When I learned about the tradgedy in London, after I felt for the friends and family touched, I worried about any backlash. I worried about the BNP smelling opportunity.
I have said before that I was impressed with Tony Blair’s speach, and how he acknowledged the need to solve the problems at their root causes (e.g. fixing poverty) as we can’t kill our “enemies” as fast as we are creating them right now.
One of my worries comes from the comparison of the IRA a few decades ago. Throughout the IRA bombings, I think the people really understood that the IRA terrorists were not indicative of the Irish people. Why did we think that? Chances are a lot of us had a lot of contact with an irishman. They were married into our families. They were friends on the rugby field and at work. We were all integrated.
The problem we have now, is that IN GENERAL the muslim community isn’t as integrated. You always fear what you don’t know. So, this is why I worried that people would be hearing “islamic terrorists” and putting 2 + 2 together to make 5 (all muslims == belive in the cause).
We need to all get talking. I was so glad to see a church and a mosque get their congregations to meet up north. Once we meet and understand eachother we will realise that we are all just humans, who want the best for our families and lives.
When the IRA was in action, you didn’t hear people calling it them “christian fundamentalist terrorists” did you?
July 18th, 2005 at 9:03 am
>> he acknowledged the need to solve the problems at their root causes (e.g. fixing poverty)
While poverty may be a contributor to Palestinian terrorism, it isn’t much of a factor in Islamic terrorism. More of these people than not are from middle or upper class backgrounds and well educated.
>> When the IRA was in action, you didn’t hear people calling it them “christian fundamentalist terrorists” did you?
The label for the terrorists is derived from their espoused cause. The IRA weren’t blowing people up in the name of Jesus. The IRA’s goal was to push the British out of their country. For the Islamic terrorists/jihadists however, this war is religious.
July 18th, 2005 at 9:25 am
Bruce Schnier links:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/07/causes_of_suici.html
to an interview with Robert Pape:
http://www.amconmag.com/2005_07_18/article.html
on this very subject.
July 18th, 2005 at 12:50 pm
The problem with worrying about backlashes, of which there have been almost none, is that it doesn’t take into account two things:
1. While not all muslims are terrorists, 90+% of all recent terrorists have been muslim.
2. Pitifully few efforts on the part of the muslim communities to protest/stop/do something about the actions of what everyone assures me is a very small percentage of the muslim community.
Sorry, but blowing people up, especially civillians, does not make me think peaceful thoughts about your cause. I had no sympathy for the IRA for that reason and I’m having difficulty being sympathetic for the “religion of peace” for the same reasons.
October 19th, 2008 at 11:48 am
the ira were not terrorists
you can’t spell – speach is not the same as speech!
british is what you use to avoid spam – i presume you mean it in the fake english way of the ”british” royal family bollix etc etc as opposed to the ”welsh” the real british who were driven to the west of britain by the saxons,jutes etc
November 8th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
The Irish Catholics are worse than Muslims. The Muslims have a very legitimate gripe, the irish have none.