Religiously motivated terror has increased significantly over past years, and the forecast is even bleaker. The Western World must respond.
As the world witnesses the horrors of the Islamic State and other Muslim terror organizations, such as Hamas, evidence supports the notion that there has been an alarming spike in Islamic terror around the globe.
According to reliable research, 17,958 people were killed by terrorists in 2013. This translates to a 61 percent increase in terrorism over the previous year, a Global Terrorism Index Report shows.
Most of the terror-related deaths – 82 percent – occurred in five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria.
Yet terrorism has also become more widespread. The number of countries experiencing more than 50 deaths rose to 24 in 2013; there were 19 in 2008.
Iraq has suffered the most from terrorism. There were 2,492 terrorist attacks in Iraq in 2013, killing 6,362 people.
Israel, which is consistently targeted by Palestinian terrorists, is listed as one of 13 countries at risk of increased terrorism.
Consistent Increase in Religiously Motivated Terror
Four groups were responsible for most of the terror attacks in the past year: the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS); Boko Haram in Nigeria; the Taliban in Afghanistan; and al-Qaeda in various parts of the world. As al-Qaeda’s influence has declined, other groups such as ISIS have stepped in. Two thirds of all fatalities were caused by these religiously motivated groups. Over the summer, Hamas and other terrorists constantly launched missiles at southern and central Israel; the Iron Dome defense system prevented mass casualties.
There has been a five-fold increase in fatalities since 9/11. According to the index figures, the number of terror-related deaths has steadily increased over the past 14 years from 3,361 in 2000 to 11,133 in 2012 and 17,958 in 2013.
Steve Killelea, executive director of the Institute for Economics and Peace, told the UK Telegraph that there has been a “significant and worrying increase in worldwide terrorism” over the past two years. He did not have the figures for 2014 yet, but “my gut instinct is that it will be worse. I think we will see an increase,” he told the Telegraph.
The index was produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace, an independent think-tank with offices in Sydney, New York and Oxford. The index scores 162 countries, covering 99.6 percent of the world’s population, and examines trends from 2000 to 2013. The indicators used include the number of terrorist incidents, fatalities, injuries and property damage.
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Author: United with Israel Staff