Times editorial: The trail of the bombers leads back to Pakistan

Home thoughts The trail of the bombers leads back to Pakistan

Europe will observe two minutes’ silence on the stroke of noon today, a gesture of sympathy and solidarity that recognises that grief and outrage are not confined within British borders. For Britons, this silence will be particularly poignant: a time to grieve with the families of victims, to give thanks for miraculous escapes and to reflect on the motives and ideology that persuaded four young British men, who were not as “ordinary” as some reports have suggested, to inflict such unspeakable violence.

For all the explanations put forward by psychologists, sociologists and criminologists, there are no answers that determine such an outcome or explain the warped logic of a suicide bomber. One factor, however, that has to be taken into account by Muslim communities horrified by the violence inflicted in the name of their religion is the pernicious shadow of fanaticism in the land from which the bombers’ families all came. Pakistan today is troubled by religious turmoil, a country now reaping a deadly harvest from years of military rule, repeated democratic failure, the indulgence of Islamic obscurantism and sectarian violence.

President Musharraf’s military Government has done much to confront this climate of fanaticism. It has turned its back on the Taleban, which it helped to create in Afghanistan. It has cracked down hard on religious terrorism, outlawing extremist parties, curbing cross-border infiltration in Kashmir, rounding up inflammatory preachers and providing information to British, American and other intelligence services that have helped to foil attacks overseas.

But it has been unable to tackle endemic corruption, savage tribal customs — especially in the treatment of women — and the narrow intolerance of the madrassas (Islamic schools). It has not halted the murderous vendettas between Sunnis and minority Shia communities which regularly leave dozens dead, the frequent use of blasphemy laws to persecute dissidents and the attempts by extremists to impose religious restrictions on society. The Bill put forward this week by the Islamist government of the North West Frontier Province to “Talebanise” society may not become law, as it will probably be vetoed by Islamabad, but it has strong majority support.

The problem for General Musharraf is that his authoritarian crackdown on extremism — for which he must be applauded — leaves no room for democratic dissent. No legitimate forum is left for secular parties or those wishing to oppose the Government by democratic means. This, in turn, has bolstered support for extremists and has brought wider political support for Islamists posing as champions of democracy. Moderates are left adrift and too many issues are now filtered through the prism of religious fanaticism.

Most Pakistanis who came to Britain two generations ago left behind the tortuous politics of their country. But neither they, nor the younger generations, can wholly escape the waves of religious extremism coming from their former homeland.

These virulent ideas are reinforced by alienation, forced marriages, the preachings of some imams, a generation gap and confusion among some young Muslims over their identity and loyalties. None of this explains the case of these four young bombers. But unless these problems are dealt with at source, we will not have seen the last suicide bomber in Britain.