Father of modern "Terrorism"

     The most common dictionary definition of terrorism is:  "The use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims."  So it actually covers a whole bunch of activities, not just what we have come to believe as "acts of terrorism" such as bombing, and other forms of indiscriminate killing of people.  Using the dictionary definition, we can identify acts committed by individuals or groups going back since the dawn of history!  Certainly the ancients committed acts of terrorism, as we call it today and simply thought of it as an expedient means to an end.  But the word or the term "terrorism" itself didn't appear until 1794 in France, during the so-called "Reign of Terror" when the French coined the word terrorisme.   In 1869 a Russian revolutionary by the name of Sergey Nechayev formed a group which he named "People's Retribution" and called the members' violent activities as acts of "terrorism."  But it took another half a century or so before the terms terrorist and terrorism became firmly established in our lexicon.
      It started with persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany in the 1930s.  Initially it was just scattered street assaults by the "brown shirts" which led to more violent attacks and eventual expulsion of German Jews.  The Nazis "allowed" Jews to leave Germany if they chose to go to Palestine.  They did not allow the Jews to go elsewhere in Europe or the United States, but were willing to let them go to Palestine.  The British controlled Palestine at the time and they accepted Jews who were being expelled from Germany.  Because, after all, Palestine was considered to be the biblical/historical homeland of Jews.  Before long, there were a quarter of a million Jews in Palestine!  The Jews built new settlements and overall were much more capable of building and maintaining modern infrastructure.  Parts of Palestine where Jews settled were a vast improvement over much of the rest of Palestine, which appeared to be still struggling with modernity and didn't seem to have changed since biblical times.  It didn't take long before the Arab population in Palestine turned against the newly arrived Jews in resentment.
     Since the British were supportive of the Jewish settlement in Palestine at the time, the Arabs rose up against the British and began a campaign of terror.  This was the first instafada. It was the first time since Nechayev in Russia that the word terrorism received widespread use.  The British, who were woefully undermanned at the time referred to the Arab Uprising as "terrorism" and the Arabs who participated in the uprising as "terrorists."  It is ironic that today when we hear the word terrorism, we almost immediately associate it with Arab or Islamic Terrorists, the very name that the British began using almost a century ago!  But then it isn't all that surprising.  Since that time, all through the 20th Century, it was the various Arab groups that carried out terror acts and names like Black September Group and PLO, etc., became well known to average person.  Today, of course, it is ISIS/ISIL, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and a few more!
     The leader of the Arab Uprising, the Arab Terrorist movement, was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini.  He was initially appointed to that position by the British.  But when Jewish migration to Palestine grew, the Grand Mufti opposed it and started the uprising.  The British beefed up their forces and eventually were able to subdue the Arab Uprising.  It is interesting to note that the Israelis today use almost exactly the same tactics that the British used to quell the uprising.  The British started bulldozing the homes of anyone supporting the terrorists and relocating the families.  The Israelis are still doing it!  The British built fences to separate the Arabs, the Israelis are doing the same thing!
     The Grand Mufti escaped British capture.  He first went to Syria, then on to Baghdad, once his welcome had worn out in Syria.  He fled Baghdad when the British invaded Iraq, and ended up in Berlin.  He met with Hitler and became good friends with Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS!  The Grand Mufti helped the Nazis by convincing Balkan Muslims to join the Nazi cause, enabling the Nazis to raise a division of Bosnian Muslim troops for an SS Division, the notorious 13th Waffen SS Division!  There was a second, the 21st Waffen SS Division that was mostly made up of Albanian Muslims.  There is no solid proof, but it is said that the Grand Mufti collaborated with Himmler on  plans for the "final solution" for Jews, i.e., the use of gas ovens, poison showers, etc., for the extermination of Jews.  The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was not only an Arab Terrorist, but he was a Nazi as well!  Somehow he managed to escape the Jews and everyone else and actually lived into the 1970s and died in Lebanon!
     So, although the word "terrorist" did not begin with Arabs or Islam, it has became very closely associated with Arabs and the Muslim faith owing to the more recent "terror" activities, beginning with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who was, by all indications, a very evil man!  However, there were many others, none Muslims, who carried out terror acts, Hitler, Stalin, and today Kim Jong Un of North Korea, just to name a few.  But, ironically, it was a Muslim leader, the Grand Mufti of Palestine and his followers who gave birth to modern, popular usage of the term "terrorist."  Therefore, as unfair as it may seem,  today, the terms terrorist and Islamic terrorist go hand in hand!