Be swift, be just

Three events in three different parts of the world hold out powerful lessons for us in how to deal with terrorism. An Indonesian court has f...

Three events in three different parts of the world hold out powerful lessons for us in how to deal with terrorism. An Indonesian court has found Amrozi bin Nurhasyim guilty in connection with last year8217;s Bali bombing. The court has pronounced a death sentence on Nurhasyim for 8220;a crime against humanity8221; and a 8220;crime of murder8221;. The judgement comes less than nine months after the heinous act which killed 202 people. Around the same time a court in Ireland has convicted a controversial IRA leader to 20 years in jail. This is the first time a person has been convicted for 8220;directing8221; terrorism rather than any direct involvement in an act of terrorism. Across the Atlantic in the US a Pakistani is likely to be indicted, within months of arrest, for helping Al-Qaeda terrorists.

There are two obvious lessons that bind the three cases together. First, while the wise men of the world continue to debate the definition of terrorism, the judicial system in the largest Muslim country has clearly pronounced an act of killing innocents as a crime against humanity and pronounced a death sentence on a fellow Muslim, giving him a week to appeal. This is as it should be and we, as victims of terrorism now for two decades in the name of religion, need to follow that principle. In fact, what is often forgotten is that even our jawans, responsible for guarding innocents, are also innocent victims of terrorism.

The second lesson is the conviction and life sentence for directing terrorism, and the speed with which justice has been meted out to the guilty. Compare this with Masood Azhar who has been directing terrorism for years, and continues to do so, who spent six years in our jails only to be flown out in a special aircraft to be set free in Kandahar. Or the seven years it took to convict the hijackers of an Indian Airlines aircraft in 1984 when all the evidence of the 80-plus eyewitnesses was readily available. Forget the First World. If Indonesia can find the terrorist and convict the bomber in less than nine months, why can8217;t we?