Terrorists must never succeed in dividing us

The terrorist attack on Garissa University College has incited a great deal of anguish and anger.

Nearly 150 young and innocent lives snuffed out in such fashion exposes the unmatched brutality of a group clearly more intent on spilling blood than pursuing any legitimate cause.

Three days of national mourning marked by outpouring of sorrow and grief are coming to a close, but the wounds will take a far longer time to heal.

In the wake of the attack, conversations across all forums clearly show anger and a sense of helplessness. Kenyans are justified in demanding swift and firm action to arrest and punish the perpetrators and also to identify and eliminate the support networks, whether in Kenya or Somalia, on which the Al-Shabaab terrorist group thrives.

RELIGIOUS PROFILING

One undeniable, if uncomfortable, fact is that much of the debate on the streets, in homes, and in public gatherings is focusing on ethnic and religious profiling of the terrorists.

That is exactly what Al-Shabaab sets out to incite. The more the finger of blame is pointed at the Somali community or the wider Islamic faith, the more Kenyans are divided along sectarian lines, and the more the merchants of death and destruction get closer to their aim of inciting religious conflict.

The justifiable anger must thus be channelled in a direction that does not contribute to the Al-Shabaab strategy. Instead of dividing Kenyans, the latest terrorist outrage must unite us all against a common enemy.

Kenyans of all creeds and faiths — Muslim, Christian, Hindu, traditionalist, and others — must come out with the unequivocal joint message that they reject terrorism and will work together to eradicate the evil.

All must make it clear that they will not harbour terrorists and their sympathisers in their midst.