How many terrorists are atheists?

Answer 1

It depends on how you count it.

Almost nobody has ever killed someone by being motivated by the premise that there are no gods, full-stop. This is the same way that nobody has ever killed someone by being motivated by the premise that there are gods, full-stop. However, when you talk about a certain religion, that religion will have an ideology in addition to the simple belief in gods, such as what those gods want people to do to demonstrate belief. Since Atheists do not have gods, no beliefs about what gods want are relevant.

However, most Atheists subscribe to a number of other ideologies, which can lead to terrorism and violence. Probably the most notable non-theistic ideology that some Atheists have endorsed is Communism. (This is not to say that being an Atheist makes you a Communist or more inclined to be a Communist, but since Communism has no divine components, it is perfectly compatible with Atheism, just like Democracy is for the same reasons.) Communist Terrorists are quite numerous throughout history, operating on multiple continents. However, there were numerous Theists in the ranks of Communist terrorism as well, making it difficult to parse out the exact number of Atheists who were involved. Another non-theistic ideology that Atheists have endorsed is nationalism. While there are certainly forms of nationalism which are strongly religious, such as Greek Nationalism and Religious Zionism, there have been forms of nationalism that are Atheist-friendly, such as Secular Zionism and or the OAS in the Algerian Civil War. Most of the members of the Irgun and the Lehi (also called the Stern Gang), which were Zionist terror groups, were Atheists with Jewish heritage. (Thankfully, Israel disbanded these organizations once it was clear what kinds of atrocities they were committing, but the point remains that these were mostly Atheist-led terror groups.)

However, the common canard by Atheists that Atheists have not been members of terrorist groups or repressive/violent groups is not borne out by the evidence.

Answer 2

There is no definitive data on the religious beliefs of terrorists, as it varies among individuals and groups. It is important to avoid making broad generalizations based on the actions of a few individuals. Terrorism is a complex phenomenon that cannot be attributed solely to one's religious beliefs or lack thereof.

Answer 3

The basic elements of terrorism are violence, fear and intimidation. Religious belief is used by many groups to instigate and justify the killing and maiming of innocent victims. Most terrorism is carried out by groups that have fused religious belief and politics.

"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and

evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that

takes religion."

--- Steven Weinberg, quoted in The New York Times, April 20, 1999

Terrorism committed by individuals under the cloak of atheism is uncommon. There are no statistics.

Answer 4

Hardly any. Terrorists are religious fanatics these days.