The Dragon’s Teeth

Images of terrified, half-naked schoolchildren in Beslan merge with the wailing father in blood-splattered shirt kneeling beside his young son, killed in a suicide car bomb attack in Iraq. The grief of families in remote Nepali villages, mourning the loss of men beheaded for trying to earn something for their poverty-struck homes, blends with that of Afghan villagers bereaved or crippled by ‘smart bombs’ intended for a tall, bearded man who until not so long ago worked closely with those who now send out these bombs.

In the occupied territories of Palestine, where a father tried in vain to protect his young son from Israeli bullets, and where an American-made bulldozer crushed the life out of young Rachel Corrie, daily indignities continue to feed resistance, contributing to a continuing spiral of violence. Closer to home, the fires in Gujarat continue to smolder after the carnage of over two years ago, as entire communities struggle to survive and maintain their dignity in the face of local indifference. Enraged women in Manipur strip off their clothes in a desperate attempt to draw attention to the rapes and violence by soldiers operating under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. In Kashmir, a landmine kills young Aasiya Jeelani and cripples Khurram Pervez as they embark on an election monitoring exercise for the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society.

And in the picturesque border town of Sialkot, more famous for footballs than fanaticism, a man carrying a briefcase walks into a mosque and blows himself up, killing several others in the process.

Somehow, somewhere, for me, all these images are bound by a common thread, fed by short-sighted, self-serving ‘national’ interests that place violent, militaristic responses above rule of law, justice, dialogue and political solutions.

The so-called ‘war on terra’, a knee-jerk response initiated by the world’s sole superpower to the horrific attack on its soil on September 11, 2001, has only led to more ‘terra’ the world over. The attack and the flawed logic of a ‘preemptive attack’ provided Washington with an excuse to flex its muscles and try out new weaponry, much of which would classify as weapons of mass destruction.

Those who were killed in the attacks of 11-9 were not just “’murcans”. They reflected the multiplicity that is “’murca”, they belonged to all faiths – including Judaism (notwithstanding the preposterous and widespread rumour about 4000 Jews not attending work in the twin towers that day). Many were migrants or descendents of migrants from countries around the world, including Pakistan and India. ‘Not in our name’ was the rallying cry of families bereaved by these attacks, as they demonstrated against the impending attack on Afghanistan. The demonstrations and protests gathered momentum worldwide as the Bush administration shifted its attention from Afghanistan to Iraq and its supposed weapons of mass destruction, but were met with blind indifference as the war machinery geared up.

Washington’s attack on Afghanistan rid the country of the retrogressive Taliban. But it also gave a cue to other governments on how to deal with their own internal demons, from Moscow and New Delhi, to Jerusalem and Islamabad. In this scheme of things, it was entirely in order for New Delhi to react to the December 13, 2001 attack on its parliament the way it did – with rhetoric that echoed Washington’s, blaming Islamabad, withdrawing embassy staff and cutting off road, rail and air ties between the two countries. Pakistan responded in kind and the threat of a ‘Hindu’ nuclear bomb pitted against an ‘Islamic’ one loomed large on the horizon. It is hardly a coincidence that in this atmosphere, those who had been waiting in the wings in Gujarat were able to butcher, rape and loot Muslims with impunity, aided and encouraged by government functionaries.

Meanwhile, the rhetoric about ‘terrorism’ and the ‘war on terror’ remains just a catchy slogan. Governments cannot claim the moral high ground unless they themselves refrain from using what they would term as ‘terrorist tactics’ if carried out by ‘others’. For years, the USA and Pakistan together shortsightedly encouraged and supported what they call terrorism. Now they are together attacking the tribesmen in Wana who harbour these ‘terrorist elements’. For years, they turned a blind eye to clerics fulminating against ‘non-Muslims’ and ignored public incitements to violence and murder, and wall chalking and graffiti on public transport decrying Shi’as as ‘kafir’.

There are many more like the man with the briefcase who walked into the Sialkot Imambargah. They did not develop their warped mindsets overnight -- nor will they be wiped out overnight by military means. Those who justify such actions sit entrenched in our assemblies. Like the warriors that sprang out of the dragon’s teeth that Ulysses sowed, their blood will only yield more of their ilk. They will be disarmed only with the rule of law, social justice, education and employment opportunities for all – and when governments themselves stop perpetuating violence.