Daffodil International University
Faculties and Departments => Faculty Sections => Topic started by: Md. Rasel Hossen on November 22, 2015, 12:24:05 PM
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Our heart goes out to the victims of the tragedy on Paris on Friday. 129 persons were killed in that horrific night of gun and bomb attacks. No language is strong enough to condemn the brutality of the perpetrators of this gruesome barbarity. We completely agree with the French President Francois Hollande who called the attacks “a horror” and vowed to wage a “merciless” fight against terrorism.
But this latest attack on the French capital is yet another proof that terrorism can strike anywhere in the world. It does not differentiate between developed or developing countries. Thus, we can also say that the recent publicity of some Western countries that Bangladesh is also highly vulnerable to terrorism , is not fair to say the least. Bangladesh is undeniably not suffering from the type of terrorism suffered by Western countries. The symptoms of terrorism in Bangladesh are few and far between comparatively.
What happened in ParisTerrorism is not a new phenomenon in the West and particularly in Europe. It poses a threat to Europe’s security, to the values of its democratic societies and to the rights and freedoms of Europeans. Between 2009-2014 there were 1010 failed, foiled or completed attacks carried out in EU member states. But this Friday’s attack was by far the deadliest.
The authorities everywhere in the field of counter-terrorism must identify and tackle the factors which contribute to radicalisation and the processes by which individuals are recruited to commit acts of terror. They must do everything to hinder terrorists’ capacity to plan and organise, and to bring these terrorists to justice. To achieve these goals, strengthening national capabilities, regional and international cooperation and information exchange is essential. The governments must work closely with other international and regional organisations to build international consensus and promote international standards for fighting terrorism.
Thankfully Bangladesh has been relatively free from serious terrorist activities in the last decade or so. The incumbent government, to its credit has shown adequate determination to fight local and regional terrorism. Of course there have been a few isolated attacks but Bangladesh is undoubtedly one of safest place against the scourge of terrorism.
However there is hardly any room for complacency. If the extremists can carry out repeated vicious attacks in France which is militarily one of the strongest in the world and it counter-terrorism units are also very powerful, no country can take the threat of terrorism lightly.
Coming back to the tragedy in Paris-this latest act of terrorism has given rise to great compassion and good samaritanism among people both in France and rest of the world. It has also led to the conviction that something must be done, some action must be taken against these heinous criminals who kill indiscriminately and in a cowardly manner. The world leaders must unite in being ruthless in their battle against terrorism. There can be no space in the modern world for fanatics who practice and preach hate.
As we said immediately after the horrific Paris attacks, we fully sympathise with the French in their time of national crisis. Bangladeshis also mourn with France. It is quite understandable that after the initial sense of shock and disbelief the French are feeling outraged and there is a demand on their government to avenge the indiscriminate murders in their beloved city. And the French government’s response has been swift and determined. The French forces have started aerial bombing on IS targets and have caused some damage and the attacks are to continue. The attacks really send a very strong political message to the French people that their government will be proactive against the perpetrators of the brutality.
However while there is an appetite for revenge, the response must be more nuanced than meeting hatred with more hatred. We have noted that thankfully in some of the places where the attacks might have been expected to inflame the migrant debate, they have not – at least, have not done so yet. If some French Muslims are being drawn towards ISIL, then the authorities must find out why. The answer cannot be, as some have claimed, that Islam is a religion of hate, because that is a shallow observation and demonstrably untrue.
We do not expect mindless brutality from France-which has for long been a citadel for freedom and liberalism. We do believe the French response would show enough restraint to ensure minimum collateral damage. Innocent people must not face the wrath of the French attacks. The French response will hopefully not be like the West’s adventure in Iraq, which created more problems than it solved. France must work together with all its allies, in Europe and in this region, to destroy terrorism, and that includes tackling it at its root cause.