Can we say that we're civilised?

 On Sunday morning, as usual, I picked up my newspaper and the headline was “No Place For Barbarism in the Civilized World”. Our Prime Minister, DSAI, condemned the atrocity that took place in Crocus City Hall in Moscow whereby 140 innocent people were shot dead and more than 180 people injured by a gang of “terrorists” fired randomly in the concert hall. The US Intelligence confirmed that the Islamic State (IS) was responsible for the attack. News reports also indicate that other than issuing a security warning to its citizens relating to possible attacks on large gatherings in Russia, the "The US government also shared this information with Russian authorities in accordance with its long-standing 'duty to warn' policy”. 

Videos posted online showed gunmen in the venue shooting civilians at point-blank range. Videos also showed the roof of the theatre where the crowd gathered on Friday (22^nd March 2024) for the performance by the Russian rock band PICNIC, had collapsed in the early hours of Saturday. It was reported that 4 people who were involved in the attack were detained by the Russian Authorities. However, the Russian Authorities and the President of Russia are not convinced that the attack was orchestrated by IS. Russian Authorities are of the view that this attack on the Crocus City Hall in Moscow was undertaken by group(s) connected to Ukraine.

Reports seemed to suggest that 11 people were arrested in connection with the attack and the Russian Agency has said that the attackers had “context” in Ukraine without elaborating further. A faction of ISIL has claimed responsibility for the massacre. But Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have persistently claimed that Ukraine and the West had a role in the attack. Tajikistan’sstate security service has detained nine people for suspected contact with the perpetrators of last week’s attack. President Vladimir Putin has vowed to punish those responsible for these “barbaric terrorist attacks’’.

Image (c) AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

The issue is not who was responsible for this attack but the questions are:

1.      What did the 140 people do to suffer such a fate ?

2.      What did attackers achieve by killing innocent and defenceless people?

3.      How will the family members of these victims cope with the loss of their loved ones?

4.      What could we tell these family members to console them?

5.      By punishing the attackers, whether they’re from  IS or any other organization, will it resolve the issue i.e. further attacks on innocent people?

6.      What actions can the leaders of the world take to avoid such attacks or to put a stop to such attacks on innocent people?  

I’m sure you’re all aware that these so-called terrorist attacks whether bombing or shooting, have been ongoing incidents around the world for at least the last 30 years or so. I could continue listing such attacks in this blog, but I’m certain that most of you have already read or heard about such incidents on a regular basis.

We’re in the 21^st century, yet we still behave like barbarians, despite boasting of our advancements over other living creatures in the world. In my sincere view, these attacks on innocent people will have serious repercussions on family members and friends. Additionally, such acts of violence have adverse effects on businesses, tourism and overall economic growth within a country. Installing fear in people’s minds is harmful to a nation’s development and severely hinders its progress. In this regard, such acts of terrorism will severely harm the nation’s growth. It is my view that significant efforts should be made to educate our so-called civilized society that randomly killing innocent people will only worsen ongoing political issues worldwide. If we claim to be civilized, we should utilize proper communication channels to find solutions and ensure harmony prevails. With that said, I’d like to end my post by extending my condolences to all thevictims of these attacks and their families.