Fighting terrorism through motivating the young generation
Monday, 2 November 2009
Md. Mozzammel Haque
Terrorism can be defined in different ways. It could be the surprise threat or random use of violence against innocent people for political ends by a non-state actor. International terrorism implies acts of terrorism that include operations in which terrorists go abroad to strike their targets.
The definition of terrorist is specific where there is no exact definition of terrorism. The expression "one man's terrorism is another man's freedom fight" exemplifies, however, the subjectivity that lies in defining certain groups as terrorists.
There is an apprehension that terrorism may grow all over the world for a number of reasons. We are now living at a time when the rich are getting richer at a pace faster than any other time in history.
The poor have access to television. They are aware of the affluence in which the people in the developed world live. The rapidly growing IT technology is an amplifier of the economic and theological differences that people feel.
Drugs, crime and terrorism can be linked. Bribery in Russia has helped terrorists to succeed in their attacks. Afghanistan is one of the biggest opium producers in the world. It is easy to make money by exporting opium to other countries.
Poverty is clearly a huge problem for the world. However, poverty is not a direct cause of terrorism. Few terrorists are poor, but most of them are well educated and come from the upper class. Indeed, if poverty spawned terrorism, there should have been much more terrorism in the world.
Terrorism is a form of crime, so it is useful to look at the links between poverty and crime. Surprisingly, research shows that poverty itself doesn't cause crime. However, there is evidence of direct causality between increase in inequality in a society and increase in crime. Poverty does not push the poor into terrorism and murder. Yet poverty, weak institutions, and corruption can make weak states vulnerable to terrorist networks and drug cartels within their borders.
Numerous studies have shown that the best long-term approach to some of the most intractable problems the world faces is to spread education in the less-developed countries, particularly for girls. When they become mothers, educated girls raise their families in a different way, they value education over other things, and they have different values and goals.
The terrorists primarily target young male children. They easily accept anything such as opium, heroin, and morphine cocaine etc. Frustration, failure in love at the earlier age etc. also make them vulnerable to be motivated by others. So, there is a need of extensive counseling for the young generation by teachers, elite persons of the society and parents. We should make a unique relationship between the young and the old in the society. If we succeed, peace will certainly prevail.
The writer, an Erasmus Mundus in "AtoSiM" Master Course in the Faculty of Science at University of Amsterdam, can be reached at
mdmozzammelhaque@yahoo.com
Terrorism can be defined in different ways. It could be the surprise threat or random use of violence against innocent people for political ends by a non-state actor. International terrorism implies acts of terrorism that include operations in which terrorists go abroad to strike their targets.
The definition of terrorist is specific where there is no exact definition of terrorism. The expression "one man's terrorism is another man's freedom fight" exemplifies, however, the subjectivity that lies in defining certain groups as terrorists.
There is an apprehension that terrorism may grow all over the world for a number of reasons. We are now living at a time when the rich are getting richer at a pace faster than any other time in history.
The poor have access to television. They are aware of the affluence in which the people in the developed world live. The rapidly growing IT technology is an amplifier of the economic and theological differences that people feel.
Drugs, crime and terrorism can be linked. Bribery in Russia has helped terrorists to succeed in their attacks. Afghanistan is one of the biggest opium producers in the world. It is easy to make money by exporting opium to other countries.
Poverty is clearly a huge problem for the world. However, poverty is not a direct cause of terrorism. Few terrorists are poor, but most of them are well educated and come from the upper class. Indeed, if poverty spawned terrorism, there should have been much more terrorism in the world.
Terrorism is a form of crime, so it is useful to look at the links between poverty and crime. Surprisingly, research shows that poverty itself doesn't cause crime. However, there is evidence of direct causality between increase in inequality in a society and increase in crime. Poverty does not push the poor into terrorism and murder. Yet poverty, weak institutions, and corruption can make weak states vulnerable to terrorist networks and drug cartels within their borders.
Numerous studies have shown that the best long-term approach to some of the most intractable problems the world faces is to spread education in the less-developed countries, particularly for girls. When they become mothers, educated girls raise their families in a different way, they value education over other things, and they have different values and goals.
The terrorists primarily target young male children. They easily accept anything such as opium, heroin, and morphine cocaine etc. Frustration, failure in love at the earlier age etc. also make them vulnerable to be motivated by others. So, there is a need of extensive counseling for the young generation by teachers, elite persons of the society and parents. We should make a unique relationship between the young and the old in the society. If we succeed, peace will certainly prevail.
The writer, an Erasmus Mundus in "AtoSiM" Master Course in the Faculty of Science at University of Amsterdam, can be reached at
mdmozzammelhaque@yahoo.com