Who is a terrorist?

Sir, - A terrorist is one who derives sadistic pleasure by inflicting mortal pain on not only his enemies but also on those who have no connection with the perpetrator directly or indirectly. What makes one a terrorist, and where to draw a line between a terrorist and a freedom fighter, is the moot question today in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in the U.S.

No one is a born terrorist. The prime factor that identifies a terrorist from others is that he has a set of beliefs or pent-up feelings which make him different from others. The factors that contribute for one to take to terrorism are though quite a few, the most important one is misplaced faith in one's religion or a cultivated hatred for other faiths.

Today, the very name religion smacks of violence. If only we could bring all the faiths of this world under the one common name `humanism', we would succeed in eliminating terrorism from this earth.

K.R. Manohara,

Chitradurga, Karnataka

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