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Editorial: Waging the war on terror
The attacks in Mumbai last week send a loud and clear message to Indonesia and the rest of the world that when it comes to dealing with terrorism, there is no letting down your guard
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The attacks in Mumbai last week send a loud and clear message to Indonesia and the rest of the world that when it comes to dealing with terrorism, there is no letting down your guard. The global "war on terror", to use the expression first coined by U.S. President George W. Bush, must be pursued by all countries to the end until the world really is safe.
Mumbai tells us this war is far from being concluded, more than seven years after the 9/11 suicide hijackings in the United States. The coordinated attack on 10 different targets in India's busiest city warns us once again that, lest we are vigilant, terrorists can hit any place at any time. We have seen it all before, in the beach resorts of Bali, in Jakarta, in London, in Madrid, as well as in New York and the Pentagon.
One thing that connects these attacks is their perpetrators' adoption of Islam as the cause. Jihad, the Islamic term for waging war against evil, has now become synonymous with suicide bombings. Whatever motivated these terrorists to launch their evil acts, they have been successful in one area: nurturing the growth of the ever-widening rift between Islam and the West and now, after Mumbai, probably between Islam and Hinduism, the dominant religion in India.
Thankfully, the world is still led largely by people wise enough not to take the bait, thus preventing full-scale religious wars from erupting across the globe.
Some of the responses in the global war on terror have been unfortunate, such as the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq. Predictably, the United States and its allies are now stuck in two wars that they cannot seem to win, but they have left behind a sour aftertaste in the Islam/West divide.
By and large, however, we have enough leaders around the world who understand the situation much better and believe that the use of military force can only ever be a last resort in this kind of war.
Indonesia's own experience shows that other means -- better intelligence, stronger policing, strict law enforcement, dialogues and eradication of poverty -- have a much better chance of succeeding.
Indonesia, described as the second front line in the global war on terror, has significantly improved its intelligence and police to be able to defuse new terrorist threats.
They have yet to arrest the master terrorist, Malaysia's Noordin M. Top, but they have been able to keep him constantly on the run so that he has not had time to pause, recruit and train the next batch of suicide bombers. At this rate, it should be only a matter of time before Noordin is arrested.
Indonesia also leads the world in pursuing this war in accordance with international laws. There is no Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib here. Last month, Indonesia executed three terrorists after they had exhausted all legal channels for a stay of execution. Hundreds of other terrorists are now languishing in jail after being convicted in open trials. They had their due legal process and they have their just punishments.
Indonesia should also regard itself as being on the front line in waging a war against the violent ideology that is exploiting or hiding behind the name of Islam. As the country with the world's largest Muslim population, it is a task that Indonesia really should take on to help remove this violent streak from what should be a peaceful religion.
Various interfaith dialogues at the national and international levels, some of which are facilitated by the government, are Indonesia's main contribution to containing the global war on terror from widening into major religious conflicts.
The government must also continue with its efforts to usher in greater prosperity, as history tells us that violent ideology flourishes fastest among poor people.
We say our prayers and send our condolences to the victims of these latest terrorist attacks in Mumbai. But looking ahead, countries around the world must join hands in pursuing this war on terror and in preventing any consequent religious conflicts, which would only further the terrorists' interests. This war cannot be pursued individually. It has to be a concerted effort.
We have vested interests in the successful conclusion of this war, not only for the sake of global peace, but more importantly for peace and prosperity in pluralist and multireligious Indonesia.
