Five papers focus on background issues that relate to an understanding of terrorism. One paper discusses definitions of "terrorism," followed by an operational and legal assessment of the domestic response to terrorist attacks on America. Other papers in this section consider the origins of Middle Eastern terrorism; addressing, classifying, and designating transnational terrorism; and technological and biological terrorism. Part II contains two papers that examine whether there is a relationship between religion and terrorism. A paper on religion and Middle Eastern terrorism explains two views of Islam's connection to terrorism, with one view arguing that Islam in general has postured itself in a global war with the West and the other view claiming that Islamic fundamentalism is the source of the terrorist threat, and this segment of Islam is isolated and divided from the rest of the Islamic world. This paper also reviews the historic origins of various Middle Eastern terrorist groups. A second paper examines the role of religion in Afghanistan from a sociological perspective, with attention to the rule of the Islamic group known as the Taliban. Part III contains one essay that features an anthropological perspective on terrorism's interaction with the globalization process. Globalization is defined as the process of "worldwide changes, which are increasingly integrating and remolding the lives of the people of the world." The features and consequences of globalization are discussed. Because globalization has intensified the interaction of diverse cultures, Islamic terrorists view the western world, with its culture and policies, as a threat to Islamic religious and cultural values. Three papers on domestic tensions associated with terrorism countermeasures focus on prejudice in a diverse society, racial profiling in America after 9/11, and a self-quiz on intolerance.