@ossobuco,
Quote:What did he think of the killers? “They are not Muslims. They are terrorists. The kids I grew up with weren’t like that.” Romain said he’d originally come from the gritty northern suburbs of Paris, home to a predominantly immigrant population and the scene of anti-government riots in 2005. He had arrived at the bar bearing a small olive tree. “It’s a symbol of hope, of peace,” he said.
Well, actually they are both. They may not share all of the beliefs of Mr. Romain and the kids he grew up with but I suspect that if asked they probably don't think he is a Muslim either.
For some reason there is an insistence by some people that there is such a thing as
true Islam and
true Muslims. Considering that there is a rather wide schism between the Sunni and Shiite sects I doubt there are many Muslims who would agree on what a
true Muslim looks like.
Despite what so many would insist, it is relevant that these terrorists self-identify as Muslims and carry out their acts in the name of Allah. Certainly the uncounted millions of Muslims throughout the region who to some extent support ISIS believe they are Muslims. When 50 million or more people believe something, it's difficult to suggest what they believe is irrelevant.
If there were self-identified Christians or Hindus carrying out similar terrorist acts in the name of Jesus or Kali, I doubt very many people would be reluctant to call them what they were: Christians and Hindus.
Since being a Muslim is at the core of why Islamists do what they do, it seems foolish, at best, to insist that what they claim to be is irrelevant.
Hopefully there are millions more of Muslims who believe Islamists are not properly following the tenets of their religion, and if Walter is right and they now, as a result of this attacks, have decided to publicly demonstrate this belief throughout Europe, this is a very good thing.
Now they all have to join together to assist the authorities in locating and eradicating the jihadis in their midst. For the most part they all live in tight knit ethnic communities and a lot of them know what is being said in the local mosque and on the streets. Some, no doubt, have already provided valuable intelligence to the authorities whether for a price or out of principle as numerous terrorist plots have been foiled to date, but can more? How many people in one of these communities knows of something but refuses to go to the police? I don't have the answer to that question, but I believe that if the majority of Muslims want to help eradicate the threat of Islamists, it will eventually happen.
We may never be able to eliminate every act of terrorism, but we can significantly reduce the threat. First by destroying, not containing,ISIS. Not of course every current member of ISIS; that's not possible, but as long as there is a quasi state-like organization with considerable funds, weapons and the ability to plan and communicate, complex, coordinated attacks like the one last night are very possible. Crush their central operation, kill great numbers of their soldiers and scatter those remaining to the sands and not only will these sort of attacks be made nearly impossible, ISIS as a recruiter of lone wolf attackers will be substantially degraded.
Secondly hunt down and eliminate the existing cells in our cities, and here is where we need the help of moderate Muslims.
Finally remain vigilant and prepared to take action when new groups coalesce. Allowing them to reach even a
Junior Varsity status only ensures they will at some point make it to the Varsity.
This is a war and it is ongoing. All declarations of victory in this war have been premature and politically expedient. Right now there is only one nation in the world where polio cases continue to arise within the general population: Nigeria. Those who have led the long fight to eradicate this disease know full well that it will not be over until they can overcome the barriers within that country that prevent the last stronghold of the disease from falling. They could say "Well, it's almost over. It only remains in one country in the world, and that's good enough," but they know that if they don't finish it off in Nigeria it could and probably will spread throughout the world again.
We have to view Islamism as the infectious disease it is.
