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The Sociological Aspects of Terrorism Hoffman defines terrorism as “The threat or use of violence, often against the civilian population, to achieve political or social ends, to intimidate opponents, or publicize grievances” (p.1). Terrorism usually originates from problems with interaction between certain groups of people and the societies in which they live. Those problems very often result from difficulties that some people face trying to integrate into the community and adjust to it. Sometimes these people have to struggle against stereotyping or racism, which generates profound hatred inside them against the society that does not accept them. In this paper, some social theories by Marx, Durkheim and Weber will be used to illustrate the process by which people become terrorists and explain the development of large terrorist gangs. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) is the founder of modern sociology. He is a “Cautiously optimistic about the direction of change of society” (Garner p. 67). One of his major works is The Division of Labor in Society in which he explains that deviant behavior is a social fact, “a characteristic of societies and not individuals.” Durkheim examines the structure of groups and societies with respect to differences in the suicide rate. He defines two dimensions of those differences: social cohesion and normative regulation. In terms of social cohesion, suicide rates are high at the extreme ends: egoistic and altruistic. Egoistic suicide happens when there is a severe separation between persons or groups. In other words, egoistic suicide occurs when very little cohesion exists between members of the society; the individual is, thus, particularly isolated. On the other hand, altruistic suicide occurs when there is a high degree of cohesion between individuals. In this case, a person can give up his or her life for the group. The second dimension of difference, normative regulation, also has two extremes: fatalism and anomie. Fatalism results from over-regulation within a society that is controlled by a harsh regime. By contrast, anomie refers to a situation of unlimited and free desires that allows diverse sets of behaviors (p.67). By applying those theories to terrorism, we will attempt to explain and understand the development of this phenomenon based on Durkheim’s analysis. Durkheim’s notion of egoism as a cause of suicide is one possible condition of the development of terrorism. When groups of people isolate themselves from other groups, fanatical nationalism creates an illusion of community. Accordingly, individuals who feel alienated from the rest of the society develop a need to belong to the community and, therefore, may join terrorist groups. The purpose of forming these fanatical groups (racial, religious or political) is to recreate the social bonds that were lost by alienation. Other individuals try to hold onto the beliefs and values of their groups; and those diverse beliefs and values as a whole can lead to terrorism. For example, The Free Officers organization leaded by the Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser in the Egyptian revolution in 1952. Before the 1952 revolution, Egypt was one of the world’s poorest and weakest countries. It was a feudal society that was controlled by the British, the king, king Farouk, and the politicians who harmed the interest of the majority of the Egyptian population.
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