a revolutionary strategy — a method used by insurgents to seize political power from an existing government; 

Terrorism is manifested in acts of socially and politically unacceptable violence;