132 Anthropology: A Beginner, Guide
the religious association of the fundamentalists who committed the crime with that of ordinary people who have nothing else in common with them, political, historical, or ideological, illustrates very needy the power of violence to engender feelings of discrimination.The situation also offers an example of the limits, in one specific case, of laws and ideals against murder and violence, for non-violence is one of the principles of Islam, and a study of the reasons for the jihad that underpins the behavior of those deemed by Americans to be terrorists might help to resolve some of the issues.
Human, animal, spirit, or cyborg
In chapter 1, we briefly mentioned an article by Edmund Leach, who argued that humans use language in English, anyway to . distinguish themselves from animals, especially those that provide food or live in close proximity with them, by using versions of their names in terms of abuse. Cows, pigs, sheep, dogs, cats, and chickens may all have their names taken in this way so that to describe a person as an animal 'you pig' or 'that was catty' is usually an unwanted and therefore negative thing to do. On the other hand, some specific animals may be regarded as members of human groups — pets like cats and dogs are seen as part of the family, for example — so this boundary-marking between animals and humans becomes blurred. In other societies and languages, there are many other examples, and diverse languages classify, different animals in alternative ways, as mentioned in the case of animal used as the name of a clan. Members of the same clan share group membership based on their relationship with the bird or animal of their clan.
Relationships with special animals such as these are also very varied, usually described in stories handed down through the generations, or read to children as they are growing up.