# Why Call it a "Terrorist" Attack?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-call-it-a-terrorist-attack/163445>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 22, 2003, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-call-it-a-terrorist-attack/163445 "2003-03-22T23:26:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-call-it-a-terrorist-attack/163445/21 "2003-03-23T20:23:42Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by legion \*  
> \*\*Disturbingly, the British press find the need to describe the US soldier being held as a “black Muslim”. \*\*

What’s disturbing about that?  
If it’s true,(and it appears to be) then the fact that he is muslim is absolutely relevant to the murders.

If a black church is bombed in Alabama, the press can report that a white Ku Klux Klan member is under arrest, and nobody finds it “disturbing”.

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**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-call-it-a-terrorist-attack/163445/22 "2003-03-23T20:31:44Z")

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I think what \*\* legion \*\* was saying is that it makes no difference what his race is. Why was it necessary to point out that he was black?

It’s different, if, say, on the nightly news, they’re describing a suspect who is still at large. This guy has been captured. We know who he is. It’s unnecessary to mention that he is black. His religion is a different story: it may lead to a potential motive.

Also, I would gander to say it’s unnecessary to point out that the KKK member in your example is white. I’m not aware of many blacks in that orginization.

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**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-call-it-a-terrorist-attack/163445/23 "2003-03-24T04:34:04Z")

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Hey turns out it wasn’t “terrorist”, “guerilla”, “paramilitary”, “irregular” or any such thing after all. Just another angry loner psycho going postal.

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