Quora Answer: If Somebody Supports Terrorists, are They Terrorists by Proxy?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “If somebody supports terrorists, are they terrorists by proxy?” 

Someone who supports a terrorist is either a sympathiser, enabler or active combatant.  They are all not the same.  A sympathiser is someone who aligns with the cause or the underlying reasons, such as a shared sense of disenfranchisement or oppression.  They would be the largest group, but they are often silent in their support, and only tend to express their position in close groups.  These people may either disbelieve reports of atrocities, or be ignorant of it.  They might even try to explain them away, because they are invested in the propaganda. 

The next step of support is the terrorist enabler.  He could be the person who runs a forum disseminating their views and influencing others, or the person raising funds for the group, or the person who facilitates people entering or leaving said group’s area of operation.  They are guilty of major crimes.  The final group are the active recruiters, propagandists, and are seeking to join them in atrocities, either in the area of low intensity conflict, or to open a new front at home, by perpetrating acts of terror.