By Salama A Salama The recent attacks in Sharm El-Sheikh have shocked the nation, even to the point of upstaging domestic developments, upcoming elections, and the tug-of-war over reform. When it comes to terror, both government and opposition know that they are all in the same boat -- Iraq just a constant reminder. Over the past few years, terror has turned into a global scourge of far- reaching consequences, its tentacles effective, its masterminds invisible, its deadly hand everywhere, its recruits drawn from across countries and social classes. Al-Qaeda comes first to mind in all terror attacks, but the attackers, mostly youth, hail from a variety of societies, their horrid path to violence inspired by a misguided desire to defend Islam. Narrow- minded, self-centred, fanatical, they are moved to evil by the same catalyst, regardless of what society they come from. Those who mounted the aerial attacks on New York and Washington differ from those who blew up trains in Madrid, from those who blasted the underground in London, and from those who wreaked havoc on Sharm El-Sheikh. How could any society put so much hatred into its young people? How could anyone kill the innocent in cold blood? Many now ask. A twisted version of Islam is what the perpetrators seem to share. In New York, the horror was at the behest of Bin Laden or Al-Qaeda. In Madrid, terror had North African features. In Iraq, it was carried out by Arab or Sunnis. In Egypt, any number of jihad fanatics, Palestinian and Iraqis included, could be responsible. The fact remains that US and Western policies in the Middle East bear considerable responsibility for the attacks, as London's mayor so eloquently said. The mayor called on Muslim leaders in the UK to look into the conditions of the Muslim community and seek ways of eliminating racism, unemployment and hatred. In France and the Netherlands, governments are fighting terror through deterrence and surveillance measures and a stricter monitoring of Muslim communities. In the UK, the government is trying to assimilate the Muslim community without overlooking security considerations. In Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, terror is addressed through a mix of pardon and punishment. The absence of democracy, the continued Arab-Israeli conflict and US actions in Iraq create ample tributaries for violence and fanaticism. A non-violent outlet for the disgruntled could help let off steam, but the tributaries of violence need to be dried up. Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for an international conference on terror. But we mustn't confine ourselves to terror linked with radical Islam. The terror being inflicted on the region by the US, the UK and the rest of Europe is what feeds local violence. Muslims are to blame, of course, but we mustn't point the finger at Al-Azhar and our religious establishment alone. There is only so much they can do. The time may come when local clerics would decide to keep quiet and let the proponents of European Islam take over. Instead of improving matters, this may actually create a new identity crisis in the Muslim world, and it is unlikely to resolve the problem of terror in Arab and Islamic societies in the short run. Terror has crossed cultural boundaries and can no longer be addressed by way of a single panacea.
