Terrorism, as the name would suggest, is not just about violence or barbarism but the use of that violence and barbarism to intimidate and "terrorise" populations.
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It has been reported that only 113 Australians have died as a result of terrorism since 1978 more people die from suicide in one month, from smoking in one week and from obesity in one day.
Of course we must not ignore the threat of terrorism for the sake of our own security and for the sake of the innocent Syrian and Iraqi civilians who must face the dangers of it every day.
But by unduly letting ourselves be intimidated, and by letting our media and political agendas be dominated by this issue, we aid ISIL's terrorising aims and run the risk of creating more intolerance for the innocent members of the Australian Muslim community.