The usual reason for terrorist acts can be attributed to religion or politics. Now a new front has been opened - sport !
It is hard to find a reason for the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in the Pakistani city of Lahore. There has been an ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka for decades, but religion is not a major cause.
It is basically a fight between the minority Tamils and the majority Sinhalese over a self governing area for the minority and revenge for past injustices. It is hard to see how this concerns the attackers, who are most likely the same Muslim terrorists who recently caused death and destruction in the Indian city of Mumbai.
Here in Australia a Muslim terrorist cell was planning to bomb the AFL grand final in Melbourne. They were disinterested in football and their aim was to cause mass Australian casualties simply because the Australian population is not Muslim.
It seems that sort of attitude is now being concentrated on sport. Bomb a shopping centre somewhere in the world and it rates a column on page three of the world press. Bomb a major sporting event and the attackers are assured of banner headlines on the front page.
It seems that this is opening a new front in the Muslim terrorist war against the rest of the non-Islamic world.
Both India and Australia declined to tour Pakistan for a cricket test series because of the threat perceived. Sri Lanka put their faith on the popularity of the game in
that country - and paid the price !
We may be seeing a new threat to the whole sporting spectrum. Cricket may only be the beginning. The Soccer world cup - international Rugby - the motoring Grand Prix - any number of events where world attention is concentrated and large crowds attend may be the target of terrorists seeking to make a point.
There is no sanity in terrorism. Reason simply does not exist. Terrorists are not content to practice their own religion and seek to ram it down the throats of all others on this planet.
There is no prospect of reaching conciliation with them and if sport is to become the new front line then a great change in style will take place.
Total defence of sporting events will be impossible and we will probably move to the day when teams compete in heavily guarded stadiums - but without stands filled with spectators.
The people who watch sport will be at home - watching the game on television.
It will thwart the opportunity for terrorist attack, but at the cost of one more blow to the interaction of people of goodwill to meet together and enjoy each others company !
Such is the world in which we live !
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