"commit an act of" is a perfectly correct and usable phrase in written English.
For example: He committed an act of vandalism by spraying graffiti on the side of the building.
So when a group of extremists commit an act of terrorism, they are not acting in the way of God as established by the Qur'an.
The 9/11 hijackers were not soldiers; they did not commit an act of war.
Did somebody commit an act of hubris that displeased the gods?
"My position was that I was determined to commit an act of civil disobedience," Mr. Sharpton said.
Then, she said, he threatened to find her and commit an act of sexual violence too graphic to describe in a newspaper.
If you're having trouble figuring out what the dances are, I am happy to commit an act of public service and list them for you.
THE FORBIDDEN IMAGE: AN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF ICONOCLASM.By Alain Besancon.University of Chicago; 440 pages; $40 and £25.50KISS a snapshot and you commit an act of idolatry.
The charges are conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries and two charges related to murder-for-hire.
Mr. Abdulmutallab faces eight federal counts, including conspiring to commit an act of terrorism, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder.
(He does commit an act of extreme violence, but it's against a civil servant who sorely tests his patience, so it's practically justified).
To "read" it, to pluck its images out and stick them in a textbook or write them on a blackboard, is to commit an act of desecration.
