By Jack Levin

In the aftermath of the mass shootings in Orlando, it is easy to forget that the United States has experienced far fewer terrorist acts than most other countries around the world. Countries at greatest risk for death by terrorism are Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Syria, Somalia, Indiam and the Philippines. We are at the bottom of the terrorist barrel.

Still, the size of domestic terrorism has expanded to an incredible extent, and most mass killings have been committed by non-Muslim white men, not radical Islamics who have pledged allegiance to ISIS or Al Qaeda.

The Orlando nightclub shooting seems to have been inspired by the killer’s personal animosity toward gays and lesbians as well as his radical religious beliefs. In a sense, his deadly attack was as much a hate crime as it was a terrorist episode.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/06/13/hate-crime-and-terrorist-act/wqr2O7Fbd8G5ksXYea7qRL/story.html