The Intended Meaning
What is meant here by terrorism is prestige and legitimate military deterrence, not spreading fear or chaos in society. A distinction is made between terrorism in the sense of deterrence and intimidation in the sense of unlawful fearmongering. In this way, the term is tied to the display of force to protect the system, not to harm people.
The Atom’s Structure in the Atlas
- Type of argument: Political
- Movement of the argument: Terrorism is understood as legitimate deterrence, not chaos.
- Central terms: terrorism, deterrence, prestige, legitimate.
- Degree of centrality: Pivotal.
It shifts the concept from the meaning of random intimidation to the meaning of political protection, and links it to the display of force within the framework of order, not in the framework of harm.
Links that help reading
- Muhammad Shahrur, Umm al-Kitab and Its Elaboration
- The Civil State, Religion, and Authority
- Terrorism
- Religion is a free relationship with God that distinguishes between the historical message and ethical commitment
Basis
- Supporting text: «Terrorism: in the context of the verse it is understood as prestige and military deterrence. Terrorism/intimidation: the distinction between legitimate deterrence and sowing fear and chaos in society».
Place of the Basis in the Book
- Book: Umm al-Kitab and Its Elaboration.
- Location: Near the beginning of the book, within the discussion of the seven-letter reading and textual alteration.
- Type of basis: Close evidence.
- Marker that helps verification: alteration in the texts of revelation
- Reading note: This passage works as evidence because the witness speaks about accepting some possibilities and rejecting textual alteration, and it is close to distinguishing the legitimate meaning from the corrupt one in the term terrorism.
Degree of Documentation
- Level: Directly documented
- Meaning of the level: The atom is based on an explicit witness close to the formulation of the claim.
- Limits of the reading: The formulation above is an analytical summary, and should not be treated as a verbatim quotation unless the witness is transmitted textually.
Its Function in the Book
Its function here is definitional; it sets out a meaning or conceptual distinction that Shahrur relies on in building the idea.
Related to
Editorial Note
The atom is context-sensitive and requires caution in presentation.