On Turning the other cheek
Jul. 26th, 2011 11:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sobriqueIt's probably caught your attention, that there's been a terrorist incident in Norway. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/8659028/Norway-shooting-July-24-as-it-happened.html
The thing that's intriguing me, is the response to it. Specifically:
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has stated clearly that the terror will be met with more democracy and more openness.
It's actually a very refreshing approach. The simple problem with the 'war on terror' is - well, as Yoda put it so well.
"Ohhh! Great warrior! [laughs and shakes his head]
Wars not make one great!"
You can't ever change someone's mind by force. You can simply oppress them - and in doing so, you _can_ stop them 'doing it again' but only as long as you always stay vigilant and in control. Once you bully someone into doing something your way, you have to stand over them to make sure they keep on doing it your way.
And in doing so, you steadily increase the size of the backlash if they ever do 'get free.
The same's largely true of extremism. You don't stop 'radical' views, by cracking down on them, and you don't stop... well, any form of hatred actually, by legislating against it. You can make expressing a sentiment illegal, but that's not the same as changing someone's opinion.
So I'm quite gratified to see this approach - fundamentally, the only way to stop terrorism completely, is to stop the perpetrators seeing you as a target.
Something that you can only accomplish by turning the other cheek.
The thing that's intriguing me, is the response to it. Specifically:
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has stated clearly that the terror will be met with more democracy and more openness.
It's actually a very refreshing approach. The simple problem with the 'war on terror' is - well, as Yoda put it so well.
"Ohhh! Great warrior! [laughs and shakes his head]
Wars not make one great!"
You can't ever change someone's mind by force. You can simply oppress them - and in doing so, you _can_ stop them 'doing it again' but only as long as you always stay vigilant and in control. Once you bully someone into doing something your way, you have to stand over them to make sure they keep on doing it your way.
And in doing so, you steadily increase the size of the backlash if they ever do 'get free.
The same's largely true of extremism. You don't stop 'radical' views, by cracking down on them, and you don't stop... well, any form of hatred actually, by legislating against it. You can make expressing a sentiment illegal, but that's not the same as changing someone's opinion.
So I'm quite gratified to see this approach - fundamentally, the only way to stop terrorism completely, is to stop the perpetrators seeing you as a target.
Something that you can only accomplish by turning the other cheek.
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Date: 2011-07-27 09:39 am (UTC)Somewhat germane to this topic is Rageh Omaar's conclusion of his series on the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) called Holy Peace. Rageh Omaar seeks to highlight how non-violence is a central tradition in Islamic history and culture. Well worth watching.