Today’s front page headline in my local newspaper carried some bad news: ‘At least 50 civilians killed following terrorist attacks and counter terrorist operations in southern Afghanistan’, it said.

I wondered: what could a citizens’ network against terror contribute to stop the increasing violence and terrorist attacks

Moreover, what could it do not only in my country, but across the world?

There are, I believe, several answers.

On the one hand, in a world where many believe that terror should be fought primarily through military means, a global civil society network could provide some useful balance. It could show, quite simply, that people power matters.

On the other hand, a citizens’ network will encourage all those who have been passive in their opposition against terrorism. It can help them become engaged more actively in identifying and addressing its root causes.

Citizens Against Terror (CAT) could be a mechanism providing ideas and generating debates on the role of ordinary people in building a world of tolerance.

It can, however, also become a vehicle through which to empower people across the globe to take non-violent action in responding to terrorism.

In some ways, I believe it could be an agreement between the victims of terror, activists and responsible citizens to join their hands and demonstrate that they are ‘NOT AFRAID’ to challenge terror.

Most importantly, though, I hope that CAT will generate new energy amongst people around the world to identify the root causes of terrorism.

In doing so, it may also help to bring these causes to the attention of the international community.