2007-01-18 16:22:31 · 7 answers · asked by RiverGirl 7 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
I agree. This is a good question.
Just like every other term we use for the killing of our fellow man the term "assassination" is defined by motive, not a person's social status. If the motive for a murder is political and/or philosophical, then that murder is considered an assassination. It would be not different than using the term "execution" to describe anything other than deliberate murder motivated by the victim's previous acts. Perhaps the best contrast I could make is if someone from Al-Queda shot the US president, that would be an assassination. However, if the First Lady poisoned the president for his philandering, that would just be a plain ordinary murder.
2007-01-18 20:22:24 · answer #1 · answered by Johnny Canuck 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have often wondered about that too. The best way you can find the answer by starting with the dictionary. Wikidictionary says:
Derived from Italian assassinare, from assassino meaning "assassin", from Arabic hashshashin meaning "one who eats hashish", specificially Ismailis who ate hashish when preparing for assassinations.
If a murder is commited for political reasons it's an assassination.
To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons.
2007-01-19 02:20:41 · answer #2 · answered by ericbryce2 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I guess if the murder is political in nature then it is assassination. This explains why Martin Luther King & Mahatma Ghandi were assassinated, but Lee Harvey Oswald was murdered.
2007-01-19 00:30:42 · answer #3 · answered by jcboyle 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a wonderful question!
I had actually been asking a lot of friends and family this
Never got a very good answer.
I mean, I don't think that it is fair
I can't be assassinated!
Not that I want to be...but still haha
2007-01-19 00:26:59 · answer #4 · answered by Amanda 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Assassination is just another word for murder by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons
, but it is usually used in the cases of ANY PROMINENT person (could be a celebrity, mayor, Governor, president.....ANYONE who is prominently known countrywide)
2007-01-19 00:34:08 · answer #5 · answered by J T 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've asked this before too....at what point do you cross the line from 'killed' to assassinated.
2007-01-19 00:29:02 · answer #6 · answered by fslcaptain737 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The person has to be a head of State, this is a really strange question.
2007-01-19 00:28:12 · answer #7 · answered by mimi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋