Such killers are no martyrs
Such killers are no martyrs
The suicide bomber who attacked the Revolutionary Guard Corps has caused consternation in Iran, but also unthinking rhetoric. And as soon as the bodies of the five high-level commanders of the elite unit were removed from the frontier area, Teheran was fixing blame. Within hours, the government blamed Pakistan, the US and Britain for the killings. The timing and surrounding events make the claims unbelievable. Instead, the horrific slaughter has drawn sympathy to Iran, which should consider stronger cooperation to try to end such terrible attacks.
Sunday’s two bombings were not specifically terrorism even though spokesmen in both Teheran and Washington referred to them this way. The targets and victims of the suicide attacks were military men, and by all accounts there was no targetting of bystanders or other innocents. This would mean the Sunday horror should more accurately be called a guerrilla or insurgent attack, although it used terroristic means.
In addition, while Teheran’s initial outburst specifically blaming Pakistan for sending the bombers is not credible, it is true that Pakistan has become the centre of recruiting and exploitation of young suicide bombers. In recent years and weeks, Pakistan-trained terrorists have blown up themselves and innocent people in India and Afghanistan, as well as in Pakistan itself. Murderous attacks, organised and encouraged by evil Pakistani terrorists have targetted embassies, markets and even the main United Nations food distribution centre.
The rise of the Pakistani-trained suicide bomber should concern everyone. This is why the attempt by Iran to fix blame for Sunday’s blasts, without a shred of evidence, is disappointing. Spokesmen in Teheran are correct that anti-Shi’ite extremists in Pakistan have encouraged and suborned terrible attacks, including suicide attacks on mosques and communities. Where Iran errs seriously is when it tries to claim it is the only victim. Instead of blaming the authorities in neighbouring Pakistan, and including old enemies like the US and UK, Iran should encourage steps against the hatred and perverted religious teaching in some Pakistani areas which lead to suicide bombings.
The Iran attacks should resonate loudly in Thailand. Thai students, especially from the South, are once again among the most numerous in Pakistan’s madrassas. In the wake of the 2001 attacks on the United States, it was revealed that at least 700 Thai students from Pakistani schools had taken training or tours of the al-Qaeda training camps that had been set up in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Experts on Southeast Asia now say that Thais out-number all others from this region in the ultra-conservative madrassas run under Wahhabi scholars.
These are the schools where terrorism is taught and justified on religious grounds. In some – a handful among all Pakistani schools, but no less dangerous for that – students are actually taught how to be terrorists. And in some of them, suicide bombing is approvingly on the agenda.
Thai militants in the South already have imported the terrorist-type attacks of al-Qaeda into this country.
Beheadings, intimidating drive-by murders and indiscriminate bombings have left close to 4,000 dead – a majority of them Muslims who disagree with such murderous policy. Lately, the car bomb has become a weapon against all decency in the South. So far, suicide bombing has not occurred. If Iran, Pakistan and other decent governments campaigned against such terrible actions, the threat of suicide bombers would diminish.
Published: 21/10/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/25991/such-killers-are-no-martyrs
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Posted by Siam Daily News
on Oct 23 2009. Filed under Breaking.
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