NOVEMBER 17 — God did not send ready-made terrorists into this world. He did not programme certain humans to be like tigers and lions – vicious killers and meat eaters, and others to be like docile rabbits and sang kancils. He gave them brains that were much more complex than those He had given the so called (by humans) “lesser beings”.

The human child learns all languages and behaviour from his surroundings. If he hears and sees good, he learns to talk and be good. If he hears and sees bad, that is what he learns and practices. So never blame a child for bad language, bad behaviour, bad ideas and so on.

The bad and wrong things that children are exposed to become their  models to emulate and if not checked and corrected in time, the learning of wrong and bad things goes on. As the human brain is a great processor of data that is input into it, the input of good data will be processed to produce more good thoughts and ideas. Conversely, if the input data is wrong and bad, the same process will produce greater wrong words and deeds.

The correction of this involves both correcting the input that is taking place and removing the bad input already done. However, removing the bad input that has gone into the brains while fairly easy in very early childhood, becomes progressively difficult as they grow and next to impossible when they reach their teens and beyond. It is like concrete – if  poured in the wrong place, removing it is fairly easy if done immediately, more difficult if done a few hours later, and very difficult if done after if has cured. 

Thus try as the world may, guns, bombs and all, the fight against terrorism will only be an ongoing losing battle. Why?

The children who are being indoctrinated with racism and hatred, the children who are being physically trained to handle weapons, the children who are lined up to see throats being slit, the children who do not understand what is going on and are just following the “lessons” being taught to them, are an endless stream of future terrorists.

Thus it is futile to just deal with the terrorists already in action and do nothing about the future generations of terrorists who are constantly under rigorous training through indoctrination in the holy name of religious education.

This is just like the battle with dengue with endless fogging that has turned into a multi-billion ringgit business yet has only produced devastating results –  cases of dengue deaths have been rising every year since fogging started over 20 years ago. And the reason is the same as using guns and bombs against the terrorists in operation – fogging at best only puts the mosquitoes in flight out of flight, but within days the larvae in the water take to flight.

Just as fogging has not even stagnated the rise of dengue deaths, let alone brought about a much anticipated decline, similarly all the guns and bombs will not end terrorism so long as the breeding grounds of future terrorists remain fertile. It is a folly of follies to assume that terrorism training only starts when children become adults. The preparation of the minds starts in childhood even if the warfare training itself starts later.  

Children who have been kept like “katak dibawah tempurung” by their racist, bigoted, extremist, radical terrorist teachers become zombies who can only follow their commands and believe lock, stock and barrel whatever is dished out by their “teachers”. They are programmed to believe promises such as the 72 virgins waiting for them in heaven if they kill kafirs; that they will burn in hell if they do nothing to the kafirs.      

While all efforts must be made to put out the raging fires of terrorism, it is more important that the plug must be pulled out of the systematic indoctrination of children to radicalize them and turn them into future terrorists.

Is anything at all being done about the silent, subtle indoctrination of innocent children to make them hate certain people so much that they will be prepared to do anything to them to gain their place in heaven, or avoid going to hell, or get some other rewards?   

Isn’t such indoctrination of children starting from an age far below the age of reasoning (around 10) not an act of cruelty to children? Is it not child slavery of the worst kind?

These children are totally helpless, totally at the mercy of their “masters” or “teachers” whom they would expect to teach them the good that their religion talks about. They do not take lessons in hate, radicalism and terrorism by choice.

What are the champions of children’s rights doing about this? They make a mountain of a little bit of spanking to correct misbehavior in children; but isn’t it cruel to force the children to learn and do things that are inhuman?

Spanking, judiciously done, is an invaluable tool to correct misbehavior and turn the misbehaving children into well-behaving children, yet the champions of children’s rights condemn it. Thanks to them, the world has not seen the kind of child indiscipline that we are seeing today.

I wonder if children had a choice, if they could defend themselves, if they could demand that the adults raise them as normal human beings, would they let themselves be indoctrinated and trained to become terrorists?    

Peace loving people must begin looking very seriously at what is happening in the schools where any form of any religious studies is being taught. Religion is a great camouflage for activities detrimental to a peaceful world.

Don’t forget that we shall reap what we sow.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.