Hailing from a very poor background, his brush with spotlight was rather infamous, to say the least. Fully armed and with a “Mission to Kill”, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Iman photograph was captured by the CCTVs installed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), from where the Mumbai Mayhem began on that fateful day of November 26 as the world looked shockingly at the wicked dance of the terror demon’s new avatar.
A school dropout, Iman was one of the ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, sent to India with clear instructions to INFLICT MAXIMUM DAMAGE on a billion-people nation and an aspiring superpower that’s surging ahead in all fronts. The aim of the terrorists was very clear – give a body blow to our economy, since Mumbai is the commercial capital of the nation.
Iman and his terror-partner, Mohammad Ismail,
unleashed a blood bath by killing 55 innocent commuters at the CST. Unnerved, they went ahead with their killing spree by gunning down three senior police officers, including Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism chief Hemant Karkare.
Iman’s killing spree was finally halted as he got injured and was captured by the Mumbai cops. And, it proved to be a prize catch, as he later spilled beans about
the planning and execution of the ghastly episode that sent shivers down the world.
The Mumbai terror attacks were originally planned to be executed on September 27 but Lashkar mastermind in Pakistan Zakiur Rahman suddenly aborted the plot, Iman told his interrogators later.
Five Indian Mujahuddin (IM) members were arrested in Mumbai on September 24 in the
aftermath of the Delhi blasts and the Lashkar bosses and then changed their plan and revised their programe, Iman said.
Iman’s interrogation report said he strayed into terrorism from a career as a petty criminal. Coming from an extremely poor family and a troubled childhood led him to the Lashkar camp after coming across their pamphlets. Iman then thought he had “found his calling.” He went through the LeT’s rigorous training programmes and finally found himself on the boat to Mumbai.
“Iman is the third of five siblings. His father Mohammad Amir pulls a cart in Faridkot near Multan while his elder brother Afzal stays in Lahore and works as a labourer. His mother Noor Elahi is a housewife and his elder sister is married. A younger sister and a brother stay in Faridkot with the parents,” an officer of Mumbai’s ATS said.
Due to poverty, Iman left his house in 2005 and moved to Lahore. Cops said that his family was given Rs 1.50 lakh after he was roped into terrorism.
What made Iman and other men, who are all aged between 19 and 24 years turn to terrorism? Poverty, lack of proper education, moral values and deprival of opportunities. Unless the governments world over, address the root cause of all the problems these type of disturbances & problems bound to happen time and again.
Poverty, lack of education – root cause of terrorism
In the aftermath of September 11 attacks, the US
government tried to figure out the root cause for the growth of terrorism across the world. A consensus quickly emerged that poverty and lack of education were major causes of terrorist acts and support for terrorism.
Subscribing to that theory are politicians, journalists, and many scholars, as well as officials responsible for administering aid to poor countries. James D Wolfensohn, the then president of the World Bank, asserted that the war on terrorism “will not be won until we have come to grips with the problem of poverty and thus the sources of discontent.”
“We have to fight against poverty,” George W. Bush, President of the USA, then said, adding,
“because hope is an answer to terror. ... We will challenge the poverty and hopelessness and lack of education and failed governments that too often allow conditions that terrorists can seize.” But, nothing much has been done since then, as yet another major terrorist attack glaringly points out the disparities in the civil society still exist.
Missile Man’s Words of Wisdom
As former President of India and eminent scientist Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam rightly pointed out three factors for the growth of the society - education and value system, growth of spirituality and economic development. “These three elements have the potential for bringing about transformation and establishing peace and justice in society,” said Kalam addressing an international conference on “Peace and non-violent action.”
Kalam said the spiritual leaders should empower citizens to affirm their rights and enable them to imbibe positive values while performing their duties. “This task can be carried out by introducing moral science in the school curriculum, bringing religion and science together and promoting spiritual aspects of the religion,” he added.
The former President affirmed that paucity and lopsided distribution of resources and deprivation of large sections of population were the root causes of conflict and threatened peaceful coexistence of people. “Environmental degradation, diseases and terrorism have emerged as the biggest challenges of this century,” he said while calling for adoption of non-violence as the guiding principle of collective life.
How they recruit?
A planner for Islamic Jihad once explained how they recruit the youngsters for the training. Like Iman many youngsters of his age turn to crime and even terrorism since they do not have any other means to earn their livelihood. And, terrorist organizations know pretty well how to brainwash these young distraughts, who easily walk into their trap.
“Suicide bombers are clearly not motivated by the prospect of their own individual economic gain, although it is possible that the promise of payments to their families may increase the willingness of some to participate in suicide-bombing missions. We suspect their primary motivation is their passionate support for the ideas and aims of their movement. Eradication of poverty and proper education unlikely to bring transformation in their way of thinking, said one anti-terrorism expert from the USA.
What is real education?
What is education, after all? “Education is the manifestation of perfection present already in man” said famous saint Swami Vivekananda. “When I ponder what is happening in some colleges and schools today, I am both frightened and frustrated by the fact that too many students see college as a proving ground rather than a training ground. Many teachers and students spend their time trying to convince others that they are knowledgeable rather than concentrating on knowing. Admitting ignorance is hard. Yet, if the truth were known, we all know very, very little,” said an eminent education expert.
Having a degree should not give people power. Real power is being able to make the choice between good or evil, life and death, between empowerment and nurturing of people or putting people down. Education is too often viewed as the exit route to a better lifestyle rather than the beginning of a journey, which will take a lifetime.
Today values have become words mired in controversy, embraced and reviled that we scarcely know how to use them, without turning them into slogans.
Mahatma Gandhi cited the major structural and collective sins of our time:
1. Politics without principles.
2. Wealth without work.
3. Pleasure without conscience.
4. Knowledge without character.
5. Commerce without morality.
6. Worship without sacrifice.
7. Science and technology without humanity.
Success today is all too often, defined by the power of the wealth that one holds. All the symbols, ranging from who occupies the best office, to the size of the paycheques and affluent life style one follows. Is that the real success of a person?
Value-based education has expanded from the medieval foundation of education, to include a greater range of human talent and a much more inclusive number of human beings, holding on to the dream that perhaps someday everybody might be liberated by and education that stands in the service of human freedom.
Yet, when we try to figure out what value based education might look like, we still make lists. While we can no longer expect that the classics are enough to make a person learned, and while there has to be some academic input to fulfill course requirements (credits in the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, foreign languages, Maths and English) we may be tempted to forget the ultimate purpose of liberal education, that is the formation of qualities to help students become decent human beings.
What qualities do we associate with an educated person? William Cronon, the author of ‘Uncommon Ground’ has suggested 10 qualities.
Eagerness to Learn from others, listen and hear: Educated people know how to pay attention to others and to the world around them. They hear the emotion in the voice of the other, they can follow an argument, track logical reasoning. The quality of an educated person is that, they can hear with respect.
Understanding the world: Skilled readers know how to read more than mere words. They recognise and understand great works of art, music and athletic achievement. They read for the sheer joy of reading and they read to understand our world.
Holding discussions: Educated people can talk to anyone -a high school dropout or an intellectual person. Moreover, when they talk they participate in conversation, ask thoughtful questions, and listen to the other’s point of view.
Inculcating writing habit: Educated people know the craft of putting words together. They can express what is in their hearts and minds so as to teach, persuade or move the person who reads their words to think and reflect about life and their part in it.
On a truth seeking path: A truly educated person loves to learn. They understand that knowledge serves values and that these need to be in constant dialogue with each other. True rigour is noble, good but it is also dangerous if it is not placed at the service of a larger vision that also renders it humane.
Tolerant and humble: A truly educated person has the ability to step outside their own intellectual range and emotional prejudices and open themselves to other perspectives. The liberally educated person opposes parochialism and celebrates the wider world. Without encountering people who are different we will never appreciate all that we have in common. Encourage students to travel, to embrace new cultures while honouring their own, to respect diversity.
Striving hard to make the world a better place: Learning to get things done in the world in order to leave it in a better shape is one of the practical implications of education. “You may have a great education, you may have the name of a great college behind you, you have great careers ahead of you, but if you do not block out at least a small part of your life to give to others, you will never be truly happy,” said an expert
Educated person nurtures and empowers: No one ever acts alone. The achievement of power, the exercise of talent, the celebration of diversity is the recognition that the triumph of one is in fact the triumph of all. The liberally educated person understands that we belong to a community and that the well-being and success of the other is crucial to my own.
Liberal education is about nurturing the human spirit, exploring human freedom and realising that education is never really complete.