by Dr. Lester Pittman
[Editor's note: The following quiz is intended to show that terrorism is not limited
to a single race, color, ethnicity or religion. We must speak out and shun terrorism,
regardless of who commits it. Stereotyping justifies no one but the wrong doers and
the oppressors.]
1. In 1881 the tsar of Russia was assassinated by:
a. a Russian terrorist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
2. In 1886 a bomb exploded at a demonstration in Chicago killing seven police
officers and demonstrators and injuring 67.
Who was responsible?
a. labor extremists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
3. Between 1889 and 1909 over 1700 African-Americans were lynched in the
United States by:
a. white Southern extremists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
4. In 1894 the president of France was assassinated by:
a. a French terrorist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
5. In 1897 the premier of Spain was assassinated by:
a. a Spanish terrorist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
6. In 1898 the empress of Austria was assassinated by:
a. a Austrian terrorist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
7. In 1900 the king of Italy was assassinated by:
a. an Italian terrorist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
8. In 1901 the president of the United States was assassinated by:
a. an American terrorist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
9. In 1914 who assassinated Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungar, starting the
First World War that resulted in at least 20 million deaths?
a. a Bosnian terrorist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
10. Who launched suicide attacks in explosive laden aircraft on American
warships in 1945, sinking 40 ships?
a. Japanese Kamikaze pilots
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
11. Who blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1946 killing 91 British
soldiers as well as British, Jewish, and Arab civilians (the most deadly
terrorist act that has ever taken place in Palestine or Israel to this day)?
a. Jewish terrorists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
12. Who massacred 247 men, women and children in a Palestinian village in 1948
in order to cause panic among Palestinians and convince them to flee their
homes?
a. Jewish terrorists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
13. Who set off a bomb in a Birmingham church in 1963 killing four young girls
at Sunday school
a. white Southern extremists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
14. Between 1969 and 1994 who killed over 3000 soldiers, police and civilians
in bombings and assassinations in Northern Ireland with the support of groups in
the United States and Great Britain?
a. Catholic and Protestant terrorists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
15. Who waged a campaign of bombings and killings in northern Spain since the
1970s?
a. Basque terrorists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
16. In 1982 who massacred over 800 Palestinians in refugee camps, mostly women
and children?
a. Lebanese Christian militias with the support of the Israeli army in Lebanon
and its commander, Ariel Sharon (now prime minister of Israel)
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
17. Who set off a powerful car bomb at the American headquarters at Ramstein
airbase, Germany in 1981, injuring 14?
a. German terrorists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
18. Since 1970 who killed thousands of police, judges, lawyers, clergy, and
other civilians in Colombia, Peru, Guatemala, and El Salvador?
a. drug cartels, leftist guerillas, right-wing paramilitary groups
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
19. Who set off bombs at abortion clinics killing 2 receptionists in 1994,
murdered 2 abortion clinic workers in 1995, and assassinated 3 doctors in 1993,
1994, and 1998?
a. American anti-abortion extremists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
20. In 1995 who released nerve gas in the Tokyo subway killing 12 and injuring
more than 5000?
a. Japanese religious extremists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
21. In 1995 who set off a bomb at the Federal building in Oklahoma City
killing 168 people?
a. an American terrorist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
22. In the 1990s who sent letter bombs through the mail in the United States
killing 3 people?
a. an American terrorist named Theodore Kacynski
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
23. Who massacred 29 Muslim worshipers at a mosque in Hebron in 1994
a. a Jewish extremist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
24. Who assassinated the prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, in 1995?
a. a Jewish extremist
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
25. Who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 and two prime ministers of India,
Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi in 1991?
a. Hindu, Sikh, and Tamil extremists
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
26. In the last 17 months who has "unintentionally" killed over 800 Palestinian
policemen and innocent civilians in their efforts to combat terrorism. [over
twice as many innocent victims as the "Muslim male extremists mostly between the
ages of 17 and 40" have been killed in Israel and the occupied territories]
a. Israeli Defense Forces
b. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
I'll give you a hint. The correct answer to all these questions IS NOT "b".
Actually the current wave of terrorism coming out of the Middle East started
about 30 years ago, shortly after Israel captured the Palestinian territories
(West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem) in a surprise attack against Jordan,
Syria, and Egypt in June 1967. But terrorism was used by both Jews and
Palestinians in the 1930s and 1940s against the British and each other in the
struggle for independence. Two future prime ministers of Israel (Begin & Shamir)
were commanders of Jewish terrorist organizations in the 1940s (like the
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat today).