Liberalised UK doesn’t deserve it

Fair & Square

One of the basic principles of journalism is that the headline should never be too lengthy or clumsy. So, I’ve cut the original headline that was “like the rest of the world, UK doesn’t deserve it”. 

So, in terms of everyone’s strong, innermost desire for lasting, global peace, the headline of this column should not be taken as UK-specific only. However, in other sense, it is UK-specific since it discusses the current wave of escalated radicalization in some segments of the British society while, simultaneously, dwelling upon the enhanced level of tolerance and enlightenment as evidenced with the election of about a dozen MPs of Pakistani, Muslim background in the recently-held elections.

Isn’t it strange that on the one hand, the civilization-and-liberalization level of UK is at its highest ebb on this particular count, i.e. for the reason of promoting minorities and treating all communities on egalitarian grounds whereas, on the other, it is encountering a terror wave of the worst order? No country of the world struggling for prosperity and stability including UK deserves extremism of the kind that UK witnessed in the last few weeks including horrifying acts of terrorism committed during a music concert and against extremely innocent people who had gathered at different spots with innocent wishes and aspirations and no negative designs or animosities.

Even otherwise, one doesn’t understand what a terrorist organization, Daish or anyone else, gains out of enmity with innocent, unarmed citizens who have not even killed a single fly, let alone a bird, in their lives. I mean to say what is the match between harmless creatures and a ferocious, killer organization that is armed to the teeth with destruction-cum-beheading paraphernalia? And, even if extremism and radicalization emanates from deprivations as some people opine, the fact remains that the majority of the ‘personnel’ working in the forces under command of terrorist commanders are motivated more by wrong ideological interpretations and misled beliefs including the desire to kill others on the plea of paganism or similar pretexts.

Unless and until we understand the mental and psychological process behind sudden and ever-intensifying radicalization of minds, extremism would not diminish, not to talk of its eradication.

At this juncture, I would suggest studying the process model of Pakistani-Norwegian professor, Tahir Mahmood, who has discovered the process of mental transformation and also suggested remedies for governments and institutions. Some academic and peace institutions engaged inside Europe have conferred honours on this professor on this account, but a large number of people in other parts of the world including the West find it difficult to understand the ‘science/process of radicalization discovered by this behaviour scientist. 

And as regards the news item that one of the perpetrators had a Pakistani/Muslim background, it needs to be clarified once again that terrorists have no religion and no nationality. Their only ideology is ‘killer ideology’ and that is why these elements don’t feel reluctance of the slightest order while launching destructive attacks on shrines, mosques, Imambargahs, funerals, schools, markets in which mainly Muslims (and even Pakistanis) have been killed.

In UK in particular, the Muslims, especially those with a Pakistani background, have made major contributions towards socio-economic and intellectual betterment and strengthening of the British society. The names of the first-ever Muslim Pakistani British MP Ch Sarwar and Pir Lakhte Hasnain are two credible, respectable references of the British society. While the British society and majority are to be highly appreciated for providing an environment for marvelous success of Lakhte Hasnain’s tremendous welfare organization       Muslim Hands            and for the election to British House of Commons of a dozen or so Pakistani/Muslim-origin Britons, the credit also goes to these Pakistani prodigies for making Britain a centerpiece of civilization.  

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