Why are terrorists praised upon?

Question

OK, I know the whole situation in South Africa, with Apartheid, the ANC etc. this isn't a racial remark or anything.

But it struck me as interesting question, Nelson Mandella, Oliver Tambo and so on, were terrorists back in the day. Why are we praising them? why does Oliver Tambo have an AIRPORT named after him, when he was responsible for the Pretoria car bombings in 1983?

Why does the world view Nelson Mandela as such a 'great' person, yet he was a terrorist?

Why isn't Osama Bin Laden viewed as a great man? it's the same principale!

Please explain.

jiggy phish, Mandela went to North Africa and got terrorist training, and returned to South Africa, intending to perform and administer terrorist attacks, but he was arrested.

Killing people is certainly an interesting method to seek freedom, but it's still an act of terrorism.

I AM SOUTH AFRICAN
AFRIKAANS

Answer 1

Whoever controls the media has the power to coin a definition for "terrorist" and conveniently hang that tag around their enemies' necks, as does America (no pun intended...).

Thank you for an honest question and having the balls to ask it.

Answer 2

I take it you're not from SA, so asking a question like this is probabley more interest rather than joining the throngs that want to slag off our country.
Let's look at this another way: One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. Take an example from any portion of history; be it early England with the Roman occupation & Bodacia rising against them: Washington rising against the English: Martin Luther King Jr rising against unjust political policies in the USA: Malcomn X, Che, Castro, the French Restistance (WW2), and the list goes on & on.
These were all seen as 'terrorists' of one sort or another by the political parties or occupiers, in power, of the day.
In regard to Ben Laden, his beef is about the US being in his home land of Saudi, and generally throwing their weight about in the Middle East. In this context is the man a terrorist or freedom fighter? Maybe in his home land he is viewed as a great person! After all, I don't think the US is particularly viewed by the majority of Muslim peoples' as a great nation under the leadership of G W B.
As for the world viewing Nelson Mandela as a great person, the simple fact is that this is what he is. At the collapse of Aparthied in SA, the black political parties had the weight of numbers not to have to speak to the white people, and find a political compromise: we could have gone the route of the rest of black Africa with civil war, strfie, mass killings between the various tribal factions (look to Rewanda), but with the leadership & cool head of Madela's leadship, we didn't. That's why he's viewed as a great & gracious person.

Answer 3

It depends on who you ask. To some people Nelson Mandella and Oliver Tambo were terrorists. To some people they were freedom fighters.

To the British, the people in the American colonies who revolted against them were 'terrorists'.

Osama isn't viewed as a great man, because even though 9/11 might be viewed by some as a strike against a country that has been meddling and profiteering in the middle east for decades, most viewed it as a cowardly attack against innocent victims.

Answer 4

You have got a very good point. I am an Afrikaans South African and is married to a british woman and live in the UK and me and my mother-in-law has had the same discussion. She sees mandela as a freedom fighter and I see him as a terrorist. I also see osama bin laden as a terrorist and so does she, but other people will see him as a freedom fighter.

Answer 5

No form of violence is acceptable.

However, those who often raise the point that the ANC were a terrorist organization conveniently forget that for 49 years since it's inception, the ANC, which was based on Gandhi’s Satyagraha (non-violence) practicing Indian National Congress, was a non-violent organization. Only after using non-violent means in approaching the government over the course of those 49 years to stop oppression of non-white South Africans and meeting with violent action against them did the ANC then form its military wing in 1961. This however does not condone their actions but places it in context. They were fighting a government who suppressed the majority of South Africans and who used brutal methods like kidnapping, murder and assault to silence those who opposed the then government's oppressive policies. But reacting to the NP rulers of the day in violence and in departing from non-violence the ANC came to resemble the monster they fought.

Answer 6

This is actually very simple.

The term "terrorist" is subjective. Of course, if you're the opponent or target, then you view the person as a "terrorist". You see them as a desparate, dangerous person that will use unsavory tactics to accomplish his political and military goals. You'll call him a "coward".

However, if you're a person whose interests and ideals are being protected and championed by that very same man, you do not call him a "terrorist". You call him a "freedom fighter, martyr, defender". You see him as a man that is using whatever means he can to fight for your cause against overwhelming odds and insurmountable forces and you praise him for his courage and dedication.

When ideologies change, when governments change, then the affection with which these people are viewed also changes. People once regarded as "terrorists" are later remembered as "revolutionaries".

At one time, the American colonists that rebelled against British rule in the late 18th century were viewed by the British in a manner similar to "terrorists" (especially Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys) while Patriots viewed them as "liberators".

Answer 7

Great question. It's because of politically correct indoctrination. Up is down, down is up. Good is evil, evil is good. Get the picture?
The ANC has a racial spin on it. Criticize them, and you're a racist. Mandela and Tambo are both thugs. They should have been shot when the opportunity was there.
There's a line from the Bible that describes them both: 'In the last days the devil himself appears as an angel of light.'

Answer 8

George Washington and the American colonists were viewed by Britain as "terrorists" as well. If you win the fight, you're a freedom fighter, if you lose, you're a "terrorist"...pretty simple.

Answer 9

what terrorist act did mandela perform?
plus, they were fighting apartheid
what is osama fighting?

Answer 10

let me answer you this way. they were seen as terrorist in their day.....correct.............if you were in there shoes what would you have done.................on the names............verwoerd had an airport named after him as did pw botha as did many other national part politicians, as did JFK as did ghandi..................where do you draw the line................osama may or may not be viewed as a great man in future we dont know. He is already viewed in very high regard by many people all over the world rightly or wrongly...............we dont know what the furure holds.....again bush and blair are viewed by millions of people in there own countries as idiots and terrorists as well as by many world wide................who is correct and who is not.................