A young man is raised all his life on a simple farm in the desert. Resentful of the boredom and isolation of his backwater town, he longs for adventure and excitement. He spends his free time honing his shooting skills on small animals and day-dreaming about leaving his home.
Wondering about his long-lost father, he asks his remaining family, his aunt and uncle, questions about his father, a veteran of a distant war. Eventually thrust into conflict by the murder of his aunt and uncle by an outside government, the youth joins with an elder war veteran who also is his father’s old friend. He is then willingly indoctrinated into a fanatic religious organization with emphasis on purity and combat while simultaneously undergoing an operation to free a leader of a government resistance movement inside a secure military base. With the help of two smugglers, the youth infiltrates the base, frees the leader and escapes after causing minor casualties and property damage to the base. The newly liberated leader convinces the young man to join the resistance and participate in a daring mission against a government military center. He accepts the challenge and is instrumental in the total annihilation of the center and all of its inhabitants through one well-placed missile attack. In the aftermath of the explosion, the youth is lauded and commended for his bravery through a public gathering in which a golden medal is bestowed upon him.
Does this story sound familiar? It should, especially to those of us familiar with Star Wars. It’s the basic plot of Episode IV- A New Hope. Perhaps, your first thought was not Star Wars. Maybe this story sounds akin to the stereotypical story of a radicalized youth turned militant. I say stereotypical because terrorism is not exclusive to the deserts or mountains of the Middle East. Rather, it is a growing global problem demonstrated by the indoctrination of young adults by the Islamic State in countries such as the United States and France (just to name a few).
Let’s view a New Hope as a vehicle for understanding aspects of modern terrorism. If nothing else, this analogy gives us a different perspective with which to view new militant recruits. Like Luke in Star Wars, they are young and naïve, not yet knowing the realities of the world or war. They are idealistic, believing in their ideals whether it be the mystical power of the Force or something else. Luke’s feelings of despair and anger after the death of his uncle and aunt are most likely analogous to many of these young men and women who are led to radicalization through the deaths of loved ones. The loss of a loved one is undeniably traumatic, so it would make sense for these young people to direct their anger at the group responsible for the loss (the Empire, in Luke’s case). The most poignant aspect of this comparison is the humanization of militants. I think it’s safe to assume that most people don’t wake up and decide to be terrorists. Radicalization is a process. Luke went through a lot of trauma and loss before joining the Rebellion. While many militants’ actions may be considered bad or evil, militants are not animals; they are human as well. They have feelings, emotions, and reasons for their actions.
Just to clear up any confusion, I am not arguing that Luke is a terrorist. I’m simply using his situation to highlight parallels between his circumstances and modern terrorism in some countries. Also, not all militants become extremists through the same process as Luke (just look at the influx of youths from Western and middle class families trying to join the Islamic State), but many, especially in areas significantly impacted by terrorism, can start in such a way.
A failure to grasp the basic humanity of militants and terrorists could have potentially devastating effects. If we wish to truly understand their motives, we cannot deny their humanity.
