Who Will Combat 'Terrorism' and How
Hundreds of charred bodies of commuters of the Western Railways in Bombay , dozens of dead bodies of tourists in the Heaven-on-the-Earth Kashmir Valley , and what is next? Naturally, all hearts fill with anguish and abhorrence. Well, that is instantaneous reaction, but that doesn't suffice. The question is, when will all these end and how?
Combat and uproot terrorism! But who will do that! Our Prime Minister rushed to the G8 leaders' summit. The top bosses of the world gave a joint statement along with our PM against 'terrorism', pledged to fight 'terrorism', vowed mutual help for combating 'terrorism', etc.
But haven't we seen enough of 'anti-terrorist' joint warfare and martial exercises under the leadership of Bush, or of the USA ? After the so-called "9/11" episode, i.e., the 11/9/2001 blasts in the USA, we have seen the Afghan war with consequent ousting of the Taliban govt and installing a 'popular' 'democratic' govt there, the Iraq war with consequent ousting and imprisoning Saddam and installing a 'popular' 'democratic' govt there, the continuous so far 'verbal' war of the USA with Iran, North Korea.
The Indian govt with its one-of-the-most-powerful army of the world, sophisticated weaponry and more than a million strong paramilitary and police forces fought against 'terrorism' for long time — 6 years under the BJP led NDA govt, then under the Congress led UPA govt; even if we disregard the fight of India govt and state governments' against 'terrorism' of different shades, of different sorts, for the previous 50 years.
But what's the result? And why? Why that very 'terrorism' is growing and spreading in India as well as in the world? Anybody may curse the 'Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorism' and / or ' Pakistan ' etc with any amount of anger or hatred or foul languages. Nevertheless that 'anybody' must also admit the fact: All the efforts of those abovementioned powers have failed, and failed miserably. And so, still the point is: Who will combat and uproot terrorism and how. Please remember: This 'who' and 'how' are very much interrelated, they are not disjoint categories.
The USA ? At the end, the extreme end, of the Second World War the USA dropped Nuclear Bomb on Japan 's soil — Hiroshima , on 6th August. That was the first nuclear bombing in the world. Its notorious effects came to the light immediately. Within a day, media covered the whole world with the ghastly News. Already Japan was then almost trembling. And the USA knew it. Then what may be the 'reason' for or 'rationale' behind dropping another nuclear bomb on Nagasaki on 9th August? Moreover, in whole of the human history the only country or govt that actually used nuclear bombs for un-peaceful purposes was the USA . Then who is the topmost terrorist? In history, the USA govt emerged as a terrorist power much before the emergence of the so-called Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorists. And can you rely on this topmost terrorist power, the USA , in fighting terrorism?
The USA made 'bin Laden' what he is now. Oil-Billionaire bin Laden was a friend of US govt in the latter's proxy-fight against the Soviet 'export of democracy by army' in Afghanistan . The US govt and its notorious intelligence agencies armed him to teeth. How on earth can they cry foul over terrorism of bin Laden!
What the French govt did to the Algerians in their once colony — Algeria ? And what still Algerians Muslims and Blacks face from 'civilised' Europeans? Forgot the recent French 'riots' between the Black Muslim Youth versus the French Police? It goes to the credit of those youth that is spite of instigation from some quarters their revolt did not take any religious colouring. Forgot the gossips regarding the Zidane incident in the World Cup Final match? Remember what the 'civilised' and 'decent' governments and also the cultured Euro-'Communists' did to the freedom struggle of Algeria ? The freedom struggle of any country, and so also Algeria , needs some 'ideology', some 'identity'. If at that stage of history many of them did cling to their identity as 'Muslim' or 'Islamic fighters', can you put all the blame on them?
The USA and the UK implanted artificially the country ' Israel ' in the Middle East . Well, a home for the much beaten, massacred and practically 'homeless' Jews was understandable. But while doing so they severely undermined and crushed the Palestinian people's aspiration of freedom, aspiration of an independent state of their own. Israel 's ruling class became stooge of the imperialist powers in dominating the Middle East ; and quickly Israel turned to be the regional superpower ally of the USA dictating over this crucial and oil-rich region. The Palestinian people's independence movement started. It faced brutal assault from Israel and its imperialist allies, most importantly the USA . How long a peoples' movement of a very tiny nation can survive and keep its 'mass' movement character — when it is being pushed from all corners, and not getting any concrete, real help from others. Israel and its imperialist backers targeted anybody coming for that real help. Bombing flattened Beirut . Egypt got a good smash. The resulting uncertainty, desperation, added with anger, the almost impossibility of sustaining a mass movement of a tiny nation against incessant brutalities of big warlords? naturally circumstances like this give rise to 'small dedicated heavily armed bands ready even for suicide' to combat and crush the loathed enemy. Isn't it? Otherwise, how can one explain the reasons behind or the history of a new 'tactic': Aeroplane Hijacking? You whip someone over and over, but will assume no reaction! Even dogs in such situations do not only wail or bark — at times, they madly bite.
And now Israel is punishing Beirut for alleged kidnapping of 2 Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah. How? They have killed and maimed more than 200 civilians in Beirut only. What the newly orphaned children will do in future? Will not some of them want to teach 'a good lesson' to Israel and USA by whatever means? Who are then giving birth to terrorism by practising large-scale terrorism? What the govt of India 's stand about this? Hush!
In Iran the USA staged a putsch — they displaced a popular democratic govt there to reinstate their loyal dynastic ruler. When the people in turn revolted in the end of the 1970s— they took Ayatollah Khomeini as their leader, as the 'left' forces there couldn't emerge as alternative; and internationally, the Soviet had by then lost most of its lustre, its pretence as 'socialist' was already questionable, and the post-Mao China didn't show much pull. The US backed an anti-people dictator king — and when that dictator was deposed by popular rebellion, they growled: Oh — see the Islamic Fundamentalist Dictator!
The entire history of colonialism and then imperialism is sufficient to show and prove who are the culprits whose actions prepared the ground for germinating the seed of religious fundamentalism and terrorism. The culprits are those imperialist powers, whose brutalities, immoral acts, plunders, crushing the colonies, etc gave rise to revolts; though it is indeed sad that many of such revolts veered towards religious 'ideologies', and many of the rebels tilted towards so-called Islamic terrorism. Of course, being 'sad' is not the correct thing — we should look at ourselves in the mirror of truth, mirror of history — the defeat of the first offensive march of the international communist movement no doubt had its effect in the abovementioned 'tilting' and 'veering'. And only the future reawakening of international communist movement can reverse the trend.
Class conscious proletariat is aware of the fact that if such 'terrorism' is to be handled and combated — the first thing to do is to dissociate totally from the bigger terrorists — the imperialist powers, and to start fighting imperialism with full vigour; next, to dissociate totally from the other terrorists and to fight mainly the 'state terror' — launched against the oppressed nationalities in this sub-continent who desire self-determination; launched against the rebelling peasants and rural poor who wants to fight feudal tyranny, against the Dalits who wants to fight caste-based subjugation, against the millions of scattered and evicted people who wants to fight the 'development' plan of the foreign and native bourgeoisie and the governments? etc; and then, to fight the Hindu fundamentalists' terror tactics, the Gujarat like genocides, then, keeping the Muslims almost as 'second class citizens', keeping them neglected to the extent that the percentage of Muslim govt employees is disproportionately low; the govt and all governmental parties were ashamed and afraid to openly state the percentage of Muslim personnel in the army, and so they denied their recently declared 'right to information'!!! And just think if a person of Zidane's fame and stature can be allegedly jeered [ as per gossips, even if not actually so, and gossips too portray some reality ] for his religious—ethnic origin in civilised Europe, then what an ordinary Muslim or Dalit face everyday in our country! If you are a Muslim can be automatically in the 'suspected' list of the Police or Intelligence wings — you can be harassed — you can simply be arrested with non-bail-able sections of criminal acts and so on. And all these happened to hundreds of Muslims in Mumbai after 11/7/06 . All these happen to them after any 'terrorist' activity.
If really you want to fight the so-called Islamic terrorism, your first task will be: to win over the people with your just fights, your fights for just causes of all oppressed people, your fights against all kinds of neglect, injustices, oppression. Surely, the advanced elements of the working class will think and act in this line. On the other hand, the Super Powers — those imperialists of G8, the Regional Super-Power, i.e., the govt of India , the Nuclear Powered Pakistan, etc know only one strategy in 'fighting' 'terrorism' — more terror by their military might: A way which didn't yield any result so far, nether it will ever be able to do so. 25.7.06
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