The Hindu : Terrorism — the scourge of modern world

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Terrorism — the scourge of modern world

GUWAHATI, MARCH 19. Terrorism, the scourge of the modern world, has spread its tentacles in almost all corners of the globe and stems basically from political cravings, economic desires and ethno-religious bias and frenzies.

"Terrorism is a systematic, unpredictable mode of violence pitted against innocent public in order to terrorise individuals or even a government to attain certain objectives," says a book `The Mirage of Terrorism' by Abdul Quddus, a senior police official in Assam.

Terrorism has been used by political organisations both rightist and leftist and also by nationalistic and ethnic groups in the name of revolution. In some special cases the army and the secret police of an elected government may take resort to terrorism to achieve some aims, he points out.

It may start from a sense of deprivation of legitimate right of a certain group of people for which they had been demanding vociferously and "from a simple demand to a strong provocation it slides to full-fledged terrorism".

Violence is the core aspect of terrorism and the ambit of violence in creating anarchy, disorder, insecurity of life and property and holding society at ransom has increased manifold during recent years.

In modern societies the reasons for violence in so many fields of life are primarily of economic, religious and materialistic cause under narrow political and social facade, Quddus says.

Analysing the causes leading to terrorism, Quddus points out that due to erosion of social values, administrative system becomes bad resulting in arrogance and intolerance and ultimately creating instability in social life.

"In such a condition, political uncertainty is sure to raise its ugly head. The ethnic feelings, economic disparity, political differences, stirred up by the interested quarters lead to social and political troubles which slowly turns to extremism and in the long run gets saturated to take the form of terrorism", he says.

It has been often seen that myopic politicians misinterpret things and promote terrorism at the initial stage by suggesting and providing ways and means to the fledgling terrorists to take to arms but ultimately they either get out of control or act under clandestine directives of the politicians, Quddus says.

Initially terrorists apparently do some beneficial work like fighting against social injustice and then through propaganda make their presence felt in society but that Good Samaritan attitude does not stay for long.

"Violence and torture soon becomes the modus operandi an then they project their peculiar ideology among people and the make recruitments from the frustrated and jobless youths of society," he adds.

The Chinese General Sun-Tze laid down the technique of guerrilla warfare in 350 BC much of which is adopted by our modern terrorists, he added.

The police officer further points out that terrorist movement in Palestine during 66-73 AD is regarded as one of the first terrorist movement in recorded history. -- PTI

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