After the recent event in which Egyptian immigrant Hesham Hadayet went on a shooting spree at LAX (here) , people began to question whether or not this was an act of terrorism. I find myself wondering whether “terrorism” is simply any action which brings about terror in the general populace, or rather more specifically, it is the culmination of a plan set in action for the purposes of advancing an ideology. The Merriam-Webster definition of terrorism leaves something to be desired…
terrorism: the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion
Can a man operating by himself be a terrorist? Is terrorism something more than a guy with an assault rifle in a crowded room? Was Tim McVeigh a terrorist? What about the guys who tortured and killed Mathew Shepherd? Is the media just abusing the word to capitalize on public fear? (Could the media therefore be considered a terrorist organization?.. 
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It seems to me that the definition of terrorism has become muddled with that of hate crime.
Hate Crime is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as: “A crime motivated by prejudice against a social group.”
Both ‘Terrorism’ and ‘Hate Crime’ involve crimes against a social group, and if Hadayet was indeed targeting Israelis at the El Al counter, then his actions could reasonably be termed as either Terrorism or a Hate Crime. What, then, is the difference between the two terms?
I think that the defining difference between Terrorism and Hate Crime is that of intent. If Hadayet intended his killings to have a political ramification, such as the withdrawal of El Al from LAX, then it was an act of terrorism. If Hadayet’s ultimate goal was to kill Israelis (with no political end), then he committed a hate crime.
McVeigh, therefore, was a terrorist, because he intended his bombing to strike a blow at a federal government he saw as unjust, and was therefore politically motivated. McVeigh saw his bombing as a [horrible] means to the political end of changing the federal government. Matthew Shepard’s murderers, on the other hand, committed their actions with no political intent in mind: their ultimate goal was the killing of Matthew Shepard.
So, to answer the OP, a man operating by himself can be a terrorist, if he (or she) is committing an action with a political end in mind. If not, that person is committing a hate crime.
(This is my very first post, so let’s hope I don’t mess up the board, or get my own pit thread, on my very first outing ::crosses fingers:: )