For a saner world that can overcome terrorism effectively

The Paris attacks that have mirrored the 2008 Mumbai attacks are acts of extreme inhumanity perpetrated against unarmed and innocent civilians. They cannot be justified by any arguments, and there can be no mercy for their perpetrators. There is great urgency for the nation states of the world, none of which is immune to terrorism, to unite honestly to put out this menace, without any selective tolerance for terror depending on where it occurs and without regard to differences in their own competing ideologies.  There should be zero tolerance towards terrorists and those who harbor and help them.

Passions are running high, with print media and airwaves filled with war cries demanding all types of widespread retaliation that may only shower violence and misery on even a larger number of innocents. Caught in the middle are also many helpless refugees driven away from their homes by poorly thought out deeds of some nations and their short-sightedness.   Mahatma Gandhi’s words, “An eye for an eye turns the whole world blind” takes an even greater significance today than ever.

Words of humanitarians like Father Jonathan Miller of the Archdiocese of New York ring a bell of reason that needs to get louder a lot more. As correctly stated by him, the immediate menace may need to be bombed out, but ideologies, good or bad, cannot be bombed out. When they are misguided, one needs to understand and acknowledge the underlying pathology and find lasting and stable solutions.

It is obvious that religion and justice are invoked as an alibi by sociopaths. But part of the blame for the increasing level of terrorism and escalation of repeated violence does lie in the deafness shown by powerful nations in proportion to their own quest for world domination and ability to destroy.  No longer can the world afford the hypocrisy, arrogance, or unchecked avarice of large powers.  History has seen much harm done to peoples of the world through Western colonialism, imposition of despots, and economic exploitation.  Much of it may well be water under the bridge, but there is definitely a need to repair some of the serious ills of the past to let the victims gain some semblance of economic and political stability and hope.   No longer is this a mere act of altruism; even self-interest of rich nations would dictate that.

It cannot be denied that a fundamental source of the problems is world poverty and inequality. Yes, there are aberrations among the rich like Bin Laden who become extremists. It is also obvious that the terrorists are helped by many who have had much schooling (not education, mind you). But by and large, people who are educated and have something to lose do not indulge in violence. The fundamental cravings of humans are the same irrespective of their color, nationality, or avowed religion.

A long term and sustainable control of what is now dubbed Islamic terrorism by a minority of Muslims cannot be achieved without addressing the root causes of poverty and injustice all around. This is a time when all nation states should introspect their own contributions to the instability of the world by their mindless exploitation and political machinations of all sorts. The so-called leaders of the world have an obligation to be human and humane first, even more than just being leaders of their own nations.  Even as they put out the terrorists, they need to win over the hearts of large sections of peoples who can serve as the first line of defense for humanity.  Therein lies the long term security of their peoples and the whole world.

This is a time when there is much heat. Let us hope some light does emerge, and that light does not get obliterated in the smoke and dust of greater indiscriminate destruction.