Are they unaware?

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"Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground," God chided Cain for killing Abel. The Biblical story still rings true to this day. Can terrorist attacks change a regime or force a government to change its policy? The obvious answer is no, and yet innocent people are killed everyday by murderous extremists. The recent killings in Morocco and Algeria will not be the last.

So what is the answer to terror? Repression, emergency laws, and extraordinary measures are the answer governments tend to give. Governments have used extremism to clamp down on freedoms. Governments are not ashamed to argue that repression is the best way to fight terror. So let's admit it, terrorists are doing a great service to tyranny. Their crimes offer governments the best alibi for restricting freedoms. Look at what happened in the US after the 9/11 attacks. The same thing is being repeated across the world.

Mullah Abdul-Aziz is imam of the Red Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan. A staunch critic of the military regime in Pakistan, Abdul-Aziz often accuses the regime of tyranny. But instead of teaming up with advocates of democracy, Abdul-Aziz declared himself ruler of an "Islamic emirate" in the area surrounding the mosque. He has promised to wage terrorist attacks to unseat the government of Pervez Musharraf. The mullah says that he has an army of 2,000 fighters, all of whom are ready to die in suicide attacks on the Pakistani army, US forces and NATO troops. In response, the Pakistani government imposed further restrictions on freedom in the country.

This is a typical story, and similar ones are unfolding around the world. Terrorists are part of a universal assault on freedom. They cannot be oblivious of the outcome of their actions.