To Wage War against Terrorism

The government has called for every means to eliminate terrorists and bandits from the face of the earth.

War must be waged against terrorism. Nothing personal, you simply have to die, is what the government says to terrorists who are savages anyway.

And many people are cheering on. What does this bade for us? That a nation, for once, seems united in a bloodthirsty call to arms to wipe the terrorists out?

The anger and the need to redress are understandable. But the burning desire to strike out at whoever happens to be in the way is not.

The pain and grief are clear, as anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one through senseless violence knows.

The scale of human suffering wrought by the hand of vengeance will happen again.

But in the war on terrorism, there are no borders. Terrorism is rooted more permanently in poverty and social exclusion. The backbone of terrorism is not ideology; it is poverty which by itself is more painful. And to salute it by mounting a total war policy is not the answer. It is only an aggravation of the difficulty.

To wage war against terrorism is to wage war against poverty. To gain success is to give them a chance to live a decent life, participate in social activities and create an environment that will enable them to be productive.