What could the modern Republic of Kenya and ancient Judea, the birthplace of Judaism, have in common? Unfortunately, both of these nations have been plagued by acts of terrorism centered on both cultural and religious strife. While acts of terrorism in ancient Judea revolved around Jewish resistance to Roman occupation beginning around 63 BCE, the Republic of Kenya is actively enduring attacks from Islamic extremist group Shabab, an offshoot of Boko Haram, a Nigeria-based branch of ISIL – most recently – an attack on Garissa University that resulted in the deaths of 147 people. Who are these terrorists? What are their motivations? To find out, let’s travel back to the golden age of Roman expansionism.
In 63 BCE, Judea was subjugated by Roman forces under the leadership of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, more commonly known as Pompey, and made a client kingdom under Roman control. While there was certainly religious and cultural tension between the Western ideals of the pagan Romans and the Jewish traditions of the Hebrew people, these issues did not truly boil to the surface until the beginning of the Common Era when a group of anti-Roman Hebrew citizens, identified as “Zealots” by the Romano-Jewish scholar Josephus, began orchestrating acts of terrorism against their Roman overlords.
In 39 CE, these tensions were only further ignited when the Roman emperor Caligula decreed that he was a deity and ordered that a statue commemorating his immortalization be placed in every temple within the Roman Empire, including Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, the largest and most important temple in Hebrew tradition. As Hebrew doctrine explicitly forbids the worship of idols, Hebrew citizens, extremist or not, vehemently opposed this order.
Shortly following Caligula’s order, a new extremist group known as the “Sicarii” emerged. Coming from the Latin word “sica,” meaning “dagger,” the Sicarii were known for the short daggers that they used to carry out their furtive killings. These extremists would murder their targets in large crowds, quickly and quietly, then disappear into the crowd. The Sicarii targeted Roman and Jewish officials alike, skewering all who stood in their way. It was the acts of the Sicarii that greatly influenced the Great Rebellion of 66 CE in which the outraged Roman masses rioted and killed the small garrison of Roman soldiers stationed in Jerusalem. The Romans responded with a contingent of 60,000 soldiers who crushed the Jewish rebellion, destroying Solomon’s temple in the process as recompense. Josephus cites the Sicarii as ultimately responsible for the destruction of Judaism’s most important landmark.
Similarly, just as the Sicarii fought against a religion that challenged their own, the members of the Shabab are fighting and killing Christians. On April 2, 2015, four to ten armed members of Shabab attacked the University of Garissa, separating Christian from Islamic students and murdering those who were deemed Christian. Kenyan commandos arrived on scene shortly after shots were reported and eliminated the Shabab threat. In their rampage, however, the extremist militants killed 147 people, comprised of students, guards, and faculty.
The Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack that morning, stating that it was an “operation against the infidels.” Moreover, the Shabab have said that any Islamic individuals who associate with Christians will not be protected and are just as deserving of death. While the Shabab want to single-out and attack Christians in particular, these extremists also wish to enact revenge against the Kenyan government. As such, spokesperson for the Shabab stated that their attack was in response to the 2011 Kenyan incursion into Somalia in which Kenyan forces attacked Shabab strongholds.
While this attack has only increased tensions between Christian and Islamic groups in Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta claimed that he would directly combat these acts of terrorism, recalling 10,000 police recruits to active duty.
Why does this matter? Terrorists have been present throughout history, projecting their extremist ideals through violence. However, in the same way that the Sicarii are not indicative of the doctrines and ideals of Judaism, neither are the Shabab nor Boko Haram indicative of Islamic doctrine or ideals. Terrorists resort to violence because their ideals are extreme – by definition, they cannot be logical. Terrorism has been present throughout history, but that does not mean this menace cannot be stopped. There will always be extremists, but as long as there are those who will fight with compassion for the safety of others the terrorists will never be able to win.
How should modern governments respond to acts of terrorism? Did President Kenyatta respond appropriately to the recent attack? Leave a comment below.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? All are welcome! Email me at Lee_Shaw@baylor.edu
Further reading on the massacre at Garissa University in Kenya:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/world/africa/setbacks-press-shabab-fighters-to-kill-inexpensively.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/world/africa/garissa-university-college-shooting-in-kenya.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/world/africa/kenyans-identify-relatives-killed-at-college.html
Further reading on Jewish-Roman Wars:
http://www.historynet.com/terrorism-in-the-ancient-roman-world.htm
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/revolt.html
http://www.livius.org/ja-jn/jewish_wars/jwar03.html
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0021_0_21428.html
http://terrorism.about.com/od/groupsleader1/p/Sicarii.htm