Terrorism is the world's concern

Intolerance is the basis of all the terrorism that has become endemic throughout the globe.

Civilians rampaging like wild elephants in the jungle, trampling on the rights of the people: Making kangaroo-court judgments on what people can think or say or do: Condemning the populace if they don't conform to narrow, self-righteous mind think, issuing dictums, or fatwas, demanding that all must obey or face their wrath. Or be murdered by bombs!

This is identical to the inquisition of the "Dark Ages" and the suppression of free thought by the communist regimes. These people say the government has a responsibility to do something against apostasy. That means to quash freedom of thought and freedom of speech. This goes directly against the Constitution and Pancasila, and the United Nations Human Rights Accord, of which Indonesia is a signatory.

The government does have a duty, and it is to arrest the leaders of these violent groups for a number of crimes against the nation, including disturbing the peace, assault and battery, destruction of public and private property, and inciting public hatred to mention just a few. In addition, it is imperative that the government declare these groups as terrorist organizations and summarily ban them.

For those who think that this is an internal problem, then be informed that religion, human rights, and terrorism cross all borders; ask any theocrat, ask any human, ask any terrorist. Thus, this is the responsibility of all citizens of the world.

Therefore, the leaders of law and justice and human rights are called upon to come down out of their ivory towers and properly address these very serious issues and not just ignore them, as is usually the case with the courage-challenged leadership here, hoping that they just go away and leaving them to the next administration.

Zero tolerance against terrorism should be the law.

BRIEN DOYLE Jakarta