Terrorism - The Global Threat

TERRORISM

In the 21st century, most of the countries face different kinds of external and internal problems. But the most devastating problem which the whole world faces today is "terrorism". In the last two decades terrorism has become such a big problem that it cannot be solved unless one delves into its origin.

Use of terror or unpredictable violence against governments, public or individuals to attain certain objectives is called terrorism. The generally accepted definition of terrorism is that it is the use of violence against civilians by sub-national groups for political purposes. It is a contentious description, because it has gained a high emotional charge. It is one of the major reasons of violations of human rights. The twentieth century witnessed great changes in the use of practice of terrorism. Terrorism has no sanction in the religion, morality or international law. Terrorism as now a day has assumed global proportions sparing no country and no people. There are a number of terrorist organizations all over the globe. Many of them possess weapons of mass destruction. Some resort to suicide bombing while other speaks the language of bullet.

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. Terrorism first puts down roots in the mind of an individual on account of demoralization, depression, helplessness and subjugation by others. It simmers in a corner of his brain and whenever he sees aggression, the simmer becomes a bonfire. He also starts doing the same things which others did to him, forgetting that such things drove him to become a heartless person in the first place.

The roots of terrorism are complex. It has in one way or the other to do some thing with injustice, danger, poverty, unequal distribution of wealth, ill treatment to minorities etc. or connected with the denial of human rights or desire for separate identity. It is almost true that "one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist", the notable exception being those freedom fighters who specifically try to avoid killing civilians. So, one man's freedom fighter is nearly always someone else's terrorist. Every violent act has two sides: the side of the person who commits violence ("aggressor"), and the side of the recipient ("victim"). Those who are "terrorists" in the Western view are indeed the "freedom fighters" in the Arab view. It is because of this dual nature, or rather, dual sidedness of terrorism that the UN can not agree on a definition of terrorism. Because of this, it has been suggested that the definition should be that a terrorist is anyone who commits an action that would be defined as a war crime under the Geneva Convention in times when war is not formally declared. However, since the High Level Panel Report in December 2004, the UN is moving towards a consensus around a conventional definition of terrorism. Whatever may be the definition, terrorism has become now an international problem. The people of the world face personal and collective danger from the spread of terrorism. The acts of violence carried out by lone individuals or small, unrepresentative groups of people bring tragedy into other people's lives.

A number of causes for terrorism can be identified. After the 9/11 atrocity, western media uncritically reported the opinion of American leaders that the cause was simply that the Islamists behind the attack were motivated simply by jealousy of American democracy and prosperity. This view has been recently repeated by the conservative philosopher Roger Scruton, who identifies resentment as the ultimate cause of all terrorism.

In some ways, selfish, uncaring behavior on the parts of groups of people mirror the adolescent stage of individuals, where personal concerns or grievances become out of proportion. Professor Scruton is at pains to emphasize the emotions of hatred and resentment that is a characteristic of terrorists, and tends to over emphasize envy as the cause of the emotion, rather than oppression. He chose a broad definition of terrorism, including the French and Russian revolutionaries, and the Nazis. Part of the background to current waves of terrorism is the lack of a proper balance between the liberty of the individual and the needs of society as a whole. The rights of an individual to act as he/she wishes can never be absolute. On this subject, Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, wrote:

"We find some men desiring liberty, and priding themselves therein. Such men are in the depths of ignorance. Liberty must, in the end, lead to sedition, whose flames none can quench.... That which beseemeth man is submission unto such restraints as will protect him from his own ignorance, and guard him against the harm of the mischief-maker. Liberty causes man to overstep the bounds of propriety, and to infringe on the dignity of his station. It debases him to the level of extreme depravity and wickedness."

In many cases, the cause which the terrorist espouses is driven by a sense of injustice, as when a nation does not have independence in the family of nations, or where a minority feels that its rights are ignored. The world must ensure that no situations of political injustice continue, thereby removing this kind of terrorist's motivation, justification and support.

If oppression is a root cause of terrorism, this must be seen as a failure of democracy, since democracy should prevent oppression if it is working properly. By definition, democracy is that system of governance where ultimate political power rests with the people, who may choose to lend their power to representatives. In systems terms, democracy provides negative feedback loops from the governed to the governors, in order to inhibit the human tendency for power to corrupt the powerful.

Modern terrorist activity has one remarkably constant feature - rejection of the domination of the terrorists' land and people by a people viewed to a greater or lesser extent as foreign. The IRA, the Basque separatist group ETA, the Palestinians, the Tamil Tigers, the Chechens, and most lately, Iraqi insurgents, these have all used violence against civilians in pursuit of their political goal, which is in each and every case, the liberation and self determination of their people from a government that claims to administer the land occupied by "their (that is, the terrorists') people". The government is to some extent perceived as foreign, and its treatment of "their people" is seen as unfair. Terrorism is a often associated with nationalism. The terrorist call is for foreign administrators (and troops) to be pulled out now- and they are prepared to use violence to do it.

So why then did Al-Qaeda hit the US on 9/11? Osama Bin Laden is no exception to the "oppression" or "foreign occupation" rule. He does perceive territorial domination by America in Saudi Arabia. He wants American/Christian, troops out of his Holy Land. Bin Laden also associates his movement with the Palestinian cause, who similarly want Israel out of Palestine - although, thankfully, there are now moderates preparing to accept the right of the state of Israel to exist. And now, Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) has given him the aim of getting America out of Iraq.

Muslim/Arab people do have a perceived territorial grievance of against America. But there is more. Professor Scruton says "if you want to know why the US has become a prime target for modern terrorists, you only have to look at its lifestyle.

Religion adds another dimension to conflict and thus is frequently used by the terrorist as an excuse for his actions, despite the fact that every religion forbids murder, and demands that individuals love others. The golden rule, found in each religion, is that we should treat others as we wish to be treated. The moral codes of true religion have lost their impact and this religious belief is such a strong determinant of conflict that believers define their existence not just in time, but for all eternity. This sometimes gives them superhuman courage, as when martyrs chose death by burning rather than to deny their beliefs.

Scruton and others ascribe Muslim anti-US sentiment in Middle East populations as displaced resentment against their own authoritarian governments. Again, there may be some truth in this, but this is not to exculpate the US of all guilt.

The other side of the "envy" coin is poverty, which is often assumed to be the cause of terrorism. In fact, the evidence for this is weak, but there is one aspect of poverty that could fruitfully be addressed. In areas of deprivation, for example Sadr city in Baghdad, Islamic radicals can get support by setting up social help agencies. The IRA used similar tactics in the Six Counties. This adds political value to the humanitarian virtue of relieving poverty.

Any how the need of the hour is that weapons of war throughout the world may be converted into instruments of reform and developments and that rivalry and conflict may be removed from the midst of men and spoke out against all violence, saying that, there is no glory for him that committed disorder in the earth after it has been made so good."

"Spread not disorder in the land, and shed not the blood of any one, and consume not the substance of others wrongfully." And let we adopt the policy of non-violence of Mahatma Gandhi, who said liberty and democracy become unholy when their hands are dyed red with the blood of innocents.

Dr. Ashiq Hussain

R/O Kakoo, Bhalessa, Doda J & K.

C/O Deptt. Of Chemistry Govt. Degree College Kishtwar

E.mail : drashiqhussain@rediffmail.com