(Edited version of this has been ublished in the Reader's Forum column of January 3, 2010 issue of Organiser weekly. To view it please click on the link http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=325&page=23 )
How are terrorists created? We must understand this in order to tackle the menace of terrorism. One popularly acceptable view is that one who suffers a lot becomes a terrorist; when somebody is left behind with no option, he resorts to the path of terror; when a person notices that nobody is supporting what he thinks is the right cause then he is left with no other option; when a person fighting for a cause feels helplessly isolated or finds himself in a minority, he takes the terrorist’s approach. The reality however is that there are innumerable sufferers in this cruel world but not all of them follow terror-line. Why only some of these become terrorists?
Another equally strong view is that religion is used to produce terrorists. To what extent religion actually play a role in this? There is a huge misunderstanding on this issue and that is the aim of my initiating this discussion. Lord Rama resorted to war against Ravana and killed him since He exhausted all other approaches to convince him. Kansa, HiranKashyap and Duryodhan were all killed since they refused to follow the ‘right line’ and gave no other option to their respective opponents. Does this teach a Hindu believer to become a terrorist?
Unfortunately the fact is that we all actually use our religion only to justify what we consider is the right line. What is right and what is wrong actually is not decided by any Book but comes from within you. When an act is appreciated it encourages others to follow. Glamour of being appreciated and probably worshipped as heroes makes a person what we consider to be a terrorist. What is going to be appreciated is learnt by everybody while observing his social surroundings, interacting with close friends and living with his family. When we like the way our father takes care of his ailing father we understand that this is what is to be done when we come across the same situation. When we appreciate somebody sacrificing for his family we know what is to be done in a similar scenario. This is how we learn to understand what is right and what is wrong in our formative stage.
Once we get to know what is correct then we use our respective Holy book only to furher confirm that. It gives us an immense satisfaction when we come across a line which even tangentially supports our thinking and we ignore all other lines that directly contradict that.
This is why reciting a line from Koran to convince a terrorist that he is contradicting Koran’s preaching with his acts is a waste. Telling the correct meaning of ‘JIHAD’ is not going to be understood by him since he never understood its meaning through reading Koran. He has got it through persons and society around him to which he is attached to. He has got the meaning of Jihad through examples in real life. The line from Koran that means that 'Jihad is a war against your own evil within you' only convinces those who are already convinced with that. You can win hearts with your behavior but can never change it by preaching. You appreciate an argument only when it favors your conviction. Those who think that a fatwa announcing that there is no need of Jihad in India or denouncing a terrorist’s act by a community in print and visual media would restrain others from taking up terrorism, are either living in a fool’s paradise or are playing some kind of dirty politics.
Unless the neighbors, acquaintances and surroundings change, terrorists will continue to be produced. Unless even in their own small world they stop considering them as martyrs and stop worshipping them as hero-militants, terrorists would be produced for the sheer glamour and excitement that are associated with it.
Terrorists live in a small world created by them wherein they are the ultimate imitable heroes. Unless their world is expanded I cannot see these terror-factories being shut.
2 comments:
It was really an interesting presentation and quite a different outlook from the routine thoughts.
But I would still say it is not the only reason why these TERRORIST FACTORIES are
producing them on ongoing basis.
My point of view is that there are many human traits such as jealousy, sadistic pleasure, hunger or thirst for more power and many such things that are the major reason for terrorists production. Not all the terrorists are so innocent and poor or starving and troubled.
I agree to your point of view to only the extent that these categories of terrorists do exist or produced but they belong to the low class or the front runners who actually suffer and even give their life as sucide bombers etc. for the real conspirators who work from behind the screen.
They are the real terrorist and are actually the owner of the such Factories. They only exploit KURAN and the words such as JIHAD or KAFIR etc. to motivate people to follow them.
Poverty and Lack of education plays the role of catalyst and this is why these so called Rehenumas do not let the masses get mixed into the mainstream and ask them to be in the closed well of MADARSAS and teach them what they wish.
It is a very Big concipiracy against the peace loving and growing economies of the world. The whole design is to Destroy and get satisfaction, nothing else.
The lack of proper formal education and socio-economic problems are some of the reasons, pqartially responsible for the production of terrorists....We all know this...but what are we doing...just debating and justifying our point of view....
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