An eye for an eye : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

An eye for an eye

Nations are struggling with a sense of disbelief at the appalling act of barbarism in Paris.

An eye for an eye

Moderate Muslims standing up against the ISIS



Shelley Walia

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned.

The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. 

—W. B. Yeats, 'The Second Coming'

Nations are struggling with a sense of disbelief at the appalling act of barbarism in Paris. It's time we take stock of the various discourses of faith and freedom, fear and hatred, to arrive at a more meaningful dialogue of ideas. Unquestionably, denunciation is the immediate response of peace-loving people, but even more than censure, it is the origin of the rise of the ISIS and  the anti-Muslim discourse issuing from the West that lie at the heart of the problem. Going farther than simply the exercise of stereotyping, a balanced view needs to unfold in which both the West and Islam may be held accountable, so that  the legitimation of 'collateral damage' is deemed no less culpable as the killings of innocents by terrorists.

The post-9/11 attack on Iraq and Afghanistan as much as the war on terror have aggravated the complexity of the situation, bringing the world to an unprecedented panic not witnessed since World War II. The abuses at Abu Gharib and Guantanamo, the provocation at the appearance of cartoons in Europe, and now the Paris carnage, add enough fuel to the already raging resurgence of ethnic hatred  for which the blame falls squarely on both the West and the Muslim world. Ten months after the Charlie Hebdo killings, it is apparent that any solution to such unspeakable brutality across the world must take recourse to values of religious open-mindedness and inviolability of human rights. The world has now emerged as a single battleground where attention has to be given comprehensively to fundamental mutation seen in the refugee influx, islamophobia, uncontrolled radicalisation and economic disparity. 

It has to be said today that rabid Islamic fundamentalism is inherently flawed in its outrageous discourse of wholesale destruction of the existing order to usher in a better world. While there are incidents of terrorism all over the world, here is a characteristic religious endorsement of violence hardly witnessed elsewhere. The ISIS is the new scourge of terrorism and its unabashed barbarity is for all to behold. These are people who will slit the throat of another Muslim as easily as they would that of a non-Muslim.

Unlike the al-Qaida, the ISIS is against all individuals it sees as apostates who do not subscribe to its backward-thinking interpretation of Islam. That includes even the Muslims. The matter before us is how best to defeat and overpower the diabolic, singular and unequivocal mindset of the radical terrorist who, armed with the fiery words of the mullahs, feels vindicated by blowing himself up along with scores of innocent targets. This new jihadi is young, somewhat educated and raised in the West, yet desires to turn back the clock to an orthodox narrow interpretation of his religion, dreaming of an Islamic caliphate in the 21st century. How is one to counter, in this modern world, such a misplaced vision of grandiosity? 

Notwithstanding one's clear denunciation of Islamaphobia, significant lessons are to be learnt for the West as well: if it hopes to steer clear of reproducing the effects of bigotry, it has to uphold a broad view of secularism. Attention to the question of a comprehensive national identity, where all sections of society can be subsumed into the mainstream, is primary for Western nations. 'Liberal' societies need to become receptive to a perception of a much broader range of religions that are not necessarily inflexible or dogmatic or as formidable as they are made out to be. Right-wing Western ideologies with a parochial anti-Muslim stance must be guarded against equally lest irremediable differences break up multi-ethnic societies. Coordinated information between various European states, better surveillance and stricter background checking are measures that can check cross-border terrorism. Tough measures to abolish easy availability of WMD in black markets across the world have to be introduced. Understandably, better technology means bigger risks as is obvious from the advancement of the internet and its misuse. Primarily, of course, the de-radicalisation of youth through education to counter the extreme Islamist discourse is the need of the hour. Retaliatory bombing as such will hardly suffice to check terrorism. Similarly, to denigrate Islam as a means of promoting radicalism is a step in the wrong direction. The vast majority of Muslims are non-violent and industrious, law-abiding citizens.

If the West were to make a concerted effort to educate and integrate the disgruntled elements into the mainstream than to banish them into isolated ghettoes where violent acts are fomented, we could perhaps begin to grope for a solution. This possible solution flies in the face of the latest mastermind of the Paris attacks who was involved in gangsterism, repeated petty crimes and drug peddling. Unfortunately, a sizable portion of these uneducated immigrants, largely Muslim, have not been assimilated within French society where the concept of multiculturalism seems more theoretical than practical. France's record of social welfare schemes for the marginalised is dismal. 

There is no quick fix to the complex and intractable problem though one thing is certain: the ISIS is a terrorist organisation and the entire world, including the Muslim nations, must rise against it with solidarity and one voice. That this will happen is unlikely given the conflicting interests of these nations. The state patronage by the House of Saud and the UAE for these terrorist outfits, and the impossibility of uniting the Muslim countries in the Middle East against this foe, since each one of them has a divergent political ambition for regional domination and supremacy, overrides the global imperative for defeating the ISIS. Until the Muslim nations see this threat as formidable and dangerous, the ISIS will continue to wreak havoc. The question remains: where are the millions of moderate Muslims, and should they not be rising against this relentless tide of violent extremism?

 It is time to take the war to the ISIS, in armed combat, "all hands on deck", till this relentless foe is neutralised. The battle may be long, arduous and come at a huge cost but it is one that must be waged to hang on to our essential freedom to exert our individual choice on how we live, work, play and love. The neo-geopolitical reality has thrown strange bedfellows together, visible in the teaming of Russia and France in their joint war on the ISIS. A global collaboration might be a viable answer to this conflagration but one wonders if violence will not beget further violence. Tempers are running high and the ferocity of the situation must not compel a hasty strategy. To pledge 'action without mercy', as the French President angrily proclaimed, is to repeat the language of the ISIS. A reminder of the post-9/11 blunders could be a meaningful lesson against the 'shock and awe' policy of Western nations.

 — The writer is a Professor and Fellow, Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh

Top News

Arvind Kejriwal to be produced before Delhi court today as 6-day ED custody ends

Excise policy case: Delhi court extends ED custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1

In his submissions, Kejriwal said, ‘I am named by 4 witnesse...

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

The bench refuses to comment on merits of the issue, saying ...

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

MEA spokesperson says India is proud of its independent and ...

Bullying Congress culture, no wonder being rejected: PM Modi, backs senior lawyers who flagged attempts to undermine public trust in judiciary

Bullying Congress culture, no wonder being rejected: PM Modi

Backs senior lawyers who flagged attempts to undermine publi...

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Bhatt, who was sacked from the force in 2015, is already beh...


Cities

View All