THE TERRORIST ATTACK AT BONDI BEACH, SYDNEY ON 14/12/2025
Manish Modi
Many of us are beginning this week with a heavy heart after learning of the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where innocent civilians were deliberately targeted during a religious gathering. This was an act of calculated savagery, not madness, not an accident. And certainly not something that can be explained away.
The attackers have been identified as Sajid Akram (50), a Pakistani national, and his son Naveed Akram (24), also a Pakistani national. A father and son embraced an ideology of hate and turned themselves into mass murderers, leaving death, tragedy, and lifelong grief in their wake.
This crime must be named honestly: it was jihadi terrorism. And the world must finally confront a long-standing and deeply uncomfortable reality—Pakistan has, for decades, functioned as a breeding ground and exporter of jihadi ideology and terror. This is not prejudice; it is a matter of record. Denial, deflection, and diplomatic silence have only allowed the problem to metastasize.
Terrorism does not emerge out of thin air. It is produced by indoctrination, glorified by ideology, and sustained by those who excuse it, rationalise it, or remain silent in its presence. Anyone who defends, supports, justifies, romanticises, makes excuses for, or apologises for terrorism must rethink their ideology urgently. There is nothing noble, religious, or political about murdering civilians. It is cowardly and dastardly and merits the harshest punitive action.
Justice must be firm and unequivocal. Those who slaughter innocents for ideological ends forfeit any claim to sympathy. Civilised societies cannot afford moral hesitation when confronted with mass murder. They have to act swiftly and decisively.
At the same time, let there be no confusion: entire communities or faiths are not responsible for the crimes of extremists. Ordinary people want peace, safety, dignity, and the freedom to pursue their goals and practise their beliefs.
As we mourn the dead, the global community must act with clarity and resolve: confront the sources of terrorism honestly, hold enablers accountable, and exercise extreme caution in matters of security and visas. Hatred exported across borders must be stopped at its source.
Terrorism has no place in a civilised world, and neither does the ideology that feeds it.
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