My plan to end religious terror and violence and achieve lasting peace by RC

     In today’s society, there is a fear that has risen and now haunting humanity.  Recently, the world has witnessed and for that matter experienced what we have come to know as religious terrorism.  The outcomes of religious terrorism have been unfathomable.  It is only because we have experienced it that we know it truly exists.  The violence that it has spawned is horrifying events.  The September 11th attacks on American soil are an example of this.  Examples of religious terrorism are “In virtually every religious tradition—not just Islam. A Christian terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, bombed the Oklahoma City Federal Building. A Jewish activist, Yigal Amir, assassinated Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. A Buddhist prophet, Shoko Asahara, orchestrated the unleashing of nerve gas in the Tokyo subways near the Japanese parliament buildings. Hindu and Sikh militants have targeted government buildings and political leaders in India.” (Juergensmeyer, Religious Terror and the Secular State, 1) Ultimately, from the perpetrators of these vicious attacks to innocent civilians living their everyday lives the goal is the same.  Everyone wants a peaceful existence.  
     Moving toward a peaceful society involves a lot of planning.  Everyone must be taken into consideration.  For peace to come to fruition, a plan must include the following components: “That vision of the future should stress life over death: individual educational and economic opportunity. This vision includes widespread political participation and contempt for indiscriminate violence. It includes respect for the rule of law, openness in discussing differences, and tolerance for opposing points of view.” (legislative.archives@nara.gov.)  
     According to Mark Juergensmeyer, author of the book Terror in the Mind of God,
when it comes to solving the crisis involving religious terrorism, ironically it may be possible to “heal politics with religion”. (243) With respect to the aforementioned vision of a step toward a peaceful existence, “The most successful solutions are those that have been forged on a moral plane – those that have required the opponents tin the conflict to summon at least a minimal level of mutual trust and respect.  This respect has been enhanced and the possibilities of a compromise solution strengthened when religious activists have perceived governmental authorities as having a moral integrity in keeping with, or accommodating of, religious values.” (243)  Furthermore, “Though religion has scarcely been perceived as being neutral in the same way that art, education, and sports have been, virtually every religious tradition has projected images of tranquility that are even more profound and unifying.” (247)
     In conjunction with education, respect, and opportunity there is a chance that we will achieve peace.  Education will maximize this prospect of peace because according to the 9/11 commission report, “Education that teaches tolerance, the dignity and value of each individual, and respect for different beliefs is a key element in any global strategy to eliminate Islamist terrorism.” (legislative.archives@nara.gov)  Although the report specifically refers to Islamic communities, it could apply anywhere.  
Supporting education is essential.  Many tools can be used in order to educate for example, the 9/11 commission report offers the following suggestions (once again, this is targeted to the Middle East however, this could apply anywhere):

1. The international community is moving toward setting a concrete goal-to cut the Middle East region's illiteracy rate in half by 2010, targeting women and girls and supporting programs for adult literacy.


2. Unglamorous help is needed to support the basics, such as textbooks that translate more of the world's knowledge into local languages and libraries to house such materials. Education about the outside world, or other cultures, is weak.


3. More vocational education is needed, too, in trades and business skills. The Middle East can also benefit from some of the programs to bridge the digital divide and increase Internet access that have already been developed for other regions of the world.  (legislative.archives@nara.gov)

Moving toward peace is a process that requires determination not only from political leaders and religious activists but also from humanity.  Just as it took generations for our global society to evolve to the times that we are living in now, it will take time and patience on the part of many to proceed.  



     


References:
Juergensmeyer, Mark.  Terror in the Mind of God.  University of California Press.  2003.
Juergensmeyer, Mark.  Religious Terror and the Secular State.   From Harvard International Review, Winter 2004.  eScholarship Repository, University of California http://repositories.cdlib.org/gis /22  2004.

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States legislative.archives@nara.gov