Abstract

The project discusses the justifications that the armed groups operating in Egypt provide for their use of violence. The paper classifies the groups that use violence for political reasons in accordance to their motivations as presented in their statements. The major three reasons the terrorist/insurgent groups give for justifying their use of force are the religious, nationalist, and grievance justifications. The paper’s aim is to provide a result upon which an action plan for handling the problem can be developed. The paper suggests that grievance is the most common justification among the armed groups in Egypt, according to the studied sample. It suggests also that some groups that are perceived as fanatic religious do not use religion as a core justification for their behavior, in spite of the fact that their messages are sent through a religious language. In addition, they assert that they do not target civilians, and that they are keen on not hurting them while targeting the governmental forces. On the other hand, the paper suggests that some groups adopting non-religious justifications attack civilian targets through their operations. Finally, the paper briefly suggests an action plan according to the results of the data analysis.

Department

Public Policy & Administration Department

First Advisor

Hodgkins, Allison

Committee Member 1

Shahin, Magda

Committee Member 2

Wahby, Hisham

Extent

73 p.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy. The author has granted the American University in Cairo or its agents a non-exclusive license to archive this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study, and to make it accessible, in whole or in part, in all forms of media, now or hereafter known.

Publication Date

Summer 9-4-2016

Download

Share

COinS