Receiving the Demiurgus Peace International Award

Modern terrorism is thus a great and ongoing menace to our civilised world. Some world powers are engaged in crushing it militarily, but military action alone will not suffice to eliminate this phenomenon. This is because present-day terrorism is militancy supported by an ideology. So it is not simply an issue of gun vs gun. It is, in fact, an issue of gun vs ideology. A bomb can be countered with a bomb. However, an ideology cannot be countered with a bomb. For this, we require an ideology of peace. So, we have to formulate such an ideology as will banish the notion that there can be anything acceptable about terrorism. This would call for total mental re-conditioning of the terrorists. We have to rid the militants’ minds of the ideology activating them. This, in effect, would be like defusing a bomb. With this very purpose in mind. I have published three books, called The True Jihad, Islam and Peace and The Ideology of Peace, which aim at persuading Muslim extremists to accept more peaceful solutions. After our successful experience of nuclear disarmament, we must now proceed to open a front for the ideological