The United Nations should Tackle Terror the Unconventional Way

The spate of terrorist attacks, and it only gets worse every passing year, in both Islamic and non-Islamic  countries should be a warning to world governments. The world it seems has no clue on how to handle this new form of war and governments are unable to fight this menace or find the root cause of it. Any sane and sensitive person would feel the pain and suffering of the families of those killed by either a bullet, a knife or a bomb. Governments are groping in the dark unable to form a viable counter strategy to nullify terrorism. What is extremely dangerous is that the attacks are getting bolder and more audacious every passing month. In this post we shall look into what drives terrorism and steps that should be taken to check it well in time.

Exploitation:  Historically, people who have been exploited either mentally, physically or whose natural resources are snatched away are the ones who will be the first to revolt. If you apply the rule of the jungle that of prey and predator—that the weak is fair game and can be exploited, then you are asking for trouble. Sooner than later, the weak will come together under a umbrella and will unite and arm themselves. They will first fight the state and the existing government and later they will target unarmed civilians because in their viewpoint if the state could exploit the weak than the weak can also target the unarmed civilian. So, the quest for a egalitarian society is not utopic but is a necessity. We have heard often that the world has enough for each ones need but not for each ones greed. We must apply that priniciple and ensure that there is equitable distribution of wealth and natural resources.

Employment:  Nothing is more demonic, sinister and sadistic than depriving a person of his means of livelihood.  Those indulging in this are guilty of a sick mind and mentality and shows a bankruptcy of character. In the 21^st century, right of employment must be made a fundamental right. The governments must also set slabs for employee remuneration and the highest earner should not in any way earn more than 50 times the minimum earner. How can you have a ridiculous situation where some people earn in billions whereas the majority earn less than subsitance level. This is bound to create violence between the haves and the have nots and is bound to breed animosity, jealousy and hatred amongst people. Nothing infuriates an educated, skilled, and able bodied man more than lack of employment opportunities.  People who know they are educated, skilled, capable and yet if you snatch working opportunities from them than you are definately cooking a recipe for disaster.

Education: This is one gift that enlightens, removes darkness from the mind, removes the cobwebs of confusion and delusion, and truly empowers an individual. World governments are spending billions on non essential tasks but dont think it necessary to give or to encourage youngsters to read and study and go to school or college. Education is the second thing that must be made a fundamental right in all countries. As a corollary to that, teachers and educationists must be one of the best paid in the country and they must command respect and regard. A good education helps you to overcome the baser animal instincts and normally a well educated person would think 10 times begfore commiting a heinous crime. An educated person is of the view that the right to life is fundamental and no person has the right to snuff out the life of the other. An educated person also has interest, hobbies, and can thus divert his tremendous creative energies to fruitfull and constructive activities as opposed to an illiterate person whose energies get stagnant and turn into poison.

Respect, Acceptance and Affection: Once the basic needs are fullfilled, man craves for respect, acceptance and affection. To be loved and wanted is the surest, easiest and the most cheapest way to disarm a person. People have forgotten these basic values. They look at other with distrust, suspicion, hatred, animosity and what not. The muslim youth and misguided jehadis are also suffering from this problem. It is the states responsibility to make a person worthy in his or her owns eyes so as to command the love and affection and respect of  his fellow citizens. It is also the responsibility of the family to inculcate in the children traits of self esteem. A strong, united and caring family is the foundation on which a strong, united country rests. Therefore, if we want to build a strong and caring state we must first focus on building strong, united and caring families. A state which breaks the family structure is unwittingly laying the foundation for its own disintegration and destruction.

Sense of security:  Providing security to the population is clearly the most important task of the state. A state where the police, security and armed forces are underpaid, understaffed, demoralised, corrupt and are exploited by the politicians is digging its own deathknell. Civilians buy guns and knives when they see the state is exploiting, tormenting, harassing them. The state must not turn from a protector to an oppressor. Using disproportionate force when all that is needed is some caring words, understanding and love is also another reason why individuals come in conflict with the state. An individual or a population which feels unprotected or insecure will then arm itself and if the mental balance gets distrurnbed can use those very guns and knives at their own people. This is what is happening around the world. You get a sense of security when you know you are doing your duty and are strong, and the state too is protecting you.

Worst terrorist strikes--worldwide

compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 10 July 2016

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Deadliest terrorist strikes, worldwide *

* Includes attacks resulting in at least 100 fatalities.

date	location	killed	injured	description
11 Sep 2001	United States	2993	8900	crashing of hijacked planes into World Trade Center, New York City, New York, Pentagon in Alexandria, Virginia, and site in Pennsylvania, USA
26-30 Jul 2009	Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria	780	?	armed attack on city by Boko Haram
3-4 Jan 2015	Baga and Doro Gowon, Nigeria	700?	300?	armed attack and arson of villages by Boko Haram
14 Aug 2007	Iraq	520	1500	multiple car bombings in Al-Adnaniyah and Al-Qataniyah
20 Aug 1978	Abadan, Iran	477	10	arson of theater
1-3 Sep 2004	Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia	372	747	hostage taking at school (includes 35 terrorists killed)
23 Jun 1985	multiple	331	4	mid-air bombings of Air India flight off Cork, Ireland, killing 329; bomb intended for second Air India flight exploded in Narita Airport, Japan, killing 2 and injuring 4
12 Mar 1993	Mumbai (Bombay), India	317	1400	15 bombings throughout city
7 May 2014	Gamboru Ngala, Nigeria	310	?	armed attack on market, after which many buildings were set on fire
7 Aug 1998	multiple	303	4954	truck bomb explodes outside U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, destroying adjacent office building; 244 killed, 4,877 injured; within five minutes, a truck bomb explodes outside U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; 12 killed
23 Oct 1983	Beirut, Lebanon	301	161	simultaneous truck bombings of U.S. Marine and French barracks
3 Jul 2016	Baghdad, Iraq	292	225	truck bombing in market area, setting fire to crowded shopping mall
22 Sep 1997	Ben Talha, Algeria	277	?	armed attack
30 Dec 1997	Ami Moussa, Algeria	272	?	armed attack
21 Dec 1988	Lockerbie, Scotland, United Kingdom	270	12	mid-air bombing of Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland
25 Nov 1940	Haifa, British Palestine	267	172	bombing and sinking of ship carrying Jewish immigrants
20 Nov-5 Dec 1979	Mecca, Saudi Arabia	240	600	hostage taking at Grand Mosque (includes 87 terrorists killed)
21 Feb 2004	Uganda	239	60	armed attack and arson at refugee camp
29 Aug 1997	Algeria	238	?	attacks at Sidi Moussa and Hais Rais
31 Oct 2015	Sinai, Egypt	224	0	apparent mid-air bombing of Russian Airbus over Sinai after departing Sharm el-Sheikh airport; plane broke apart in midair
16 Mar 2014	Kaduna, Nigeria	219	?	armed attacks on villages of Ungwar Sankwai, Ungwar Gata, and Chenshyi
31 Oct 1999	Atlantic Ocean, Massachusetts, United States	217	0	intentional crash of Egypt Air flight off Nantucket Island by copilot
11 Jul 2006	Mumbai, India	209	714	seven bombings on commuter trains
12 Oct 2002	Kuta, Indonesia	202	350	car bombing outside nightclub
23 Nov 2006	Baghdad, Iraq	202	260	five car bombings and two mortar attacks in Sadr City, Baghdad
18 Apr 2007	Baghdad, Iraq	193	197	multiple bombings
11 Mar 2004	Madrid, Spain	191	1876	bombings of four trains
24 Dec 2008	Doroma, Orientale, DR Congo	189	0	armed attack on village
2 Mar 2004	Iraq	188	652	suicide bombings at shrines in Karbala and Kadhimiya
22 Apr 2013	Baga, Nigeria	187	77	Boko Haram attack on village
23 May 2016	Jableh and Tartus, Syria	184	200	multiple bombings
4 Jan 1998	Algeria	182	?	attacks at Had Chekala, Remka, and Ain Tarik, Algeria
14 Sep 2005	Baghdad, Iraq	182	679	multiple suicide bombings and shooting attacks
7 Jul 2007	Armili, Iraq	182	270	multiple suicide truck bombings in Armili and area, Iraq
20 Jan 2012	Kano, Nigeria	178	50	multiple bombings and gun attacks
26-29 Nov 2008	Mumbai, India	174	370	multiple shooting and grenade attacks and hostage takings (includes 9 terrorists killed)
19 Sep 1989	Bilma, Niger	171	0	mid-air bombing of French UTA flight near Bilma
23-26 Oct 2002	Moscow, Russia	170	656	hostage taking and attempted rescue in theater (includes 41 terrorists killed)
19 Apr 1995	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States	169	675	truck bombing of federal building, causing partial collapse
16 Apr 1925	Sophia, Bulgaria	160	500	bombing by communist terrorists of Sveta Nedelya Cathedral during funeral; cathedral dome collapsed, killing mostly officials attending the funeral
25 Oct 2009	Baghdad, Iraq	155	721	two vehicle bombings at government buildings
27 Mar 2007	Tal Afar, Ninewa, Iraq	153	351	two truck bombings
10 Aug 2001	Luanda, Angola	152	146	attack on train south of Luanda
2 Apr 2015	Garissa, Kenya	152	79	attack on college campus by multiple gunmen
14 May 1985	Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka	150	85	armed attack on crowds
28 May 2010	Khemasuli, West Bengal, India	148	180	sabotage resulting in derailment of Jnaneswari express train and collision with second train
16 Dec 2014	Peshawar, Pakistan	148	124	shooting and bombing attack on school
14-19 June 1995	Budennovsk, Stavropol, Russia	143	435	hostage taking at hospital and two failed rescue attempts
17 Sep 2013	Benisheik, Nigeria	143	?	ambush of civilian traffic on highway
20 Mar 2015	Sanaa, Yemen	142	352	two bombings at each of two mosques
18 Oct 2007	Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan	141	540	bombing of motorcade for former prime minister Bhutto
3 Aug 1990	Kathankudy, Sri Lanka	140	70	armed attack at two mosques
3 Nov 1998	Mitu, Columbia	138	30	FARC rebels attack police barracks with rockets, killing police officers and 10 civilians
13-14 Nov 2015	Paris, France	137	352	shooting and hostage-taking at a theater; shooting attacks on three restaurants; four suicide bombings outside a soccer stadium and at a restaurant
3 Feb 2007	Baghdad, Iraq	137	334	truck bombing in marketplace
6 Mar 2007	Hilla, Babil, Iraq	137	310	two suicide bombings and additional attacks
29 Mar 2007	Iraq	137	251	multiple bombings in Baghdad, Khalis, and Mahmudiya
28 Feb 2005	Hilla, Babil, Iraq	135	130	car bombing outside medical clinic
2 Oct 1990	Guangzhou, PR China	132	49	crash of hijacked PRC airliner
13 Sep 1999	Moscow, Russia	130	150	bombing of apartment building
8 Dec 2009	Baghdad, Iraq	127	448	five car bombings
18 Apr 1987	Alut Oya, Sri Lanka	127	64	Tamil Tiger roadway ambush of Sinhalese in five vehicles near Alut Oya
23 Nov 1996	Moroni, Comoros	127	48	crash of hijacked Ethiopian Air flight off Comoros during forced landing off shore
19 Aug 2002	Khankala, Chechnya, Russia	127	14	Mi-26 helicopter carrying Russian troops shot down by terrorist-fired missile shortly before landing; 115 killed immediately, 12 died of injuries; 21 survivors included 14 injured
29 Aug 2003	Najaf, An-Najaf, Iraq	125	500	car bombing outside mosque
5 Jan 2006	Iraq	124	203	bombings in Karbala, Ramadi, and Baghdad
13 Aug 1990	Eravur, Sri Lanka	122	79	armed attack at mosque
28 Nov 2014	Kano, Nigeria	121	280	bombing attack on mosque
10 Jan 2013	Pakistan	120	222	bombings at security checkpoint, billiards hall, nearby street, and market in Quetta, and bombing at mosque in Mingora
28 Oct 2009	Peshawar, Pakistan	119	213	car bombing at marketplace
2 May 2002	Bojaya, Choco, Columbia	119	80	armed attack on village including bombing of church
20 May 2014	Jos, Nigeria	118	56	two car bombings at market and bus station
27 Feb 2004	Manila, Philippines	118	9	bombing and fire on ferry near Manila
1 Jul 2015	Kukawa, Nigeria	118	?	attack by 50 gunmen on village
23 Jul 2012	Iraq	116	299	multiple bombings in Taji, Mosul, Baghdad, Dhuluiya, Baquba, and Diyala
17 Jul 2015	Khan Bani Saad, Diyala, Iraq	115	170	truck bombing in marketplace
29 Nov 1987	Burma	115	0	mid-air bombing of Korean Air flight near Burma
20 May 2013	Iraq	113	329	bombings in Baghdad, Hilla, Basra, Balad, Jisr Diyala, Samarra, Mosul, Baiji, Rutba, Baquba, and Tuz Khormato, and armed attacks in Haditha
23 Sep 1983	United Arab Emirates	112	0	crash of Gulf Air flight following mid-air bombing over the UAE
10 May 2010	Iraq	111	391	multiple bombings in Hilla, Basra, al-Suwayra, Baghdad, Tarmiyah, Fallujah, Mosul, and Iskandariyah, and additional armed attacks in Baghdad
27 Nov 1989	Bogota, Columbia	110	?	mid-air bombing of Avianca flight in Bogota, killing all 107 aboard plus 3 on the ground
10 Oct 2008	Orakzai, Pakistan	110	165	truck bombing of anti-Taliban tribal meeting
1 Feb 2004	Irbil, Irbil, Iraq	109	256	two suicide bombings of political party offices
20 Sep 2015	Borno, Nigeria	108	97	bombings at a mosque, market, and football game spectators in Maiduguri; bombing of market in Monguno
9 Sep 2012	Iraq	106	424	bombings in Baghdad, Amara, Kirkuk, Taji, Maysan, Tuz Khormato, Nasiriyah, Basra, Tal Afar, Hawija, and Ar Riyad, and armed attack on Dujail army base
16 Aug 2012	Iraq	106	342	bombings in Baghdad, Tal Afar, Kirkuk, Daquq, Garma, Kut, Husainiya, Tuz Khurmato, and armed attacks in Mushahda, Falluja, Al-A'amiriya, and Baaj
21 Apr 1987	Columbo, Sri Lanka	106	295	Tamil Tiger bombing of bus depot
10 Jul 2010	Kakaghund, Pakistan	106	115	two suicide bombings
22 Sep 1993	Sukhumi, Georgia	106	26	crash of airliner struck by missile
17 Feb 2008	Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan	105	95	suicide bombing at dogfighting festival
19 Aug 2009	Baghdad, Iraq	104	568	multiple bombings at government sites
24 Jun 2004	Iraq	103	324	bombings in Mosul and Baghdad; armed attacks in Ramadi and Baquba
16 Oct 2006	Habarana, Sri Lanka	103	150	suicide bombing of military convoy near Habarana
11 Jan 1998	Sidi Hamed, Algeria	103	70	attack on movie theater and mosque
10 Oct 2015	Ankara, Turkey	102	400	two suicide bombings at political rally
3-10 Jul 2007	Islamabad, Pakistan	102	29	hostage taking and army storming of mosque
27 May 2016	Baghdad, Iraq	101	194	multiple bombings
22 Jan 2007	Iraq	101	186	bombings in Baghdad and Baquba
13 Dec 1921	Bolgard, Bessarabia, Romania	100	?	bombing of Siguranzia palace in Bolgard (Ograd?) in Bessarabia
6 Nov 1985	Bogota, Columbia	100	?	50 M-19 terrorists seize Palace of Justice in Bogota, Columbia; 12 judges killed, palace is stormed, fire results and kills all terrorists and additional hostages
21 Sep 2013	Iraq	100	160	bombings and shooting attacks in Baghdad, Beiji, and Mosul
16 Jul 2005	Musayyib, Babil, Iraq	100	150	suicide bombing in marketplace near gas tanker and mosque
4 Nov 2011	Damaturu, Yobe, Nigeria	100	100	bombings and shooting attacks on churches, police headquarters, government buildings, and banks
18 May 1973	Chita, Siberia, USSR	100	0	mid-air bombing of Aeroflot airliner over Siberia
4 Dec 1977	Malaysia	100	0	crash of hijacked Malaysian Boeing 747 airliner in Straits of Johore near Malaysia

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