Terrorism is to be condemned outright and with no excuses. There is no honour in it nor is it justified. That being said, it is vital to understand the causative and contributing factors in order to put an end to this scourge.
Terrorists exploit a distorted version of religion to add a veneer of respectability to their violent designs. But the genre of the religion itself is incidental and has little bearing on terrorism. Whether perpetrated by a state or by a coalition of disparate scattered individuals who share common goals, a significant motive is revenge. They come upon genuine grievances but instead of addressing them in a mature, compassionate and creative way, their emotions overwhelm them and they descend to chaos and aggression.
As vital as it is to understand these grievances and redress them, there is another important component that can save lives. This is to make the learning of emotional and social skills a part of our academic curriculum. Only when exquisite minds trained to compete and succeed are conjoined with compassionate hearts, can the balance be restored and a peaceful coexistence envisaged.
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