Literate people: a new class of terrorists

The recently busted ten accused of banned SIMI-members (Students Islamic Movement of India) in their alleged involvement in Ahmedabad blasts has once again raised a question as what lays the literate people to resort to heinous terror strike. Some of the arrested SIMI members are highly qualified.

One of the ten suspects, Usman Agarbatiwala, who is in the custody of the Gujarat crime branch for their alleged role in the Ahmedabad serial blasts, holds a diploma in Human Rights from the MS University in Vadodara. The alleged mastermind behind the blasts, Mufti Abdul Bashar Kasmi alias Shaukeer is an editor, tutor and preacher.

Is there any fault in our education system? Do they get different education which preaches them violence? It is certainly not. No education imparts terror. Many people receive the same education, but very few get involved with such type of unlawful activities. They must be feeble-minded people who come under easy influence to insurgents.

Education makes people capable of wise thinking and helps them in making differentiation-what is right and what is wrong. If these so educated people become puppet at the hand of handful of terror elements, what would be of those illiterate ones, whose minds are so plain to be imprinted anything easily.

For few years, many highly qualified people are found involved in terrorist activities. It seems when many students choose engineering, medical, civil services as career, some prefer to pursue career in terrorism. Many of them belong to wealthy class and are well qualified. So the age-old notion that economic deprivation and the inadequate education are the only cause of these people’s involvement in terrorists activities do not hold much ground now. However, these can be a mere speculation, but the recent years’ findings involving qualified, young student in spreading terrorism leads us to think in this way.

Ahmedabad blasts (2008) – alleged mastermind is a teacher, Jaipur blasts (2008) – alleged hands of a medical student, Bangalore blasts (2005) – mastermind is an engineer and alike unearthed after investigations that highly qualified persons have been involved in terror strikes. Why? It is still difficult to answer.

Is the Indian government knowingly or unknowingly nurturing hate among the minority community? Are the policies of government unwittingly developing a thought in them that they belong to second-class? It is absolutely not. India is a country of multi lingua, multi religio-culture and people here from the ancient periods have been involved in adopting every new culture and religion. If Ram is our God, Rahim too. Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Irfan Khan, Dr. Kalam are our national heroes. They rule our heart; they are not bound by any religion.

Despite that, one percent throws light on such discrimination, when people like Shabana Azmi, a well-known face and renowned actor says, being a Muslim, she had to face difficulty in purchasing a house in Mumbai.

For a while if we believe there is truth in it, no religion allows anyone merciless killing of innocent people. Resorting to violent means of terror strikes can not justify such discrimination at any cost. On the other hand, if any such type of discrimination exists in our enduring society, government should need to take the issue at the earliest.

Terrorism is not an issue of our country only. It has spread its tentacles across the globe. It needs to be uprooted with collective hands- not bound by boundary. Stringent laws must be made to deal with such people who don’t understand any language other than gun.