Mal Fletcher comments

In some ways terror activity is firmly linked in the public psyche with religious fanaticism, but it is often political zealotry or anti-government sentiment that sparks acts of terror.

Religion is often used by unscrupulous figures as a pretext for garnering support for twisted political ideals. Especially among poor or oppressed groups, where religion offers the only certainty or reassurance people feel they have to hold onto.

But suggesting that religion is almost always at the heart of acts of terror ignores the key role that politics plays. It also denies the positive role religion can play in preventing tragedies and/or in bringing healing after they've occurred.

And it ignores an important idea which is fundamental to the world's largest religious systems, an idea that can help us process (and perhaps even prevent) tragedies.

Not long after moving to Copenhagen from Australia in 1995, my wife and I were bemused by a news story about convicted Danish murderers who'd escaped when given 'away-days' from prison.

Having been allowed the privilege of weekends spent at home with their families, several quite high profile killers had absconded. The Danish press and prison authorities seemed puzzled by this turn of events.

Our instant reaction was, 'Well, what did you expect?' These were men convicted of crimes of the highest order. Why wouldn't they try to escape at the first opportunity, especially if the state seemed to be giving them a get-out-of-jail-free card?

As outsiders, we later discovered that the institutional thinking which led to this incident is quite common in European societies. We have since learned that at least until relatively recently it has been quite strong within British society - at least, in circles of influence and power.

Crime, it says, is the product of environment. Nurture is more powerful than nature. This was the key tenet behind Tony Blair's now infamous electioneering soundbite, 'Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.'

Doubtless, crime of any kind always involves some environmental factors. Bad parenting, family breakdown, the wrong friends and access to weapons are all factors that often feature in the lead-up to serious crime.

Political solutions can and do help, particularly if politics creates a social milieu of openness, so that social problems can be discussed and addressed in a collaborative fashion.

But any sane society must also recognize the limits of political solutions, recognizing that the problem of evil is not simply a matter of human culture, but a problem of human nature.

Even a cursory glance at the history books will show that the most hideous of crimes are often committed by people who've never been touched by poverty, poor nurturing or oppression.

This is something philosophers and theologians have pointed out for centuries and, indeed, many continue to suggest today that the potential for evil actions lies within all of us. It may be tempered and disciplined by personal character and the tenets of civilised society, but it is still there.