--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who is a terrorist? Is it not the person…" description: "\"Who is a terrorist? Is it not the person who has been persecuting human beings simply because they are black?\" — Oliver Tambo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/oliver-tambo-11472_black_who-is-a-terrorist-is-it-not-the-person_1143948.jpg" --- # Who is a terrorist? Is it not the person who has been… ![“Who is a terrorist? Is it not the person who has been persecuting human beings simply because they are black?” quote by Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/oliver-tambo-11472_black_who-is-a-terrorist-is-it-not-the-person_1143948.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/oliver-tambo-11472_black_who-is-a-terrorist-is-it-not-the-person_1143948.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/oliver-tambo-11472_black_who-is-a-terrorist-is-it-not-the-person_1143948.jpg) > “Who is a terrorist? Is it not the person who has been persecuting human beings simply because they are black?” [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A terrorist is defined by the oppression they inflict on marginalized groups, not by their identity. **In simple terms:** Terrorism is about targeting oppressed people. Key Takeaway Recognize and oppose systemic oppression. Themes justice oppression identity politics Mood urgent defiant Type political ethical When to use this quote - activism - policy advocacy - education - community organizing Key Concepts human rights power dynamics moral labeling Questions to Reflect On - Who decides who is a terrorist? - How can societies protect vulnerable groups? A Different Perspective The definition can be contested in complex geopolitical contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) ## Related quotes > [From pacifist to terrorist, each person condemns violence - and then adds one cherished case in which it may be justified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/from-pacifist-to-terrorist-each-person-condemns-violence-and-then/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [There is no definition of terrorism and there is still the reality that one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumi-naidoo/there-is-no-definition-of-terrorism-and-there-is-still-the-reality/) [Kumi Naidoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumi-naidoo/) > [In proportion to its power, Protestantism has been as persecuting as Catholicism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-edward-hartpole-lecky/in-proportion-to-its-power-protestantism-has-been-as-persecuting-as/) [William Edward Hartpole Lecky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-edward-hartpole-lecky/) > [“When it comes to persecuting people for pot, there’s a long list of horror stories. The thing that gets me is, why? Why waste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/when-it-comes-to-persecuting-people-for-pot-there-s-a-long-list-of/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [The only thing I oppose is persecuting of Eastern Orthodox priests and temples.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-zhirinovsky/the-only-thing-i-oppose-is-persecuting-of-eastern-orthodox-priests/) [Vladimir Zhirinovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-zhirinovsky/) > [I have forgiven those who were persecuting me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/i-have-forgiven-those-who-were-persecuting-me/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Persecuting bigots may be compared to those burning lenses which Lenhenboeck and others composed from ice; by their chilling apathy they freeze the suppliant;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/persecuting-bigots-may-be-compared-to-those-burning-lenses-which/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Both Left and Right take pleasure in mildly persecuting those who fail to meet their civic ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/both-left-and-right-take-pleasure-in-mildly-persecuting-those-who/) [Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/) > [The persecuting spirit has its origin... in the assumption that one's own opinions are infallibly correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fiske/the-persecuting-spirit-has-its-origin-in-the-assumption-that-one-s/) [John Fiske](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fiske/) > [No government intent on persecuting its critics will want to leave the outcome of a trial to chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amal-clooney/no-government-intent-on-persecuting-its-critics-will-want-to-leave/) [Amal Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amal-clooney/) > [Every Victim requires a Persecutor. But the Persecutor isn't always necessarily a person. The Persecutor could also be a condition or a circumstance. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-emerald-womeldorff/every-victim-requires-a-persecutor-but-the-persecutor-isn-t-always/) [David Emerald Womeldorff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-emerald-womeldorff/) > [“Persecuting religious minorities is always ill-advised, every single time it occurs in history. I have never in my research found an instance where a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-wright/persecuting-religious-minorities-is-always-ill-advised-every-single/) [Jennifer Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-wright/) > [I'm trying to get the terrorist out of the bugaboo category and into the category of a fellow human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-m-trying-to-get-the-terrorist-out-of-the-bugaboo-category-and-into/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## More by Oliver Tambo > [If apartheid is removed, then the violence that is necessary to maintain it will be removed along with the pressures from apartheid which create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/if-apartheid-is-removed-then-the-violence-that-is-necessary-to/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [We have a vision of South Africa in which black and white shall live and work together as equals in conditions of peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/we-have-a-vision-of-south-africa-in-which-black-and-white-shall-live/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [Mandela drafted the M Plan, a simple, commonsense plan for organization on a street basis so that Congress volunteers would be in daily touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/mandela-drafted-the-m-plan-a-simple-commonsense-plan-for-organization/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [The violence associated with the A.N.C. is minimal, infinitesimal next to the violence of the apartheid regime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/the-violence-associated-with-the-a-n-c-is-minimal-infinitesimal-next/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [How can it be said we should use only constitutional means in our struggle, when all resistance is illegal and we have no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/how-can-it-be-said-we-should-use-only-constitutional-means-in-our/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [I am convinced that the world-wide protests during the Rivonia trial saved Mandela and his fellow-accused from a death sentence. But in South Africa,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/i-am-convinced-that-the-world-wide-protests-during-the-rivonia-trial/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [The sanctions will not kill us. It's apartheid that's killing us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/the-sanctions-will-not-kill-us-it-s-apartheid-that-s-killing-us/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [Whites, like ourselves, belong to our country. They are compatriots, fellow citizens... we see them as Africans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/whites-like-ourselves-belong-to-our-country-they-are-compatriots/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [The popularity of leaders like Mandela was an invitation to counter-attack by the government. Mandela was banned from speaking, from attending gatherings, from leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/the-popularity-of-leaders-like-mandela-was-an-invitation-to-counter/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [Using the power you derive from the discovery of the truth about racism in South Africa, you will help us to remake our part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/using-the-power-you-derive-from-the-discovery-of-the-truth-about/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [My sister had some ailment and convulsions that she suffered from, and she had been sent to some place to go and get healed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/my-sister-had-some-ailment-and-convulsions-that-she-suffered-from-and/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [We seek to create a united Democratic and non-racial society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/we-seek-to-create-a-united-democratic-and-non-racial-society/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [The U.S. is the last country that should see itself as an ally of the apartheid system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/the-u-s-is-the-last-country-that-should-see-itself-as-an-ally-of-the/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [You were not wanted. You were, at best, tolerated. You had to be constantly on your guard, like an animal in a jungle full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/you-were-not-wanted-you-were-at-best-tolerated-you-had-to-be/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) > [For decades, we resisted violence - until Sharpeville.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-tambo/for-decades-we-resisted-violence-until-sharpeville/) [Oliver Tambo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) [Explore all 59 Oliver Tambo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-tambo/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Who is a terrorist? 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