Terrorism is close to home!

Bhagwan Shee Rajneesh, leader of a perverted cult that poisoned 750 people in Oregon, here seen with his followers.

There are an estimated 500 terrorist groups in the world. These include international cartels controlling trade in drugs, arms and prostitution, as well as underground organizations, marginal movements, various radical ideological groups and deviant cults that stage actions allegedly in the name of religion. Many terrorist organizations do operate within their own countries' borders, but a number target what they have decided are "enemy" countries, through attacks on prominent sites and individuals that, they calculate, will elicit a huge public reaction. From the reaction, they seek to achieve fame, in fact notoriety, which they hope that will add to their power.

Though terrorism has existed since the earliest times, through esoteric organizations like the Sicarii or Assassins, and flourished in the modern times through revolutionary bodies such as the sans-culottes of the French Revolution or the Russian nihilism of the 19th century, its threat really came to the fore in the 20th century, which saw an explosion in acts of terror and in the number of terrorists who committed them. Weapons of mass destruction and the rapid advance of technology made terrorist attacks much easier and vastly increased their destructiveness.

The Oregon attack was an important sign of the threat posed by terrorist groups who possess biological weapons.

By the 1960s, people began to seriously wonder what might happen if a terrorist group managed to acquire some kind of nuclear weapon that could result in the deaths of tens of thousands. A biological or chemical attack could wipe entire populations off the map. No such attack happened, fortunately. But by the 1990s, the opportunities of such attacks increased. These concerns only heightened with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the weakening of control over its nuclear arsenal. The development of the internet and the facilitation of all forms of information increased these worries still further.1 Fear of terrorism became the subject of hundreds of films and books. Reports were written about the possible consequences and much research was carried out. Now, all too obviously, terrorists could go beyond familiar, limited actions like bombings, armed robberies, skyjackings and kidnappings, to attack entire communities. Such attacks could be carried out by remote control or computer, with no direct human intervention.

A number of recent fears in the US involving biological weapons like the anthrax bacterium revealed the scale of the threat posed by bio-terrorism and biological weapons. With the help of an experienced chemist in a simple laboratory, terrorists can now threaten the lives of thousands. One of the first examples of this occurred in 1984, when 750 people were poisoned in four restaurants in a small town in Oregon.2 Later, it was revealed that a Hindu-inspired New Age cult under the leadership of Baghwan Shree Rajneesh was responsible. Disciples had grown salmonella bacteria on their farms and placed them in salad bars in area restaurants. In 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo ("Higher Truth") cult released the poison gas sarin in the Tokyo underground subway system, leading to the deaths of 12 people and another 5,500 being injured. Subsequent inquiries revealed that the cult had tried to construct biological weapons in its own laboratories, revealing just how severe a threat terrorism poses to the public.3

Aum Shinrikyo

In the 21st century, computer technology is expected to play an important role in terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, more "conventional" forms of terrorism, like bombings, arson attacks, skyjackings and kidnappings are still going on all over the world, from Europe to America, from Asia to Africa. Since 1962, for example, members of the ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) terrorist organization, fighting for independence for the Basque region of Spain, has carried out many terrorist attacks in the country, resulting in the deaths of more than 800.4 For years, the Irish Republican Army seized world headlines with its bloody attacks intended to gain independence for Northern Ireland. The central aim of the IRA was to end British control of Northern Ireland and to achieve the reunification of the island of Ireland. It generally operated in Northern Ireland and London, but was also involved in bombings in various European countries, such as Germany. Since 1969, IRA terrorist attacks and Britain's methods of "counter-terrorism" caused the deaths of more than 3,200 on both sides of the conflict.5 Millions of dollars' worth of damage was caused by IRA bombings of airports and underground stations, again aimed at civilians. During a European Football Championship match on June 15, 1996, an IRA car bombing in a Manchester shopping center resulted in some 200 injuries.

Currently, no country can feel safe from this kind of threat. The few examples just cited show just how deeply terrorism has come to influence people's lives. No longer the problem of just a few specific nations, it is a threat that faces all mankind. Because no one can tell when, where or how terrorists will strike, the fight against them can no longer be considered the duty of a handful of countries or organizations. Terrorism, threatening the entire world, can be resolved only if well-intentioned people support each other in search of peace, friendship and brotherhood.