Elegy for Beslan

Murder: Sheer, cold-blooded murder. The horrific end to the hostage drama in Beslan, Russia, was one of the most despicable acts the world has witnessed. It was every parents' nightmare.

Though the death toll pales in comparison to other events of genocide, the discriminate murder of children makes it one of the lowest ebbs of inhumanity. We would have to go back to the time of Moses when the Pharaoh slayed the first male born of every family to recount such brutality. In that respect the tragedy in Beslan is comparable to the persecution of Jews by Hitler in World War 2, the massacre of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in 1982, and the Hutu-Tutsi slaughters of 1994.

There can only be one unified reaction around the world to this butchery, that of condemnation and horror.

Indonesia's heartfelt condolences go out to the families in Beslan and the Russian people as a whole. We understand our words do little during this time of despair. The unexpected loss of a loved one is always a difficult time. To lose our young under horrific circumstances makes it all the more inconsolable; shedding "tears from the depth of some divine despair".

We find it difficult to fathom the kind of psychopathic paroxysm which could have driven sane men to shoot without prejudice on half-naked starving children.

No political objective can rationalize victimizing children, and none of the major religions -- whether Islam, Christianity, Buddhism or Hinduism -- prescribes attacks against innocent civilians.

We urge the millions of people who have followed these events closely to recognize this fact. Do not let the grief spill over into prejudice. We should direct our anger proportionately at the involved criminals and at all costs eschew bias towards people of Chechnya, bigotry towards Arabs allegedly because a number of perpetrators came from the Middle East, and more importantly generalizations against Muslims.

Despite their claims of a holy siege, the actions of the criminals in Beslan are no more Islamic than the slaying of Jews in Nazi Germany is Christian.

These criminals have desecrated the tolerant teachings of Islam, which has long denounced needless violence even to advance its own teachings. It is biased for the "Western" world to lump the hostage-takers together with abiding Muslims and probe the indigence of the Islamic faith when the Koran clearly stipulates that should conflict be necessary as a last resort, the killing of innocents -- specifically "women, children and the elderly" -- is forbidden in any circumstances.

The Muslim world is not accountable and does not have to apologize for this act of violence, because no true Muslim, or God-fearing person of any faith for that matter, would commit such a foul sin.

We -- the sane and civilized of the world -- should urge prudence and prevent hysteria that may even further marginalize already disenfranchised peoples and segregate them based on religion.

We support the efforts of the Russian government to take stern action against these criminals and hunt down their accomplices. They should be handed down the harshest of punishments according to Russian law.

Without trying to interfere in the domestic sovereignty of the Russia, we, however, would like to raise a degree of anxiety towards President Vladimir Putin's statement in the wake of Beslan tragedy when he said there was a necessity to "create a new system of the interaction of means and forces that exercise control over the situation in the North Caucasus".

It is our sincerest hope that the Beslan tragedy is not used as a pretext for a harsh military clampdown in Chechnya.

Let us mourn the death of these children and innocent civilians without exploiting their death as a pretext to persecute other innocents of an alternative political ideology.

To quote Longfellow: "My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past, but the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast".