Noordin Mohd Top, Asia’s most wanted terrorist, was shot dead by a crack Indonesian anti-terrorism squad during a shoot-out in a village in Central Java.

The 41-year-old Malaysian-born Noordin, who had eluded the authorities for nine years, was gunned down along with three others in an ambush at his hideout in Solo. He was said to be responsible for a string of deadly bombings in Indonesia, including those in Bali in 2002 and two luxury hotels in Jakarta recently.

The above incident reminds us of a cartoon which appeared once in the West, depicting a small suicide bomber approaching the gates of heaven. He has his explosives around his waist. The angel, looking at his register on the rostrum, informs him, “Sorry, your name is not here, only the names of your victims”.

How can we and our leaders lose sight of the sanctity of human life? How can we all have lost sight of the meaning of...