Defining the Enemy: Myth and Representation in the War on Terror

The discourse of terrorism has entered popular vernacular and is now a part of political and popular conversation. This dialogue, however, employs the use of stereotypes, generalisations and ill-defined terms which remain largely unquestioned. As a result, many misnomers exist regarding terrorism, and terrorists. This paper examines some of the generalisations related to Al Qaeda and the War on Terror and how they came into being, positing that rather than aiding in our understanding, poorly-defined information leads to the reinforcement of domination by Western powers, a heightened level of unjustified suspicion and increased marginalisation of already marginalised communities