Madam, - In response to my letter of July 9th, both Sean Coleman and Eamonn Gavin (July 11th) chose to ignore the central point of my argument and instead focused on academic definitions of martyrdom. Indeed, had Mr Coleman read further on the subject from the internet encyclopaedia Wikipedia, from which he liberally quoted, he would have had the answer to many of his own questions.
Martyrdom has indeed always been a complex issue. At no point in my letter did I seek to justify terrorism in any form. I did however "ask for more honest reflection and consideration", none of which was apparent in either of these responses. Anyone who has lived through the "Troubles" in Ireland of the past 30 years will know the failure of the politics of condemnation without equivalent social and political actions towards addressing the causes of terrorism. So it proved in Ireland and so it will prove elsewhere, as reason gives way to reaction on all sides and passion takes the place of justice.
Have we already forgotten the ambivalence that the majority in this country had towards the "terrorists" who bombed and slaughtered innocent members of the British and Irish public? In this very Letters page Conor Cruise O'Brien was regularly lambasted for his criticism of the IRA terror tactics of those years.
The explosive mixture of religion and politics that was until recently a potent force in Irish nationalism created many an Irish political "martyr", a martyrdom that was tacitly sanctioned by many Irish people. One of the central points I was making in my letter was that Ireland's recent political history offers unique insights into what drives young people to die for "a cause" and such experience could be a valuable contribution to dialogue in the fight against terror. Certainly, to judge from both the US and British responses, such insights are sadly lacking in the current political processes with Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and the Middle East.
Apart from our political history, Ireland's unique brand of Catholic nationalism also contains lessons that could be put to use in finding solutions to "Islamic" terrorism. Mr Gavin's comment that "the aim of Islamic terrorism is to destroy Western civilisation and subject us all to Sharia law" not only displays a sad misunderstanding of Islam, but reminds me of the attitude of the British establishment towards all Irish people when faced with terror in their midst. The extreme reactions by some Muslims to social and political dynamics in today's world have clear parallels in past and current political and historical chapters of their sister faiths of Christianity and Judaism.
Extremists are to be found in all societies and terrorists will always misuse religion to further their own political ends. As I said in my letter, the solution to global terrorism will be found in addressing the social and political injustices that give rise to extremism, and not by attacking the misguided agents of terror, whether they be nationalists or religious fanatics. Contrary to Mr Gavin's belief that my appeal for an understanding of what drives young Muslims to self-immolation gives "succour to madmen", I seek to remind Christians in general, and Irish people in particular, through our own recent history, that it is the causes of grievances that need to be addressed, not the symptoms. That is surely political pragmatism, not ideological or religious delusion. - Yours, etc,
Dr VINCENT KENNY,
Director, Volunteer
Missionary Movement,
Gracepark Road,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.