By Imran Awan – Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Birmingham City University
The recent YouGov poll that a majority of Britons supported the ‘targeted killing’ of terrorists both at home and overseas is deeply worrying. The survey which was carried out by Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) found that almost 54% of people supported the assassination of individual terrorists. The results are worrying because a proposal of this nature allows terrorists to win more support every time governments use drones to kill terrorists. The ancient writ of habeas corpus, due process, and the rule of law are all being lost in killing terrorists because offenders are targeted without a fair trial, thus potentially breaching human rights legislation. The Human Rights Act 1998 should be the fundamental core to any society. Indeed, its foundations are the liberties presented but which at present are facing extreme challenges.
While I certainly do not wish to downplay the seriousness of what terrorists have done, as a democratic and liberal country, we should be promoting the same democratic principles that terrorists dislike the most. Killing them does not achieve this. Apart from problems being lost such as gathering crucial evidence from terrorists at a trial the other problem with killing terrorist is the principle that innocent people will be killed with incidents such as drone attacks. For example, we know that in Pakistan drone attacks may have killed hundreds of innocent civilians. This has led to protests across Pakistan because of the nature of drones and their indiscriminate targeting of civilians. We should strongly condemn acts of terrorism however we should not follow the principle that the only way to eradicate terrorism is by killing terrorists. This only fuels further resentment and in the long term creates more terrorists and makes terrorists achieve their ultimate aim as glorified martyrs.
Imran Awan
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A thought provoking article. I would endorse your statement regarding the drone attacks in Pakistan which kills many of the innocent civilians as well. We all should strongly condemn the act of terrorism but drone attacks in which many of the civilian dies, is not the solution of this problem.
‘ The results are worrying because a proposal of this nature allows terrorists to win more support every time governments use drones to kill terrorists. The ancient writ of habeas corpus, due process, and the rule of law are all being lost in killing terrorists because offenders are targeted without a fair trial, thus potentially breaching human rights legislation. The Human Rights Act 1998 should be the fundamental core to any society. ‘
(…)
”We should strongly condemn acts of terrorism however we should not follow the principle that the only way to eradicate terrorism is by killing terrorists.’ ‘
Excuse me, but today’s ‘Human Rights’ are defending the criminal rather than the victim, with criminals given a hundred of excuses for their poor behaviour. People such as Islamic extremists are only taking advantage of such laws which was plain to see in Abu Qatada’s case.
‘While I certainly do not wish to downplay the seriousness of what terrorists have done, as a democratic and liberal country, we should be promoting the same democratic principles that terrorists dislike the most.’
While the idea is not bad, ‘promoting the same democratic principles’ in these areas seems rather impossible due to cultural incompatibility. These countries have never seen democracy in their areas and have not ‘matured’ to adopt it just yet. A good example of that is the (failed) attempt to bring democracy around during the Arab Spring, which only resulted in support for Muslim Brotherhood, which as we all know is not very democratic at all, has connections with terrorist groups and clearly rejects Western ways.
If killing them is not a solution, then what is? These people are radicalised, brainwashed to the core and see no other purpose in their live beyond fighting a ‘holy’ war, being killed and being seen as a ‘martyr’ in the eyes of their fellow comrades. We in the West see a suicide bombing attack as morally wrong, for them it is a noble, courageous act of ‘defense’ against ‘evil’ West. Of course it ‘allows terrorists to win more support’, since they are experts at blaming everyone else but themselves (specially hidden Jewish conspiracies) and subverting ‘victims’ and ‘victimizers’. They have a totally different sense of right and wrong. Extremists clearly disdain Western way of life and democracy, which some even having the cheek to demand implementing Shari’ah law instead. They have a misplaced sense of self-entitlement and superiority complex over the ‘infidels’. They perceive all these ‘human rights’ are sign of weakness and something to be taken advantage of.
I wish they were receptive to these ‘democratic principles’, but since they are raised to hate it from the cradle to the grave, such belief is only wishful thinking.
May be the West needs to revisit it’s ‘democratic’ credentials after the expositions by people like Bradely Manning,Snowden etc.The ‘export’ of this ‘democracy’ is itself ‘undemocratic’. Locked in the embassy,Julian Assange must author a book ‘eulogising’ the Western democracy!