Dear President,

I would like you to know of some concerns I have on terrorism! This subject matters to me and the rest of the world, including the terrorists. I personally am tired of wondering when the next attack will be and I am tired of looking over my shoulder in fear. Terrorism is an awful subject, 9/11 was one of the worst days in America. Since 9/11 terrorism has become more of an everyday occurrence throughout the world. We need to stop it from progressing and try to stop it all together.

Everyone is effected by terrorism whether they are a victim "for the victims, they are generally devastated beyond description, and severely traumatized;" or the general public. "The general public is very adversely affected too, though to a lesser extent in comparison to the  victims". These terrorists have a reason for what they do or "drive". An article entitled Religious Extremism Main Cause of Terrorism states "Religious has become the main driver of terrorism in recent years." The reason religion drives them is unclear, but terrorist make it clear they are driven by it. The world is changing so much and is moving so far away from religion and their beliefs. They are trying to do everything they can to hold on to their beliefs. We need to figure out how to stop the terrorism or help the people so they will stop terrorizing the world.

Terrorism has always been around, but it took a turn for the worse in 2001. 9/11 was the turning point for terrorism. Since then, terrorist groups have been working on new ways to get in touch or recruit people. In the article entitled Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century, the writers discuss ways terrorist recruit. Al Qaeda has been in decline but other terrorist groups have adopted their ideals. For example, in order "...to help al Qaeda target US citizens, several radical websites in the United States have re-packaged Al Qaeda statements with American vernacular and commentary intending to sway U.S. Muslims." One expert in terrorism expressed his concern, commenting "I find it particularly alarming that al Qaeda is improving its ability to translate its messages to target Europeans and North Americans." The fact terrorist groups are putting websites up with messages to try and sway Muslims and other U.S. citizens already in the U.S., gives the terrorist the upper hand and leaves us very vulnerable. Due to the fact the people the terrorist are trying to sway are already in the U.S. anyone of them could be a terrorist and they are hiding in plain sight. They are able to translate messages better leaving Americans at risk. The fact Americans are at risk means we need to find out why terrorist do what they do and stop them.

We need to find ways to monitor these websites. Shutting them down won't help, but monitoring them to look for the next attack gives us the upper hand. These websites are being used by terrorists as a tool and with rising numbers its clear the attacks are not going away. According to the article, Religious Extremism Main Driving Force of Terrorism data indicates "nearly 10,000 terrorist attacks and 18,000 deaths in 2013, a 60 per cent rise from the previous year."  This is info as of 2014. The terrorism rate will continue to grow until we, the people, and you, the President come up with an idea of how to stop it. 

As the President, you need to get a team, partner up with other countries, and figure out why religion drives them or if their is another unclear reason they are destroying the world we live in. Regardless of the cause of terrorism, it needs to be stopped at no expense spared so no more lives are taken. I am an American who is tired of looking over my shoulder wondering when, not IF, we as Americans or the world are going to be hit with another awful attack like 9/11.

Respectfully,

Jacob W.