The act of terrorism is defined independent of the cause that motivates it. People employ terrorist violence in the name of many causes. The tendency to label as terrorism any violent act of which we do not approve is erroneous. Terrorism is a specific kind of violence. The official definition says that terrorism is calculated.
Terrorists generally know what they are doing.
Their selection of a target is planned and rational. They know the effect they seek. Terrorist violence is neither spontaneous nor random. In other words, terrorism is a psychological act conducted for its impact on an audience. Finally, the definition addresses goals.