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Pakistani attorney and author Rafia Zakaria wrote an op-ed in Al Jazeera America about the Islamic extremists' war on fun, including sports, music, even dining in a fine restaurant. Zakaria points out that this apparent obsession predates the existence of ISIS by several decades (at least); he suspects this is a big reason why the attackers chose Paris, renowned worldwide for its brilliant culture and joie de vivre.
Terrorism’s targeting of the merry is universal and indiscriminate, a division of the world between those who wish to live and laugh and hope and those who kill and destroy. The latter are deadly and relentless, and they have already squeezed out the mirth from too many of the world’s cities, from Karachi, Kabul and Baghdad to Nairobi and Beirut.
Zakaria experienced this aspect of terror firsthand. A high school friend had just passed a big exam, and was out celebrating with his family at a restaurant in Karachi, Pakistan, when terrorists struck.
Al Jazeera America provides a separate analysis warning that military action alone cannot defeat ISIS (aka ISIL), which of course is not a "nation" in the traditional sense, but more of a guerilla outfit like Al Qaeda, that opportunistically seized a stronghold in chaotic regions of Syria and Iraq. The piece's author, political scientist Rami G. Khouri, recommends that both the West and Muslim nations of the Middle East spend more resources on addressing economic and political problems facing impoverished youths who are potentially attracted by the ISIS' recruiting pitch:
If the underlying threats to ordinary citizens’ lives in autocratic Arab-Islamic societies remain unaddressed — from jobs, water and health insurance, to free elections, a credible justice system and corruption — the flow of recruits to movements like ISIL or something even worse will persist and even accelerate.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 16 2015, @11:44AM
This translation is slightly different from the spoken English version I heard:
https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Statements/is-claims-paris-attacks-warns-operation-is-first-of-the-storm.html [siteintelgroup.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by VLM on Monday November 16 2015, @12:25PM
So your argument is they aimed for the Amsterdam Red Light District but accidentally hit Paris... Or that they aimed for Rome and accidentally hit Paris. Or we're just not hearing about secret police foiling attacks in Rome and Amsterdam. Or substitute in pretty much any other "big name city".
The exact reasoning doesn't matter. Europe was invaded and conquered. This is what happens to conquered civilians. They/we can decide to get used to it or not, but its going to keep happening no matter if we're used to it or not.
(Score: 5, Funny) by isostatic on Monday November 16 2015, @01:58PM
Or we're just not hearing about secret police foiling attacks in Rome and Amsterdam
Bond was in Rome recently, which would explain that.
As for Amsterdam, the would-be bombers probably stopped off for a brownie en-route and are still there.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by khallow on Monday November 16 2015, @02:00PM
The exact reasoning doesn't matter. Europe was invaded and conquered. This is what happens to conquered civilians. They/we can decide to get used to it or not, but its going to keep happening no matter if we're used to it or not.
I've been quiet about this so far. But this infrequent stream of attacks doesn't make conquest no matter how much you puff it up. The developed world has been losing its shit about a lot of stuff recently, but I think it's telling how we can't agree on what we should be hysterical about. I don't think anyone is currently competent enough to deliberately craft these conflicting worries to divide and conquer us, but you should keep in mind that this environment is perfect for creating Benjamin Franklin's infamous safety over freedom [wikiquote.org] trade off.
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
Please scale your concerns to the magnitude of the threat rather than provide either a misdirection of society's resources or even a stepping stone for tyranny.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by VLM on Monday November 16 2015, @02:27PM
I think you misinterpret, I'm not saying fighting is happening or more will happen or there is any point in a resistance movement, I'm saying they already lost and are a conquered, marginalized, second class citizenry. So they're going to be gunned down in the streets, their cultural events are going to be bombed and otherwise disrupted, etc. The dominant cultural class of Europe is no longer white Christians, for better or worse. Likely mostly worse. Already a done deal, nothing to be done about it.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Monday November 16 2015, @03:39PM
Mod -1 blithering hyperbole.