INTERPOL World - Policing Feature
I By Andrew Macleod
50 | Asia AsiaPacific PacificSecurity SecurityMagazine Magazine
live between, and only a kilometre or so from, the last two terrorist attacks in London. I was also in Liverpool Street station about to board a tube when the 7/7 bombings took place in 2005. On the 9th of February 1996, I was around the corner when the IRA set off their huge bomb in Canary Wharf, London. I have been less than a kilometre from four terrorist attacks in London. In Islamabad, while I worked there for the United Nations, the windows of my apartment shook when, in 2008, terrorists threw a hand-grenade into the garden of the Italian restaurant I was about to go to for dinner. I know terrorism well. I have seen its impacts and consequences. I have felt the shock waves of its bombs. I have spoken to people who have been tempted to cross into the path of terrorism (see Lessons From A Would-be Suicide Bomber, here: https://theconversation.com/lessonsfrom-a-would-be-suicide-bomber-on-how-to-defeatterrorism-52540). I know terrorism better than most, but not as well as some. I have written and spoken before on terrorism and counter-terrorism for some time. I have a view on how we defeat this menace, but it will not be easy.
My main arguments run this way: We need to embrace an alliance with 'moderate' and 'normal' people of Islamic faith and understand that they are our most powerful ally to counter extremism. However, at times 'we' often undermine the moderate and normal people of Islamic faith, when our community choses incendiary and inflammatory discourse in place of an embracing language. I call this part 'getting the 'us' vs 'them' concentric circles right and spoke on ABC’s Q and A on this following the Paris attacks. Following Q and A the Islamic Council of Victoria asked me to speak on concrete steps to defeat terrorism, where I listed three steps to defeat terror. These three steps are concurrent and sometimes in conflict, requiring a fine balance. The three steps are: 1. Make life worth living for the people who may be tempted to 'take a short-cut to god'. This is hard and takes a long-term focus on economic growth, inclusiveness and extremely careful public dialogue. 2. Counter the extremists' messages that say 'killing people provides a short-cut to heaven'. This has a strong education and theological side that really can only be done by other people of deep religious faith.