Editorials

The Real Victims of Terrorism

Editor

Sha'ban 15, 14392018-05-01

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Since 9/11, terrorism has been hyped as the greatest threat to humanity. Acres of newsprint and endless hours of television airtime have been devoted to conjure up images of bearded men with bombs strapped around their waists coming to attack “peaceful” citizens in America and Europe. “Why do they hate us?” is a common refrain although it is losing its appeal as some people have finally seen through the fraud.

Even American warlords have realized that the bogey of terrorism can no longer be sustained to scare people. Thus, America’s new National Security Strategy (NSS), released in October 2017, lays greater emphasis on threats from China and Russia. Terrorist threats have been downgraded although restrictions on civil liberties and other intrusive measures remain in place. No-fly lists continue to expand with virtually every Muslim on it. Prohibition on taking liquids exceeding 100 ml onto planes and intrusive body searches at airports are still enforced. Keep them scared is the preferred policy.

What is the reality of terrorism and who are its principal victims? According to recent data released by the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), “for the second year in a row, the total number of deaths caused by terrorism has declined.” What the GTI also reveals is that the top ten countries affected the most by terrorism are Muslim majority states except India (at number 8). The top five countries for 2016 for which data is available paint an alarming pattern:

Country	Deaths	Incidents
Iraq	9,765	2,965
Afghanistan	4,574	1,342
Nigeria	1,832	466
Syria	2,102	366
Pakistan	956	736

The other countries in descending order are: Yemen, Somalia, India, Turkey, and Libya. If Muslims are the perpetrators of terrorism, as alleged, why is it that they are its biggest victims? There is another factor critical to this reality: the US. Each and every country affected by terrorism is the direct result of US involvement in their affairs. America means trouble; it causes chaos and destruction wherever it gets involved. Since 9/11, the US has not only killed more than 4 million people in these countries, it has also spawned terrorism on a grand scale. It screams the loudest about terrorism yet in all these years less than 520 Americans have been killed in terrorist attacks worldwide excluding the one-time event of 9/11 (many analysts insist it was an inside job). More people are killed in gun related violence (34,594 deaths in 2014 based on a 2016 study published in the American Journal of Public Health) than US deaths in all the wars since 9/11 and any victims of terrorism.

The fact is that allegations of terrorism are part of a vile propaganda to demonize Muslims who are its greatest victims. And America is the biggest perpetrator of terrorism. Statistics prove this point clearly.

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