TERRORISM : THE GREATEST OF SOCIAL EVILS TODAY

Terrorism means the policy of striking terror in the minds of the

people by violent methods to achieve some ends. It is a law of the
jungle to use muscle power and force to get things done. It is a
barbarian act. Of late terrorism has become the order of the day.

The Elusive Definition of Terrorism: Activities underakken by

the Rebels, insurgents, maoists, naxalites, paramilitaries,
separatists, militants, guerrillas, insurrectionists, fundamentalists.
Are these all terrorists? Or does terrorism claim its own exclusive
niche? The exasperating inability to define terrorism is betrayed in
the UN 2006 Global Terror.

What could be the causes? People who are disgruntled and

who are unable to get their desires fulfilled by normal and
accepted methods in society, are resorting to terrorism. Some
resort to terrorism in protest against exploitation while some other
people to come out of bondage or fight for freedom. There has
been economic exploitation of the weak and the poor for centuries
by the rich and the powerful. There is another type, that is, where
one uses force on the weak to gain his personal ends. It may be
to serve the cause of religion like the Jihad of the Islamic
organizations, a language, or to establish a new pattern of
government. Terrorism often is expressed in India during the
campaigns and Assembly and the parliament elections.

Are Terrorists Really Small Scale Agents of War? One of the most
studied aspects of history is war, and the causes of war. There
are five theories of war causation; these are economic,
psychological, sociological and political. Another aspect of war is
morality; pacifists.

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The new UN Global Strategy declares that countries which are
"conducive to the spread of terrorism" are those characterised by
the "lack of rule of law and violations of human rights, ethnic,
national and religious discrimination, political exclusion, socio-
economic marginalization, and lack of good governance". Many
counter-terrorism imperatives share common ground with these
shortcomings.

The Precipice of Fear

Whilst there have been no major terrorist incidents in the US
since 2001, the US counter-terrorism budget for 2008 is $142
billion, a figure which dwarfs the shortfall in annual funding
required to meet the Millennium Development Goals which would
assist almost a billion people in extreme poverty.

All terrorist acts are motivated by two things:

• Social and political injustice: People choose terrorism when they
are trying to right what they perceive to be a social or political or
historical wrong—when they have been stripped of their land or
rights, or denied these.
• The belief that violence or its threat will be effective, and usher
in change.
Advocacy work of converted terrorists to “deradicalise” their
former colleagues in prisons. A UK government programme,
Preventing Violent Extremism, is dedicated to “winning hearts and
minds” in a civic environment. Perhaps one of the biggest fears,
voiced before the retaliation started, is that retaliated violence
could result in more retaliated violence and we risk tit-for-tat
violence that looks hard to get out of.

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‘Bodo Movement’ in Assam,
LTTE movement in Sri Lanka for a separate State,
Kashmir Liberation Front for a separate State,
Naxalite movements in India, are believed to be involved in
terrorist activities.
These are considered terrorist organizations which are not
justifiable movements.
It is believed that Sate-sponsored (country) terrorism is on the
offing. Countries like Pakistan
‘Naga Movement in Nagaland’,
, Afghanistan etc. have been alleged to have involved in acts of
terrorism.

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The hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane for release of a terrorist held
prisoner in December 1999, is one the most ugly faces of
terrorism. A number of serial blasts rocked the City of Mumbai, ,
Delhi, Kolkota. etc killing innocent people and terrorizing the
public to run for life. The act of terrorism led to not only loss of
life but also property.

What are the goals that the perpetrators of terror activities seek to
achieve? These monstrous activities have been ramped up in
the recent weeks, in India. This calls for a strident response on
the part of the government. Terrorism is more awful than the
war. But The recent incidents that occurred in Ahmedabad,
Bangalore, Jaipur, Samjhauta Express, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and
the like have overshadowed the memory of Kandhar hijack,
Akshardham, Parliament attacks. Naxalism is the threat from
the internal resources.
The recent terror attack in Mumbai was something first of its kind
given the scale of devastation and casualties. As a nation we
went through a trauma that perhaps no Indian can ever come out
of. It left the entire nation reeling in desolation and deep grief.
There was anger amongst people and each and everyone joined
hand to fight against terror.
Every soul under the sun wishes peace to take root, for peace
nurtures an enabling environment that makes human progress
possible.
The estimates, from the Washington-based National Counter-
Terrorism Centre, discern that the lives lost to the terror attacks in
India in last four and half years have crossed 5000.

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Recent attacks in Hyderabad terrorized the whole state. Mosques,
temples and churches are not spared. This shows that certain
organizations do it in order to satisfy their ego. These acts strain
the relationships between people of various religions and promote
animosity between them. This indirectly impede the economic
development of the country.
Even such causes do not support terrorism, when there are other
channels and methods to solve the problem. Terrorism has
become an international phenomenon. There are terrorists in
developed and advanced countries as well as developing
countries like India. We must find out, the reasons for the
emergence of terrorism. All representations and appeals, of non-
violent nature failed to yield any response. Such protests are also
called terrorist activities.
It is reported that important people like Smt. Indira Gandhi
succumbed to death during the Khalisthan movement aimed at
securing a separate state while her son Sri. Rajiv Gandhi was
assassinated by the LTTE.

The famous Twin-Towers of the World Trade Centre in the U.S

were bombarded by the Al Qaeda on September 11, 2002 killing
hundreds of people and man injured. Even London was not
spared.

Terror in America - Terror in America on the most horrifying day

in American history, with smoke still billowing out of rubble in New
York and Washington, a grim-faced President addressed the U.S.
nation from the Oval Office, "Today, our fellow citizens, our way of
life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate
and deadly terrorist attacks.

Tubes (underground trains) and buses were exploded b the

terrorists on July 7, 2005 within a span of 30 minutes in London,
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leaving scores of people to death, besides hurting grievously
hundreds of innocent commuters.
The worst type of terrorism was that of Idi Amin of Uganda who
let loose terrorism to starve people to become live skeletons, in
his country to serve personal ends. In all these cases the innocent
and the poor become the scapegoats.
If we cannot convey to politicians that global fairness, peace and
human dignity matter more than the comforts of consumerism,
then our fate may indeed be akin to the vision of Shelley's The
Mask of Anarchy in which the English poet reacted to British
government- sponsored violence in 1819.
The dark complexity of suicide attacks has exposed inadequacies
of security forces, moral philosophers, psychologists and
theologians alike. Failing to take advantage of the universal
revulsion at the events of September 2001, the "war on terror"
has instead magnified the global threat of terrorism.
This has of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka have stalled, with
the group recently proscribed as a terrorist organization by the
European Union. Potential negotiation dilemmas may also flare
up with separatist groups in Kashmir, Mindanao in the Philippines,
and in the Kurdish regions of Turkey and Iraq.

Fighting alongside the conservative Taliban in Afghanistan may

have been a further influence The armed forces led Netaji
Subhas Chandra Bose in the name of the Indian National Army
can not be termed as by terrorist activity . Hence the frustrated
and the oppressed resort to violence as the feel there is no other
alternative.
on bin Laden. The manic ideology of al-Qaeda has no roots in
mainstream Islam which shares core values of peace and
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tolerance with the world's major religions. The Koran teaches that
the killing of innocent humans is a crime and that suicide is
unacceptable.
Simultaneous bomb attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania in 1998 followed by the 9/11 tragedy in 2001 marked the
globalisation of terror, The campaifn against terror with the slogan
“Say no to Terrorism” has much impact on the society.

Although suicide attacks are particularly associated with al-Qaeda

ideology, they have been adopted by the Tamil Tigers, by militant
groups in Iraq and also recently by the Taliban. In the UK
attendance at the radical Fins bury mosque has been traced to a
disturbing proportion of known terrorists.
Western countries also publish lists of proscribed terrorist groups
which link to laws prohibiting membership and movement of
funds. Fear of nuclear or biological attack inevitably dominates
counter-terrorist thinking and explains the obsessive attention to
perceived and called them "rogue states" such as North Korea
and Iran.

Some people call it a dastardly act while some other people call it
a cowardly act. Governments all over the world are doing their
best to put an end to terrorism. But the use of violence to check
violence is not a permanent solution. The U.N is unable to
completely eliminate this evil, even though it is able to do so. The
only remedy to this evil is the diagnosis of the root cause for
each act of terrorism. If there is a genuine reason behind it, it is
good to concede the demand. If terrorism is based on issues
which are immoral and not acceptable, it should be condemned
by one and all.

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 In all this, civilians on all sides will always be affected. As long as
violence is unchecked or curtailed, man continues to be a brute.

War on Terror - Since the events of September 11, 2001, the

United States of America as a whole people do not feel nearly as
secure as they used to. In light of the terrorist attacks, citizens
have taken a much closer look at the tremendous vulnerabilities
America has. Dams, chemical plants, malls, and stadiums are just
a few of the numerous potential terrorist targets.

Meanings:

Elusive = dificult to understand; Niche = suitable or comforable

position, place, job, etc.

Dilemma = Situation where one has to choose between two

undesirable actions

Disgruntled = Angry because something happened to displease

one

Conducive = Allow or helping something to happen; Precipice =

steep

Deradicalise = remove from the root or base; Perpetrators = who

commit crime

Trauma = mental shock; Discern = judge carefully; Impede =

obstruct or hinder

Succumb = surrender; Akin =smimlar; like or as;

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Theologians = People who study the existence of God; Revulsion
= feeling or dusgust

Obsessive = occupy with some thing all the time; Dastardly =

mean and cowardly