News Analysis |
Followed by the ruthless killing spree which Australian far-right terrorist Branton Tarrant streamed live via Facebook, another unfortunate incident in the Netherlands engulfed lives of 3 people when a man indiscriminately started to shoot at a tram. It happened in the Dutch city of Utrecht when a man, apparently a 37-year-old Turkish born who was later arrested, opened fire at a tram which leads to injuring 9 people as per initial reports, but later it turned out that 3 people are dead so far.
“Our country has been hit by an attack in Utrecht,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters after a meeting of his top security advisers. “An act of terror is an attack on our civilization, on our tolerant and open society. If this indeed turns out to be a terrorist act, then only one answer is appropriate, and that answer is that our rule of law, our democracy, is stronger than terrorism and violence.”
It has led to the reinforcement of belief and strengthening the cadre of an organization such as Ku Klux Klan commonly known as KKK.
Police circulated the photo of alleged shooter cautioning people not to approach him themselves. However, by the end of the day, the police announced via a news conference that the suspect has been arrested. The attack comes just a few days after the terrorist attack at a mosque in Christchurch which left 50 people dead and 40 more injured.
It’s Time to Reap the Sown Hate
Violence is on the rise across the countries and continent under the banner of religious, racist or even sectarian hatred. Though a clear majority of masses are pro-peace and harmony, yet the act carried by few leaves scars so deep that one can not help but the question is it safe anywhere in the world? Christchurch and Oslo, two of the most peaceful cities of the world were shaken with mass shooting resulting in the death of 50 and 77 people respectively.
Read more: Dutch police arrest suspect after three shot dead on tram
Deeply looking at the underlying causes, the most prominent reason is the sense of hostility which media over the years has created in the minds of people. For far too long, after 9/11, west in general and the United States, in particular, has propagated the global war on terror in front of its people like a fight for survival and the foreigners as intruders.
It has led to the reinforcement of belief and strengthening the cadre of an organization such as Ku Klux Klan commonly known as KKK or other far-right activist groups such as Neo-Nazis. Despite a recent official assessment of Federal Bureau of Investigation that white supremacists pose a greater threat to internal security of the United States of America than Islamic extremism, President Donald Trump still not acknowledges the same fact.
Racial and religious stereotyping in almost all the societies have brought the world to the current stage and it is going to take a collective effort to root it out.
Trump was asked, “Do you see today white nationalism a rising threat around the world?” “I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess,” the president replied. “If you look at what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that’s the case. I don’t know enough about it yet … But it’s certainly a terrible thing.”
Returning Insurgents Pose a Real Threat
Insurgencies thrive on ideologies which use incidents like Christchurch to fuel their war machine. Gökmen Tanis, the alleged shooter in the latest incident of violence in the Netherlands, is reported to have fought in Chechnya. Similarly, multiple sources including both intelligence and non-governmental organizations, have rung alarm bells regarding the fighting insurgents in Syria and Iraq who have been returning to their home states as the war in the middle east, especially against the ISIS is closing in.
Continuous fighting has certain psychological and physiological impacts on people. Though it is yet to ascertain what the reason which triggered tram shooting in the Netherlands was, Christchurch like incidents can spark a rage inside those who have already been affected by relevant hostile ideology against other people.
Read more: US should worry more about white supremacists than ISIS or Al…
To stop the cyclic chain of violence, it is very important the underlying cause of violence is recognized instead of denying like U.S President Donald Trump. Racial and religious stereotyping in almost all the societies have brought the world to the current stage and it is going to take a collective effort to root it out.