Baghdad and London
A dreadful similarity
Manzoor Ahmed
No sane person can condone the carnage in London. The direct victims -- the dead and the injured -- had no responsibility for whatever grievance the perpetrators wanted to avenge or causes to which they wanted to draw attention. Other than the casualties themselves, many others suffered and continue to suffer -- people in anguish for their loved ones, people in fear and insecurity, people with the daily rhythm of life disrupted, and people with their lives thrown into turmoil and uncertainty. Indirectly, as witnessed in the wake of 9/11, the whole society becomes the victim. Seemingly rational people including politicians and public figures, who should know better, are gripped by xenophobia and suspicion and begin to react in hysteria and hostility.What London tasted on July 7, 2005 and Madrid on March 11, 2004 (God forbid its repetition elsewhere) is the daily fare in Baghdad since the "mission of democracy and freedom" was unleashed on Iraq two years ago. In fact, there cannot be a parallel between Baghdad and London or Madrid. The destruction and devastation caused to Baghdad and Iraq by the "coalition" invasion and the cumulative effect of the sate of war between the invading forces and the insurgents as well as the daily suicide bombings have made life unlivable in Baghdad and large parts of Iraq. Madrid had returned to normalcy. The underground system started running in London the next day and people began gingerly going about their daily business. No such hope of normalcy for the denizens of Baghdad. Drawing a direct line of cause and effect between Baghdad and London would be too simplistic. But dismissing any link, which is the official line of the chief warriors of the "war against terrorism," George Bush and Tony Blair, is a tragic folly. They, in fact, reject any plausible precedent-antecedent relationship in the upsurge of terrorism in recent years. They are tireless in claiming victory for their war on terrorism, even though it has spawned daily terror and violence, producing victims hundreds of times greater than those of 9/11, 7/7 and 3/11 put together. Tony Blair, hurrying back from Gleneagles golf resort in Scotland to London, interrupting the G8 summit, declared that "the purpose of terrorism is just that." George Bush, standing by Blair at Gleneagles, vowed an uninterrupted war until terrorists are defeated. No matter who they are, where they are, and what drives countless young people to strap dynamites to their stomach and blow themselves and all around them up. The inevitable consequence of this illogic of denial is an endless war with no frontline that will only beget more violence and greater spread of terrorism. King Abdullah of Jordan sounded the right note in his reaction to the London tragedy. The King mourned the tragedy and denounced the attack, but appealed that the roots of despair and injustice that lead people to resort to extreme action must be addressed. He noted the violent impasse in Iraq is created by the action and policy of the "coalition" defying world opinion and international law, and the injustice to the Palestinian people perpetrated by Israel with one-sided backing from the United States. Are George Bush and Tony Blair ready to listen to the anguished voice of the world given expression by King Abdullah? Dr. Manzoor Ahmed generally writes on education and development issues.
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