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World > Perspectives on Terrorism > Why I fought/Why I forgave


FACE-TO-FACE: In May 1998, Aboobaker Ismail and Neville Clarence met in Pretoria, South Africa, for the first time. Mr. Ismail was applying for amnesty before the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission for the 1983 bombing of South Africa's Air Force Headquarters, in which Mr. Clarence lost his sight.
Independent Newspapers Gauteng

Why I fought/Why I forgave
As soldiers, Aboobaker Ismail and Neville Clarence fought in a bitter struggle over the apartheid regime - against each other. On May 19, 1983, Air Force officer Clarence lost his sight in a lethal bomb blast outside Air Force headquarters. Behind the attack was Mr. Ismail, who as an African National Congress military planner, hoped to shatter his country's racist policies. In what he said was a "wonderful experience," Clarence publicly forgave Ismail in 1998. After nearly 20 years, how do both men view the attack and one another? Click below to hear their remarkable tale.

 Aboobaker Ismail: Once an anti-apartheid fighter, he now works for the South African Reserve Bank.
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How do you define terrorism?
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On the justness of a cause
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What was the African National Congress cause?
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Was the ANC a terrorist group?
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What's the difference between freedom fighting and terrorism?
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Why did the ANC resort to violence?
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Do you stand by your actions?
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On reconciling with Clarence
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On moving on

Neville Clarence: Blinded in a bomb attack, he now owns his own technology company.
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How do you define terrorism?
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Where do you draw the line?
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Why were you targeted in the bomb attack?
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Do you consider the bombing terrorism?
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Were you angry?
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How did you reconcile with the ANC?
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On reconciling with Ismail




Introduction
Part 1: "Where I draw the line"
Part 2: You decide
Part 3: Why I fought/Why I forgave
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