Islamic terrorism is the name given to the acts of violence carried out by the ISIS. Many call this religious terrorism. Then there is another brand, the ultra-left terrorism perpetrated in the name of class war. But all these acts in the present times and similar acts in the past, like in Punjab during the Eighties or in West Bengal during the Seventies, had one thing in common: They were acts of violence and killings based on unreason that affected normal life and created a sense of fear and insecurity in society.

They attract the young sections of society, largely the poor, whose frustrations look for a vent and the falsehoods spread in the garb of ideologies give them a cause. The myth of ideological façade has to be shattered. As ISIS spreads its wings and increases the frequency of its terrorist activities, there is need to separate religion from terrorism aggressively and extensively.

There are schools of thought that believe that certain religions are by their very spirit fanatic and advocate using violence against those who do not believe in their connotation of God and form of worship. But this is a rather primitive view. Even within religions, there have been internecine battles.

The acts of terrorism, which the ISIS is carrying out in the name of Islam, are blatant acts of violence that some groups are trying to perpetrate due to their mental disposition. This is a kind of pathology and these groups comprise psychopaths.

The present threat in the form of ISIS has to be seen against this backdrop and there is need to emphasise that they are simply criminals and terrorists who have nothing to do with religion.

Islamic scholars and the clergy must make it a point to expose the fraud that ISIS is perpetrating in the name of religion. As long as we associate religion with terrorism, the ranks of the terrorists will continue to be replenished with fresh entrants. It is the cause that gives legitimacy to the terrorist outfits that are able to attract gullible people willing to die for a cause.

There is a striking similarity between terrorists who claim to serve religion and by extension God, and the extremists from the ultra-left who castigate religion in the severest of the terms. They both commit the same acts of killing innocent people.

The strategy to tackle terrorism has to be two-pronged. On one hand, it has to be the hard one that is being one degree more unreasonable than the terrorists, identifying and singling out rogue states and being tough. On the other, there is a need for an extensive campaign to counter their mischievous propaganda that gives a reason to the gullible to join their ranks and become ‘martyrs’ for a cause which is but a grave fraud.

Ancient texts and practices can offer good tips. Useful insights are given in the Ramayana, particularly in the Sundara Kanda as to what needs to be done. One such instance is that of taming the Ocean God who is acting unreasonable and stubborn. Interestingly similar ideas are also expressed in the famous book by Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, The Art of War, which says: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

Intelligence and fear are important. Hit terrorists hard and instill fear in their sympathisers. Fear is the key.

The writer is a professor of management and public speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com