On the surface, it seems perfectly fine - getting Islamic leaders to condemn these heinous actions undertaken by militants who often carry out their actions in the name of Malay nationalism and Islam.

But the insurgency in the deep South, which has a history of its own, will require far more than a mere condemnation of the violence and a call for it to come to a stop, much less a sustainable and permanent peace.

Surely, no one is naive enough to think that a mere condemnation from an imam will bring about peace in the South.

But it has been more than three years and the violence has continued unabated with no end in sight.

Moreover, a number of the country's Islamic leaders are showing fatigue with the idea of being put in the public spotlight to once again condemn the same act of brutality in the name of Islam.

While state officials rely heavily on these Islamic leaders to assure the public that all of us are on the same team, little consideration is given to more challenging proposals, such as engaging in interfaith dialogue.

A recent photo-op showed government security adviser General Watanachai Chaimuanwong posing between a senior Buddhist monk and an Islamic leader. Watanachai had the pair shake hands, as if they were representatives of warring factions who have made peace.

For the Buddhists, it was a big turn-off to see an ordained member of the clergy being exploited for quick political gain. From a Muslim perspective, one of their leaders is once again being put on stage just to give state officials the false of security that "all's well that ends well".

What Thailand needs more than anything is an interfaith dialogue.

Ever since a group of militants dragged passengers out of their minibus and executed them one by one, there has been a growing call for Buddhists to take the matter into their own hands.

Strong language has been used - the kind that was common in Thailand in the mid-1970s, which saw Thais killing Thais in the name of their love for the nation.

In the past, militants usually stalked their victims before pumping a couple of bullets in their heads. But the killings of the minibus passengers sent a grave message: no one is safe.

Aside from the brutality of the militants' actions, we cannot overlook the possibility that the call to take drastic action or the desire to take the law into one's own hands would lead to the generalisation that Muslims are violence-prone people. After all, a significant number of the insurgents' victims in the deep south were Muslims.

Unlike the separatists of the previous generation, those operating now with established cells throughout villages in the deep South, have shown that they are not scared to push the right button - one that not only discredits the state's security apparatus, but also shatters the fabric of the society that used to pride itself on peaceful coexistence.

We must not let the violence get the better of us or else the enemy will win. As for now, all of us must stand firm and condemn the brutality in the strongest terms possible but we must not allow our condemnation to break us apart.

Muslim leaders will have to go beyond saying that these brutal actions are non-Islamic, while Buddhists will have to stop thinking that it is exclusively the work of Muslims. It is in fact the responsibility of all people to maintain national unity.