The year almost ended with a lethal bang. It was the insidious plot of yet another disenchanted young man trying to get the world’s attention.
The latest in the never-ending line of volunteers to take innocent people to their deaths is Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. The 23-year-old Nigerian student is alleged to have attempted to detonate a bomb in a mid-air flight to Detroit carrying nearly 300 people.
I found the U.S. government’s response to Mutallab’s act of fanaticism to be woefully inadequate.
Mutallab is described by those closest to him as a bright, cheerful yet serious person. His peers nicknamed him The Pope because of his high moral views and lifestyle. Mutallab came from a wealthy Nigerian family, went to the most prestigious schools and lived a charmed life.
The federal reaction to the latest act of violence is to add more air marshals to flights and to make Yemen the next military target. Yemen is purported to be young Mutallab’s last place of residence.
Air travelers also will now be subjected to more security measures that have nothing to do with security, like not having anything in your lap during flights.
It was probably dumb luck that prevented the bomb from going off, since it reportedly contained one of the most powerful explosives. Having 10 marshals on Northwest flight 253 would not have stopped a Mutallab. It is no more effective than putting a cop on every block to prevent acts of crime. It gives the appearance of doing something but never getting to the root causes of the problem.
In an increasingly violent and hostile world, the average person looks to their government for security. After all, it is a fundamental human right. So says the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When it seems like that government is insensitive, incapable or just clueless, what is the populace to do? I am still seeking answers to that question.
There are some common ingredients in these acts that cause terror: patriarchy, racism, religion, powerlessness, marginalization, access to weapons. We can’t keep saying it is Islamic radicals who are the main danger, when homegrown Christians are just as capable of this kind of human destruction. It happens on the micro level as well, like in the home or community.
The first terrorists in this country still exist, and they pray too. I’m talking about the nearly 250year-old Klu Klux Klan. I hesitate to use the word “terrorist,” and not for the same reason as the Obama administration. The term is used too loosely and too frequently, which dilutes its meaning and dulls our sensitivity.
Extremism is also used by governments to serve their self-interests. Let’s not forget the terrorist reigns of Adolph Hitler, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein and so on.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that peace is not just the absence of war, it is the presence of justice. What would happen if, instead of beefing up our domestic and foreign military strategy and funding, this country prioritized meeting the basic needs of its citizens, including affirming their humanity?
I say let’s give that strategy a try in 2010 and beyond, and see if it doesn’t give us better, more human outcomes. Someone can always trump a big gun with a bigger gun, but I know that’s not the kind of society I want to live in. Making sure that people have what they need to be healthy and productive could be a non-military answer to attaining national security and community safety.