Why were the IRA never called 'Christian Fundamentalists' or 'Christian terrorists' by the british media

Question

I am fully aware of their agenda but it has recently come to my attention as every terror organisation with asian background is described by their religion, e.g. Al Qaida is regularly described as a Islamic Terrorist group, not just your bog standard terror group.

Answer 1

Because although they drew their support from the republican section of the Irish community, which is predominately Roman Catholic, but they were a marxist socialist organisation. Their aim was not just to overthrow the British rule in Northern Ireland, but then to overthrow the government of Eire to create a socialist state run by the IRA Army Council, as the IRA viewed both governments as illegitimate.
Over the years it would seem this position has changed.

Answer 2

That's an interesting question so I won't dismiss it as others have done.

The IRA did comit acts of terror against protestants and the IRA is a catholic organisation. So to some extent there is a religious theme. However the violence wasn't born out of a hatred of the protestants, it was out of hatred of the British. It just so happens that the dividing line between those who want Northern Ireland to be independant and those wo want it to be part of the UK is centred around whether you are catholic or protestant. However it should be noted that this is a generalisation and not every catholic and protestant can be labelled in this way.

A group like Al Qaida is made up of Muslim extemists and their aims appear to be based around religious intollerance. However I suspect that deep down the people in charge have a political motivation. As i've said before on a different questions, in my opinion, the main aim of relgion is power. The people in charge of Al Qaida have power and they don't want to lose it. The religious aspect simply gives them a method of recruitment. So while a lot of memebers of Al Qaida may be religious nutters on some kind of moral crusade against the infidels, I think the leaders are more about politics and power.

So the reaon why Al Qaida is called an Islamic terrorist group is because they whole ethos is based around a fundamentalist beleif of islam. Even if deep down they are politically motivated, as I think they are, they certainly portray themselves as being motivated by religion. The IRA however was an organisation with political aims and although religion did come into it they were not exteme in their religious beliefs and I suspect many of then didn't even go to church

This does not mean there aren't any Christian fundamentallists though. Just look at the bible belt in the USA. There are quite a few christian groups quite willing to use agressive and occasionally violent means, although none as yet have come anywhere near close to the violence of those who comit it in the name of Islam. And as long as they are left alone by the authorities they tend to keep themselves to themselves.
However be warned the day the Right wing Christian movement in America gets into power will be a bad day for a lot of ordinary americans not to mention the rest of the world.

Answer 3

Hahahahaha! Wales is Northern Ireland?!? That's rich! Apparently you aren't terribly well qualified to discuss this topic. The Christian played a prominent part in the conflict involving the IRA because the IRA was a Catholic organization while their opponents were Protestant. That is the main reason that some people in Northern Ireland did not want to unite with the rest of Ireland Northern Ireland has a Protestant majority while the country of Ireland has a Catholic majority. There has apparently been a long history of discrimination and animosity based on those two sects in that region. So, while its true that the IRA was not committing its terrorist acts for the express purpose of somehow supporting a religion, their religion DID play a prominent role in the reason that they were committing terrorism. Now, if only those darn Scotsmen would stop trying to free their homeland, (Cornwall and Devon), there could peace in the British Isles.

Answer 4

We (that is we Brits) mostly know the difference between Religious war and political war, WE HAVE HAD TOO MUCH PRACTISE.

The British media has a world wide audience and a history of fair and evenhanded reporting, NO RESPONSIBLE JOURNALIST WILL EVER DELIBERATELY STIR UP TROUBLE BY INVENTING A FALSE DIMENSION TO A THREAT. The war that has raged in Ireland for so long and that now seems to be happily on the back burner for a while (I'm a cynic, when the IRA give up all its arms i will call it over...not until), It is partly religious but it is not a solely religious war... Its about historic grudges much more then pure religious dogma:

For example: (very over simplified and deliberetly mild, I dont want to cause any offence!)

"My dog was killed by the English, I hate the English" says an Irishman.... His son, later on, says "My Da hated the English, I hate the English because they hurt my Da's feelings"....later on again, the Irishmans grandson says "I hate the English" but when asked why he has no clear reason beyond the tradition...the dog is forgotteon.... The Irish in Eire and the Ulstermen both share a common irish ancestory and also the racial ability to hold a grudge a LONG TIME.

Historically the religious Dimension is a through back to the Cromwellian war, English and Irish Protestants (the Orange men) on one side and the Cath's on the other. The Protestants mostly were in the north but after the act of partition and the creation of Ulster as a semi autonimus state within the united kingdom the majority of Irish prodestants who wanted to remain loyal to the British crown headed North.

The Religious dimention is no more then History ...and a meens for very poorly educated men and women to try to explian the centurys of carnage in the region... The IRA killed Catholic priests and the UDF killed Anglican ones (often for the same basic reason that men og God on both sides were very active in trying to stop the killing)... if its a religious war then they would be solely interested in killing the other sides churchmen...not their own.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Becasue the IRA was attacking other Christians. You only hear terrorist groups being referred to by their religion if the people they attack are of a different religion. Al Qaida wasn't referred to as as Islamic Terrorist group until they started attacking NON-Islamic targets. When they were attacking Muslam targets in the Muslim world, they were just terroritst. The same applies to other groups. Although, according to a fromer IRA member who is a colleague of mine, among some factions they, and their adversaries referred to each other as Catholic Terrorists and Protestant Terrorists.

So you see, the use of the religions denomination before the word terrorist is used whenever there is a difference in religious belief between faactions, and is usually used to make it appear that ALL who follow that religious belief are terrorists. This also makes it easier to justify and accept any casualties that are not part of the terrorist activities by calling them Muslim terrorists, or Eco-Terrorists or any other such generalization. Yet another way people can find to dehumanize each other and turn fellow humanbeings into cannonfodder for their political, economic and religious agendas.

Answer 6

IRA
Irish Republican Army
The answer is in the title they were/are a republican movement not a religious movement. Most republicans in Ireland were/are Catholic as most Irish are Catholic. However protestants live in the republic have freedom of religion and full rights. In the 6 counties of part Ulster the majority wanted to remain British. The majority in Ulster are protestent as are the majority of British. The Catholics (now but not in the 60's and 70's) who live in Ulster have freedom of religion and full rights.

The IRA also fought a civil war in Ireland against the then new Irish government. Both were mostly Catholic but the war was political rather than religious.

Most branches of Christianity accept seperation of the running of the state and religion (even if there is an official state religion). when you link religion with running a country eg sharia law that is when a group becomes religious facists rather than as the IRA political facists (as they have been called).

Answer 7

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Answer 8

The IRA wasn't terrorist to begin with. They were trying to stop the British soldiers raping and murdering their women and children and trying to get Ireland united. But when the Irish Free state was formed (the treaty michael collins got) some of the rebels didn't agree. It ended up brothers were fighting eachother and killing each other. As the years went on the IRA got more desperate and more violent. It broke off into divisions such as the Real IRA. They're the ones causing the trouble today.

Answer 9

some of those answwers really are amazing, it really is worrying to see so many people completely brainwashed by the media throwing the buzzwords 'extremist' 'fascist' 'terrorist' 'muslim' 'war' at them all the time. In america now it seems that to show any kind of level headedness and say..' you know maybe not all muslims are terrorists.. you know maybe we are doing some things that their right to get pissed off about..' oh for saying that you support the terrorists, you dont love freedom! freedom!! the more you marginalise a people the more they turn to extreme means, the more you use the words terrorist and arab interchangeably the more pissed off the moderates get. The only difference with the IRA is that Britain took over their country and they wanted it back, they wanted freedom, they were freedom fighters, and they used terrorist acts to do achieve these making them terrorists. The difference is that the west doesnt see Al Qaeda as freedom fighters because their aim is the destruction of Christianity, they want Islam to be the world religion. I might sound like a freedom hater again here but i dont know if that true of all islamic terrorist groups. I think most of them just want the sort of freedom the IRA did, they want the USA out of Saudi Arabia, and out of Mecca, the Koran prohibits any weapons in mecca, no acts of violence can be perpetrated there, if an axe murderer gets to mecca u cant touch him because its that holy. Also non muslims arent allowed in Mecca, if you look at it from their point of view, you can see why they'd be a bit pissed off by a US militaty base outside.
anyway.... to answer your question, its because Britain is Christian too!!! and they couldnt get away with Catholic Fundamentalists because 10% of britain is catholic and it would look a bit silly seeing as historically many Dublin Protestants supported irish independance or at least home rule for political and economic reasons, nothing to do with religion

Answer 10

Probably because the appellation IRA adequately conveyed the idea of who was being talked about. It is not trivial to coin a term which will convey what the bin Ladens of the world are all about, and have it distinguish from the Muslims next door who would never consider murdering innocent women and children to be a good thing.