Illiteracy, Ignorance, Intolerance=Terrorism
Authors: Inder M. Verma
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2003)

Once again we find ourselves on “high alert,” following recent suicide bombings in Riyadh, Casablanca and several locations in Israel. Apparently, “terrorist chatter” has increased, indicating that something big is in the offing. Nevertheless, we are growing used to such warnings, which result in only minimal inconveniences in our daily lives, if at all, and it is more likely that securing a ticket for the latest box-office hit is of more immediate concern to most of us than suicide attacks several thousand miles away. Sadly, the suicide bombers are often barely out of their teens, clothed in the same jeans and sneakers of their western counterparts, whose culture and society they profess to abhor. There are a myriad of political, social and religious reasons for the current uneasy state of the world, but I believe the root cause is illiteracy, which fosters ignorance and engenders a situation ripe for demagogues to preach intolerance. This vicious cycle further entrenches poverty, desperation and helplessness, providing fertile ground on which to breed terrorism. Science has helped society to improve living conditions through better nutrition and healthcare. Traditionally, society has relied on religion to provide a moral compass. In the present world of instant communication and global community, perhaps this is no longer sufficient. Science and education are necessary to provide factual information to enable people to form enlightened views. But how do we do it? Let us start with Afghanistan and Iraq, two nations that the United States has invaded and occupied, one to remove the threat of terrorism and the other to remove the alleged threat of weapons of mass destruction. The Dean of the Faculty of Science of Basra University in southern Iraq has lamented that the library has burnt to the ground, the laboratories have been destroyed, the computers are stolen and that even the classroom furniture has been looted. We can start by sending books, journals, magazines, and excess equipment to such universities. We can invite their faculty to spend time in our institutions and similarly ask some of our scientists to visit their educational institutions in return. While many of these countries have little or no scientific establishment, we must help them to get back on their feet. Notably, the National Academy of Sciences is engaging the scientific communities in the muslim world in a dialogue to improve communication and interactions. The skeptics will say that all this is too little too late. The attitude of our present government, led by “Homeland Security” czar, Tom Ridge, and the leader of the Justice Department, John Ashcroft, is to eventually make all interactions among scientists difficult, if not impossible. A larger number of young scientists from China, India and some countries of the Middle East are experiencing great difficulty in obtaining visas for bona fide scientific appointments in many institutions in the United States. Many foreign post-doctoral fellows and visiting faculty in the United States are loath to return home out of fear of being refused reentry. This is counterproductive. The very community who will likely be the scientific leaders in their home countries are being subjected to harsh restrictions of the type we so often condemn in their countries. Science operates fundamentally sans frontiers. While it is easy to be engrossed in experiments and to forget about the world around us, we scientists also have a social responsibility. I often have the privilege of interacting with students and scientists in developing countries. Education is the key to removing illiteracy and ignorance and forcing the retreat of intolerance. It may seem an insignificant act against the larger backdrop of the fight against terrorism, but we must remember that the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.