The Way to Stop Terrorism – Stop Spreading It
The deaths that happened in Paris last week are a horrific tragedy and a crime, and the people who committed these murders are certainly human scum.
I don’t usually post on political happenings in this blog, yet I decided that I wanted to say something because this series of events has the potential to spark either a very negative or very positive reaction.
Now this is a time of grief and people’s emotions are going to be very raw about this event. Yet we must be careful, very careful about people in positions of power manipulating our grief, anguish and fear for their own political and financial ends.
I will make it clear that I personally am no pacifist. I understand that sometimes violence is necessary for self defense, and I don’t think people should sit by idly if their lives or freedoms are in danger. Yet we must always take care to respond to crimes with justice, not to lash out in vengeance and hate.
Right now, as there was around 9/11, there is a public outcry to “do something.” Key heads of state are saying that there needs be more surveillance of the internet and our other freedoms in order to limit “terrorism.” Others are saying that this situation calls for more war, more invasions and bombing of muslim countries.
After 9/11, when America started to invade countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of terrorist incidents around the world increased – not decreased, and our civil freedoms have been restricted – not improved. We now live in a time where government officials can read your emails, listen to your phone calls, and grope your genitals at an airport all in the name of “protecting your freedoms.”
The amount of hysteria about muslims is also frankly ridiculous. I rented out a basement from a muslim family for three years and I can tell you that the only gun I ever saw my Iranian landlord wield was a staple gun. Muslim communities and all serious muslim scholars around the world have been universal in their condemnation of the Paris attacks.
So is spreading more hate and terror in Islamic countries really going to make the West more safe for freedom and peace? Is this going to lead to a dialogue where our countries and their countries can find a way to peacefully coexist with one another?
Sometimes the greatest strength is restraint and sometimes the greatest wisdom is understanding. It is time to start a global dialogue for peace, justice and real freedom.
Metal Gaia 