In the midst of peak tourist season, terrorism has struck the heart of Barcelona. In a series of terror attacks on Thursday in Barcelona and Cambrils, at least 14 people have been killed and around 130 others injured. The attack followed the strategy of using vehicles as deadly weapons – a method that has been employed rather successfully by terrorists in European cities such as Nice, Berlin and London. The five suspects in the Cambrils attack were killed by the Spanish police and, according to reports, there have been arrests made in the Barcelona incident. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. Though the claim is yet to be verified, this does seem to be in keeping with the IS’ call for its sympathisers to hit home, instead of fighting in Syria – making home-grown terrorism a more serious issue than many would have thought. Amongst the injured are nationals from at least 24 countries – including Pakistan, as per some media outlets – making the ramifications of the attack global.
Spain had till now managed to escape the recent spate of attacks on European soil. We have usually seen blame being quickly shifted towards migrants and the influx of refugees, instead of there being introspection into the sort of violent world the many wars being currently waged in the Middle East have created. The solution does not lie with blaming migrants and refugees. This would again be counter-productive. Much of the motivations for such incidents come from perceived marginalisation. From the invasion of Iraq, the disturbing violence in Syria, Yemen and Libya to the denial of civil liberties to Muslims to the rise of the racist right wing in the West there has been a general alienation of Muslim communities in Western countries. Unfortunately, a tiny minority from the community has turned violent. The way to isolate and defang terrorists and terror sympathisers is to work together with peaceful Muslims. That can be in itself a difficult path to tread in a world where hate trumps hope. But that is the only way to make sure that more ordinary people do not become the victims of such attacks. The message that people will not let fear win needs to gain traction. That would be a far better way to tackle terror both in the West and in the many countries affected by imperialist wars in the East. Retreating behind old stereotypes, conservative approaches and violent methods will only make the world more unsafe.