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Friday, Nov 26, 2004

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Opinion - Editorials

INTOLERANCE UNLIMITED

TWO APPARENTLY UNCONNECTED incidents that took place recently in two different parts of the globe are disquieting for the identical message of intolerance they conveyed. The first was in Thailand where brutal tactics by the military resulted in the death of 84 Muslim prisoners in the southern region of Tak Bai. This atrocity, and a series of reprisal killings of Buddhists, have caused distress across South-East Asia. The other incident occurred in the Netherlands, where the killing of Theo van Gogh, a film-maker with strong anti-Islamic views by a second-generation Moroccan immigrant, was the trigger for several acts of burning or attempted arson in mosques and other Islamic institutions, and for an outbreak of hostility towards the country's mainly North African Muslim immigrants. Both incidents have cracked open new fault lines of religious hatred in places not usually associated with bigotry. The tensions were simmering for several years but the reason for their violent eruption now is quite clear. It is the insensitivity with which, post 9/11, some countries have cracked down on Islamic communities within their borders, and the palpable anger among Muslims across the world, particularly after the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, at being targeted in this way. In Buddhist-majority Thailand, a separatist struggle in the Muslim-dominated southern provinces had lain dormant for a few decades until early this year. In the Netherlands, which considers itself one of the few remaining bastions of liberalism and tolerance in Europe, the last two years have seen the rise of a clutch of politicians espousing a hard line on issues of immigration.

The manner in which the governments of these two countries have responded to these incidents does not give much encouragement either. In Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra first condoned the military action that resulted in the death of the prisoners. Instead of taking immediate steps to build bridges with the country's Muslim population, starting with a public apology for the inhuman treatment of the prisoners, he chose to send fighter jets to air-drop paper doves over the troubled southern provinces. While promising to crush the separatist struggle, Mr. Thaksin gave no assurance that he will rectify the poor economic development of southern Thailand that is considered to be one of the underlying causes of the rebellion. In the Netherlands, while a public debate rages on the freedom of expression that allows people to give vent to religious hatred without fear of prosecution, and on the "limits of tolerance" of Dutch society, the Government is considering several measures that could spell the end of this tolerance. Among them are the tightening of immigration controls, increased surveillance of immigrant groups, and stronger measures to "integrate" immigrant populations with the Dutch mainstream.

In the surcharged atmosphere that prevails round the world, both incidents and the manner in which the two Governments are dealing with them have implications that go beyond national boundaries. Malaysia and Indonesia, the two Muslim majority nations in South-East Asia, signalled as much when they broke with the tradition of South-East Asian governments refraining from commenting on one another's internal matters. They expressed concern over Prime Minister Thaksin's handling of the Tak Bai incident. The ripples of the van Gogh killing and its aftermath are being felt across Europe as governments grapple with the issue of balancing security with civil liberties and the rights of minorities. In these troubled times, it is worth remembering that intolerance can only breed intolerance.

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