Counteract terrorism with a refusal to hate

BY JANET HORTON

IN TODAY'S POST-9/11 WORLD , terrorist threats are diverse and complex. Recently, they included the death threats by Al Qaeda in Iraq against a Swedish artist and his editor, for what it considers art offensive to Muslims, as well as the uncovering of a major bomb plot that targeted Frankfurt International Airport, among others.

But the religious extremism that's behind many of these threats isn't actually new. There have been radical followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for many years. As early as 73 AD almost a thousand men and women—Jewish Zealots at Masada—chose death for themselves and their children rather than being taken prisoner by the attacking Roman army.

More recently, extreme interpretations of doctrine played a role in the Branch Davidian disaster at Waco, Texas (1993), in both attacks on the World Trade Center, and the attack on the Pentagon (2001). Such attacks have not been limited to the United States. Among other countries that have been affected: the United Kingdom, Spain, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bali, not to mention other countries that have effectively foiled potential violence.

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