Condemned By “Terrorism”
By Ramzy Baroud
“So do you condemn terrorism or not?” a young, immature journalist asked me
with a mix of agitation and sarcasm. I never answered.
I refused to answer. I told him that I hated the pretentious, tainted term:
“terrorism”. He thought it was a poor attempt to escape this ritual
condemnation of terrorism, which has now become a code, we all have to
condemn if we wish to be accepted into civil societies, especially in the
West.
But of course, I condemn terrorism, if terrorism means the murder of
innocent
people for the sake of gaining political clout, to punish or to simply
stress
a point. I condemn all kinds of terrorism, that of a state, no matter how
mighty, and that of a lonely sniper gunning down innocent men and women.
But I avoid using the term. For one, I am not judge. But even if I was, I
would refrain from this cultic, routine condemnation of a concept committed
daily by powerful countries in the name of democracy, but it is only the
powerless who receive retribution for it.
“Terrorism” is only seen in one context, the effect, but never the cause, as
if suicide bombings, the Moscow theater hostage crisis, the Kurdish rebels
frequent attacks on the Turkish army and more, are born in a vacuum.
In an interview with a local National Public Radio station somewhere in the
US, two months after the deadly attacks of Sep. 11, I reiterated to a
thoughtful host, “we must try to see through the pain of the innocent
thousands killed on that dreadful day. We cannot be so blinded by our anger
to the point that we fail to see how violence begets violence. If we are
keenly interested in bringing terrorism to a halt, we must have the courage
to examine its roots.”
Growing up to become a suicide bomber is simply not part of a normal human
anatomy and genetic structure. Leaving your children behind in Grozny to
seize hundreds of people at gunpoint in a Moscow theater, is not born out of
the Chechen natural hate for Russian music, nor have the Kurds fought for
over 15 years simply because they are in some mysterious way, bad folk.
I sunk into my chair in disbelief when I heard the number of people poisoned
by the Russian army¹s gas in Moscow as a result of the violent hostage
taking. I said, there must be a mistake. There was none. But I admit it, I
also lamented at the death of the 50 rebels. Condemn me if you wish, but I
couldn't help my tears when I saw over ten Chechen women, clearly young,
crouching on their knees, some gazing at heaven, all gassed to death.
Traditionally, we are not programmed to pity these people, after all they
are
the ones who initiated the violence, they are the insurgents, the rebels,
the
terrorists. All that we must do is condemn them, and dare not ask questions.
But I do dare, and I will ask questions. When rights groups like Human
Rights
Watch and Amnesty International call for an international investigation of
Russia's actions in Chechnya, Why have the United Nations, the American
Administration and other Western governments not pressed the issue? Why is
Russia allowed a free hand in Chechnya? Why have the Chechens endured many
massacres at the hands of the Russian army, year after year, invasion after
invasion, and no tears were shed for Grozney¹s victims, no condemnations?
Was it a coincidence that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was the first
world leader to congratulate the Russian government on its “victory” after
the tragic end of the hostage crisis? Many other governments, certainly more
humane than Mr. Sharon simply condemned the rebels. Now, we can only hope
that Moscow would recover from its nightmare and return to normalcy. But
Grozny won't. The Russian army is still there. The fighting, the occupation,
the puppet government, the daily terror, mass arrests, rape and torture are
all still going on in Chechnya. Human Rights Watch, “the only foreign
organization to conduct exhaustive probes of human rights abuses in
Chechnya”, according to the Washington Post continues with its routine
updates on the crimes committed against the civilian population. But who has
time to read?
The Chechen suffering doesn't excuse the violent hostage taking, but it
explains it. We can stick our heads in the sand like ostriches and scream
aloud, “nothing justifies terrorism.” We can block our ears, our brains and
accuse those who disagree with us of being “sympathetic with the terrorists”
even of being traitors. But that shall change nothing. Moscow will likely
find itself a victim of many desperate Chechen attacks, the unilateral
ceasefire of the Kurds in Turkey is likely to be provoked by the Turkish
army¹s violence against the Kurdish population, and suicide bombings, may
subside or change style or targets, but they will not cease. Its a proven
fact.
“Fighting terror” is now the new trend, where aggressive, powerful countries
crush their weaker foes, deprive them of freedom, of humanity even,
terrorize
them, degrade them, mass arrest them, test there latest weapons on them, but
continue to blame them for all the wrongs of the world.
And we, the people of this world who mean well but fail to act, are expected
to believe everything we are told. Israel is defending itself. As if it was
the Palestinians who occupy Israeli territories, besiege the entire Israeli
people, blow up their homes, steal their land and gun down their children.
We
are expected to hate the Kurdish rebels and deny any feelings of sympathy
toward the Chechen¹s, because the powerful set the tone of the battle, the
definitions, what deserves to be condemned and what is regarded as a
victory.
Sharon called the Massacre of Gaza a few months ago where Israeli warplanes
bombed a residential neighborhood a “great success”, the gassing of the
Russian and Chechens, a “victory.” We too are expected to laud the
achievements, to gloat over the world¹s legitimate “war on terror”. And we
should always refrain from asking questions.
Maybe it serves Mr. Sharon, Putin, Bush and all others to construct the
world
and all the concepts in contains, according to their own policies. But we,
the good people of this earth, why are we so afraid to condemn the real
terrorism? When will we treasure the lives of all nations on an equal level,
whether American, Afghani, Iraqi, Israeli, Palestinian, Turkish, Kurdish,
Russian, Chechen, and all others?
How long will we remain blinded by empty slogans, unexplained hatred and
pretentious condemnations?
-Ramzy Baroud is the editor-in-chief of Palestine Chronicle
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