Acts of Cowardice?

Why do so many people describe the perpetrators of these suicidal terrorist attacks as cowardly? These are acts of evil performed by men who are motivated by an evil theology. A strong argument can be made that the terrorists themselves should be regarded as evil, but I would not describe them as cowards.


I think the use of terms like "cowardly" to describe these acts reflects and contributes to our denial of the depth of evil which exists in the world, and in the hearts of man.

I think one obvious reason is to avoid giving creedence to those who actually carried out the attacks who are no doubt revered as heroes by the responsible party.

True. I think there is also a problem of finding appropriate nouns (in addition to "terrorists") to use in reference to these individuals. Norman Schwarzkopf used the word "bastards," which I find preferable to "cowards." However, I can't really think of any words which seem adequate.