Solving the Puzzle of Terrorism
By Azher Quader
President Community Builders Council
Chicago, IL
Nahin Minnatkash-e-Taab-e-Shaneedan Dastan Meri Khamoshi Guftugu Hai, Be-Zubani Hai Zuban Meri My story is not indebted to the patience of being heard My silence is my talk, my speechlessness is my speech Ye Dastoor-e-Zuban Bandi Hai Kaisa Teri Mehfil Mein Yahan To Baat Karne Ko Tarasti Hai Zuban Meri Why have you imposed this rule of silence in your assembly? My tongue is so anxious and craving to talk in this gathering - Iqbal
These days it looks like everyone has an opinion on how to solve the puzzle of terrorism and defeat ISIS. Muslim voices are often silenced by the louder voices of the media pundits and the noise of the political hopeful class who speak as if they know it all. Unfortunately that is what they told us before launching the Iraq offensive over ten years ago also.
We are told now the reason why they hate us is because of our way of life, our freedoms, our love of democracy, our support of some governments around the globe they don’t like. We are comforted by our leaders who tell us we will defeat them one day and destroy them. We will win this war and we will be relentless in our pursuit of victory, are the assurances we are given.
The strategies are many. Some want to choke them financially by destroying their oil resources. Some would like to carpet bomb them into submission. Some would like to put boots on the ground to get the job done. Some would want to impose a no-fly zone and clear the Russians from the skies over Syria. So it goes, with our arm chair quarter backs, making their deft remarks, wanting to gain some political points in an election season which is just getting heated up. If nothing else works of course, one has declared he will quarantine the Muslims out of the country, so we can have a little more time to Pow Wow and think more ways to deal with those terrible Muslims and win this war!
This has been our longest war in our nation’s history, over four thousand valiant lives lost on distant lands, billions being paid to fund it from our public coffers, and we seem to be losing it still. What began as a fight against the perpetrators of 9/11 who operated from the hideouts of mountain caves, has now turned into an open war against a well-equipped army of several thousand who control large territories of Iraq and Syria with rich oil reserves. First it was Afghanistan, then it was Iraq, now it is Syria. Where does this war take us next? Over a quarter million killed in Syria alone. Similar counts in Iraq, victims of collateral damage. Over 11 million displaced and homeless, seeking refuge and safe havens in foreign lands.
Our European allies are overwhelmed by the enormity of the crisis. Innocent people caught in the cross fire of sectarian hostilities and proxy wars, are every day risking their lives on overloaded boats, desperately attempting to escape to some peaceful shores. We hear their stories with little emotion. We watch their plight from the warmth and comfort of our living rooms.
Do we have space in our homes and our hearts for these displaced victims of destiny? There are many in our country today who had said no and are refusing to welcome them, citing their religion as reason for concern. But wait, our country was founded on essential freedoms, and we welcomed people of all faiths to come and settle among us. So what went wrong? Is it time to pause and ponder. Is it time to wonder where hide the answers. What made those that were once our trusted friends in the mountains of a far off land, become our deadly enemies. Where did we lose our way. Or did we?
If freedom is our founding principle, others too must cherish it to have and enjoy. If justice is what we demand for ourselves, in order to live with dignity and grace, that too is what others seek in their corrupt societies with rampant inequities in which they live. If peace and security is what we desire in our neighborhoods and for our families, others too aspire for safety in their towns and villages where they could play and sleep in peace. If we want economic prosperity so we could enjoy the fruits of our labor, others too wish for places to work and jobs to have in their poverty-ridden jobless communities where opportunities are so scarce to have. In a connected world should we never ask the question: what kind of neighbors have we been? Are we our brothers keepers? With so much wealth and so much plenty, do we have a concern for the condition of those who have so little and live in so much want and misery? With such power and such influence in the world that we exercise, can we look ourselves in the mirror and say yes, we are the honest power brokers we claim to be? With so much talent and capacity we possess, to impact the health and happiness of so many communities around the globe, could we not do more, to make a difference? As the biggest consumer of energy in the world, should we not be better stewards for its usage and caretakers of our environment? With such abundance of energy resources we possess, should we continue to court oil rich sheikhdoms and monarchies for their cheap oil and ignore the message of violence they preach? If the experience of the past has taught us much, we should know that the puzzle of terrorism cannot be solved through bombs and drones. We have tried them long enough and seen the results.
A political solution also can only be a band aid to stop the immediate pain. Real healing will require a much deeper understanding, a much greater willingness to change course in order to obtain the desired result. It would mean a bigger commitment, a much greater effort on our part to stand true to the ideals that have made us so special, as a people of conscience and a nation of principles.
When we falter from our ideals of justice and freedom we betray our own commitment to those ideals and undermine our own potential for greatness. We no longer remain ‘the shining city on top of a hill’, which is meant to be a beacon of light for the rest of the world. The toxic talk that is being spread by some hate peddlers within our nation today, may buy a few votes for cheap, or a few dollars from donors inclined to move an agenda, but sadly will poison the air we breathe and live in for a long time to come. It will divide our people more, pitting neighbor against neighbor, zealot against zealot, patriot against patriot. They are clearly misguided when they say, “Islam is the problem”.
When fear overwhelms facts, then the admonition of a great American of yesteryear becomes ever so real, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” (FDR). The rhetoric of bigotry breeds fear and hostility, clouding our conscience and distancing us from the solutions we seek. To say that they hate us because of our way of life is a gross misstatement at best and a lie at worst. To say that their hatred comes from their religion is equally wrong. Yes it is not our lifestyle they hate, it is their life style they hate and they see us as responsible for it.
As Rula Jebreal, a journalist in New York who grew up in Jerusalem wrote: “The ISIS ideology can only be negated by an alternative vision that offers dignity, security and participation to all. Tunisia, is a working example of an alternative political Islam to that of ISIS, and an alternative approach to power to that of Egypt’s generals. America’s intellectuals bear an urgent responsibility to question failed policies and move beyond a self-satisfied monologue about the problems of Islam — and to open a productive dialogue that includes Muslim voices speaking uncomfortable truths. Our common security depends on it.” www.rulajebreal.com
For American Muslims there could be no greater issue of relevance today than greater civic engagement. This is not a matter of them and us. For we are all in this together. Our stake at preserving the peace and security of our neighborhoods is no less than that of any other law abiding patriot in the land. Speaking truth to power is never easy. But remaining silent is not an option either. There are many in the nation who are speaking out against our misadventures in the world. We need to amplify the voices of those progressives who daily toil to make the case for justice abroad and justice at home. That is the only path to assure a world free of terror and fear.
