In recent times terrorism has become synonymous with religion. I abhor terrorism in any of its forms and would never defend one single act of terror or intimidation, but sometimes we should take a step back and see terrorism in the wider context. I have been looking at terror groups, of the 42 main groups 12 have religious motives and 30 have Nationalist /Communist / Separatist or other. This is not a defence in any way of religious terror, jus a look at the larger picture i.e. not all terrorists are religious extremists..
Religious (12)
Ansar al-Islam (AI) (December 2001-present; Islamists; Iraq)
Al-Qaeda (1988-present; Islamists; Afganistan, Pakistan, and worldwide)
'Asbat al-Ansar (early 1990s-present; Lebanese Sunni Islamists; southern Lebanon)
Hamas (1987-present; Islamists and Palestinian nationalists; Israel and the Palestinian territories)
Hizbollah (Lebanese) (1982-present; Lebanese Shiite Islamists and Palestinian nationalists;
Abu Nidal organization (ANO) (1974-2002; Islamists; worldwide)
Kach (1971-present) and Kahane Chai (1990-present); Jewish extremists)
Army of God (AOG) (1982-present; United States; Christian radicals)
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) (1994-present; Sudan and Uganda; Christian offshoot of Uganda Democratic Christian Army)
Jamaat al-Islamiyya (Egyptian Islamic Jihad) (Egypt, Islamists)
Armed Islamic Group (Algeria, Islamists)
Jemaah Islamiyah (Southeast Asia, Islamists)
Nationalist /Communist / Separatist (30)
ETA (Basque Fatherland and Freedom, or Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) (1959-present)
Irish Republican Army (IRA) (1916-present; Irish nationalists)
Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) (1969-present; Irish nationalists)
Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA) (1997-present; Irish nationalists)
Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) (May 1966-present)
Ulster Defense Force (UVP)
Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) (early 1990s-present; Islamic separatists; the Philippines)
Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) (1963-present; Marxist/anarchist separatist group)
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) (1978-present; Turkish sepratists)
Tamil Students Movement (Sri Lankan Tamil Separatists)
Tamil New Tigers (TNT)
Tamil Ealam Liberation Organization (TELO)
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (1976-present)
Palestinian Liberation Organization (June 1964-Present; Palestinian nationalists)
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) (1969-present; Palestinian nationalists)
Abu Nidal organization (ANO) (1974-2002?; Arab Socialist) *
Fatah (early 1960s-present; Palestinian nationalist political party; sponsors terrorism)
Tanzim (1995-present)
Force 17 (early 1970s-present)
Hawari (1980s-1991)
Harakat ul-Mujahedeen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad (Kashmir, Islamists)
Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (Iranian rebels)
Chechen Terrorists (Russia, separatists)
East Turkestan Islamic Movement (separatists)
November 17, Revolutionary People’s Struggle (Greece, leftists)
FARC, ELN, AUC (Colombia, rebels)
Shining Path, Tupac Amaru (Peru, leftists)
Aum Shinrikyo (Japan, cultists)
American Militant Extremists (United States, radicals)
Religious (12)
Ansar al-Islam (AI) (December 2001-present; Islamists; Iraq)
Al-Qaeda (1988-present; Islamists; Afganistan, Pakistan, and worldwide)
'Asbat al-Ansar (early 1990s-present; Lebanese Sunni Islamists; southern Lebanon)
Hamas (1987-present; Islamists and Palestinian nationalists; Israel and the Palestinian territories)
Hizbollah (Lebanese) (1982-present; Lebanese Shiite Islamists and Palestinian nationalists;
Abu Nidal organization (ANO) (1974-2002; Islamists; worldwide)
Kach (1971-present) and Kahane Chai (1990-present); Jewish extremists)
Army of God (AOG) (1982-present; United States; Christian radicals)
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) (1994-present; Sudan and Uganda; Christian offshoot of Uganda Democratic Christian Army)
Jamaat al-Islamiyya (Egyptian Islamic Jihad) (Egypt, Islamists)
Armed Islamic Group (Algeria, Islamists)
Jemaah Islamiyah (Southeast Asia, Islamists)
Nationalist /Communist / Separatist (30)
ETA (Basque Fatherland and Freedom, or Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) (1959-present)
Irish Republican Army (IRA) (1916-present; Irish nationalists)
Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) (1969-present; Irish nationalists)
Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA) (1997-present; Irish nationalists)
Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) (May 1966-present)
Ulster Defense Force (UVP)
Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) (early 1990s-present; Islamic separatists; the Philippines)
Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) (1963-present; Marxist/anarchist separatist group)
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) (1978-present; Turkish sepratists)
Tamil Students Movement (Sri Lankan Tamil Separatists)
Tamil New Tigers (TNT)
Tamil Ealam Liberation Organization (TELO)
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (1976-present)
Palestinian Liberation Organization (June 1964-Present; Palestinian nationalists)
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) (1969-present; Palestinian nationalists)
Abu Nidal organization (ANO) (1974-2002?; Arab Socialist) *
Fatah (early 1960s-present; Palestinian nationalist political party; sponsors terrorism)
Tanzim (1995-present)
Force 17 (early 1970s-present)
Hawari (1980s-1991)
Harakat ul-Mujahedeen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad (Kashmir, Islamists)
Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (Iranian rebels)
Chechen Terrorists (Russia, separatists)
East Turkestan Islamic Movement (separatists)
November 17, Revolutionary People’s Struggle (Greece, leftists)
FARC, ELN, AUC (Colombia, rebels)
Shining Path, Tupac Amaru (Peru, leftists)
Aum Shinrikyo (Japan, cultists)
American Militant Extremists (United States, radicals)
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