I just watched a powerful movie called, In the Name of the Father, which was made thirteen years ago. It is based on the truth story of Gerry Conlon (played superbly by Daniel Day Lewis), an Irishman wrongly accused of a 1974 bombing done by IRA. Gerry confesses to the crime because he is not only tortured, but because one police officer threatened to kill his father. The movie shows that some of the means used by the Brits to fight terrorism were not only tough and ruthless, but also immoral and inhumane. After viewing it, I asked myself two questions:
- Is it possible for a society to win the struggle against terrorism by using means that are against the values on which that society is founded?
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