Is Religious Terrorism More Dangerous? What Have We Learned and How Does It Matter?

If religiously inspired terrorism is more lethal than other types of terrorism, then its explanation requires taking into consideration distinctive factors, one of which might be the role of religious ideology. The role of religious ideology in terrorism, however, is much disputed. This paper contributes to the debate about the motivational role of religious beliefs and commitments by examining empirical studies of the greater lethality of religious terrorism. A critical synopsis of the findings, which are diverse and scattered throughout the research literature, demonstrates the complexities of the issue and the significance of the cumulative results. Despite some conflicting findings, there is strong evidence of the greater lethality, indicating that religious ideology, in conjunction with two other identified factors (i.e. the use of suicide terrorism and being transnational), accounts for the heightened danger posed by religious terrorism. This conclusion highlights the need to integrate a more fulsome understanding of the religious aspects of religious terrorism into an explanation of what is happening and why than many researchers recognise