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Gr. 8-11. When is a terrorist a freedom fighter? Part of the Roots of Terrorism series, this thought-provoking volume discusses the world history as well as the groups and individuals behind today's headlines. At the center is the American viewpoint, including the State Department's definitions and descriptions of more than 30 contemporary terrorist groups that pose the biggest threat to the U.S. Many of them are Muslim, fueled by religious fundamentalism, part of what is called the fourth wave of global terrorism. But Gupta emphasizes that equating Islam with the barbaric acts of a few terrorists is like making the burning crosses of the Ku Klux Klan the essence of Christianity. He also points out the role of the American invasion of Iraq and the images from Abu Ghraib.