Cain slew Abel. In fact, he slew many Abels in Alexandria's church bombing. This tragedy smacks of jealousy, greed, revenge, and a misperception of reality and the world, combined with psychological problems. Sometimes people commit murder because they are tormented by inner conflict. They cannot cope with life, so they resort to an ideology or get brainwashed by one. This is the easy way out. Adam would have prevented his son, Cain, from slaying Abel, if he'd noticed the signs of aggression in him. Adam would have done his best to deter Cain from being so cruel. If our Government, our Adam, had noticed that terrorism was growing well in our fertile land, it would have come up with a plan to nip it in the bud. According to the author Paul Wilkinson, governmental weakness and ineptness, poverty, political inequality, ethnic conflicts, traditions of violence, religious and ideological conflicts, erosions of confidence in a regime, deep divisions within governing elites and leadership groups, the existence of a revolutionary group and lack of peaceful communications channels all contribute to terrorism. We have problems within Egypt, and we must courageously tackle them, rather than dodging them and blaming external forces. Yes, Egyptians are kind and generous people. But, for many, kindness has turned into anger because of poverty and inequality, while generosity has turned into greed, as people struggle for self-preservation. In ‘The Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism', a report prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, author Rex Hudson asks a legitimate question: “Can a terrorist profile be developed that could reliably help security personnel to identify potential terrorists, whether they be would-be aeroplane hijackers, assassins or suicide bombers?” Meanwhile, the legendary Russian author Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky once said: “While nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer, nothing is more difficult than to understand him.” Knowing one's enemy means to understand his ideology and behaviour. To understand, anticipate and forecast how a person may handle a particular situation or resolve a particular problem, requires a mental analysis of that person's perspective. We all have what is called ‘social cognition', a mental-behavioural phenomenon. Simply put, it means an internal map of reality. Not reality as it is, but reality as we perceive it. If each one of us could understand our antagonists' ‘maps' it would be easier to anticipate their actions. Many organisations have tried to construct a profile for potential terrorists, but I think we need to look at the reasons why terrorism exists. Why does murder become a tool for proving a point or an ideology? Who gives terrorists the right to play God and end innocent lives? In ‘The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin', Randy Borum writes that there are four observable stages in the formation of terrorists. He has helped intelligence analysts and investigators to evaluate the behaviour and activities of extremist groups and individuals. First, an extremist identifies and perceives an undesirable condition as ‘It's not right'. This condition could be unemployment, poverty, lack of order or morality, government-imposed restrictions or discrimination, poor living conditions, etc. Second, he frames this condition or a combination of conditions as ‘It's not fair'. He feels that he has suffered an injustice, as not everyone is deprived like he is. Third, the extremist holds a person or group responsible and thus identifies a potential target, as ‘It's your fault'. Fourth, he regards the potential target as evil or bad. The terrorist's aggression is justified in his own mind, as it is directed towards ‘evil' people, thus dehumanising them. He does not perceive himself as bad or evil, but as performing a heroic act, legitimising the use of terror against those responsible for his demise. Remember, the target of terrorism is not the victims themselves, but the political, psychological, coercive, dynamic imbalance and media exploitation intended from such an act. It is the power struggle and the insanity of the race for superiority of those who brainwash the would-be terrorist or suicide bomber. But why are terrorists sprouting in many Muslim countries when Islam denounces terrorism? Corrupt economies, poverty and unemployment are fertile soil for terrorist ‘seeds'. The second problem is that a poor education system doesn't train students to be critical thinkers and analysts. The seeds are watered with this deficiency. Third, there is the lack of moderate religious education. This is the absence of sunlight, making the plant sick and vulnerable to insects and disease. And last, but not least, there are weak politicians, political instability and injustice – the unqualified farmers who don't care properly for their plants. We live in a country where laws are not enforced; where bribery is the lubricant used to get even the simplest paperwork done; where kosa allows someone to take what is not rightfully his; and where most young people are suffering from the ‘dysfunctional society' they live in. These youngsters do not have a positive outlook on the future – there are no career opportunities, which means they can't afford to get married and start a family, something normal dictated by nature. Some imams and priests preach hatred and anger. No wonder so many Muslim and Christian fanatics, zealots and extremists have sprung up in the past two decades, foisting their ideologies on others. Egypt is threatened by terrorism, and the media and the Government are not handling the situation properly. Why haven't the media said how many Muslims died in the Alexandria church blast? Even if it was one or two, they are also victims of this evil act, suffering the same destiny as their brothers, the Copts. We need a fresh government with a wise plan for changing conditions in Egypt, before more Cains slay more Abels. After killing his brother, Cain was filled with remorse. Will terrorists feel remorse if life doesn't improve in Egypt? [email protected] Hedayat is an American/Egyptian author and a freelance writer. She resides in the city of Sharm El Sheikh and contributes regularly to The Egyptian Gazette and the Egyptian Mail.
