Terrorism in Indonesia and the Perceived Oppression of Muslims Worldwide

Various motivations underlying terrorism uncovered by recent scholarship include the radicals’ desire for Muslim unity, political interest, yearning to correct social and economic deprivation in the Muslim world, and simply anti-Westernism. This article focuses on the radicals’ call for Muslim solidarity and how this tends towards becoming their primary motivation for perpetrating terrorism. It discusses how radical groups and individuals exaggerate the perceived oppression of Muslims worldwide