Why Do They Still See Us as Terrorists?

In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Ranveer, also known as ‘BeerBiceps’ from India, held up a picture of Osama Bin Laden and stated that he was eventually arrested and killed in Pakistan. What that has to do with a war fifteen years later between India and Pakistan is beyond me. In fact, Shehzad Ghias quite rightly remarked that it must be this kind of nonsense that earned Ranveer the label of a drunk man with biceps. (I’m paraphrasing a little. Apologies, Shehzad. Lol.)

However, it did get me thinking.

The killing of Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad happened during my freshman year in London. I remember being so unaware that I had no idea what had taken place. I casually walked down to the dorms, where every foreign student started asking me if I knew where Bin Laden was, how far he lived from my house, and whether I would ever return to Pakistan. It was probably the lowest moment in our country’s recent history. According to our friend ‘BeerBiceps,’ it is still a valid reason for war, even fifteen years later.

In one of those same conversations, a German friend of mine jokingly called me a terrorist. My patriotic Pakistani self could not handle such an insult, so I retaliated with a jibe about World War II. She then said something, almost casually, that I will never forget:

“Before Bin Laden, I just thought you were all cab drivers anyway.”

Was that the real issue? Not the two decades of being labeled a terrorist, but rather what we represented to the world even before that. Germany had Hitler. Yet people seem to forget all about it quite quickly when a country has both a history and, more importantly, a future.

My Colombian friends in China would always be reminded of Pablo Escobar. Is that simply because Colombia has nothing else the world finds memorable?

I recently watched a phenomenal television show called “Say Nothing,” about the IRA and their failed attempts to free Ireland. That apparently makes them terrorists. One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist.

So if Mandela had failed, would he have died a terrorist? Malcolm X as well? Where is the line, and how does one define it, except through the old saying that history is written by the victors?

In that same Piers Morgan interview, Piers and our Indian guests argued that a new chapter begins the day someone becomes Prime Minister. It is odd, is it not? You cannot get a job with an internationally recognized criminal record, or even a visa, yet you can run a country. Not once or twice, but three times.

Let us not even begin to discuss the horrors of the RAW-backed Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, or India’s Kulbhushan Jadhav and the now-infamous massacre on the Samjhauta Express. India, we are told, exports technology, leadership, and philosophy. Apparently, terrorism is just a side hustle. Weekend gig? Historical revisionism.

The terrorist label does not seem tied to time served, like a prison sentence. It is about giving people a new memory. Because for many, it is either Bin Laden or a taxi. Even the Taliban appear to be flourishing now that they have discovered their lithium reserves.

And by the way, Bin Laden was from Saudi Arabia, and they remain one of the closest allies of the United States. He was born in Riyadh, which is now a major destination for global investment. Apparently, all sins are forgiven if your GDP has enough zeroes.

Can terrorism only be acknowledged when the poor attack the rich?

India claimed that the recent attacks in Kashmir were carried out by Pakistani terrorists. Pakistan made a similar accusation just months earlier regarding the Jaffer Express hijacking. Both countries denied involvement, and neither presented credible evidence. So why does the larger economy have the right to retaliate?

Yes, I understand our complex history and even our present when it comes to religious extremism. I am sure the three of you still reading are thinking about the long list of mistakes we have made. I am not disputing them. I just wonder why the weaker our economy gets, the stronger our label becomes.

Terrorism has declined in recent years, but the label continues to grow.

We won’t win the so-called war on terror simply by eliminating extremism. We will win it when we change our brand, change our image, and give the world something else to remember us by!

And no, unfortunately, our taxi driver stereotype will not be enough.