ISIS is playing the West like a tune
Just like Osama played the U.S. to get massively involved in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Abu Bakr is playing the Europeans like a tune with these terrorist attacks...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hating-muslim-refugees-is-exactly-what-the-islamic-state-wants-europe-to-do/2015/11/15/dfe0ca84-87d1-11e5-be39-0034bb576eee_story.html
The strategy is explicit. The Islamic State explained after the January attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine that such attacks “compel the Crusaders to actively destroy the grayzone themselves. .?.?. Muslims in the West will quickly find themselves between one of two choices, they either apostatize .?.?. or they [emigrate] to the Islamic State and thereby escape persecution from the Crusader governments and citizens.” The group calculates that a small number of attackers can profoundly shift the way that European society views its 44 million Muslim members and, as a result, the way European Muslims view themselves. Through this provocation, it seeks to set conditions for an apocalyptic war with the West.
Unfortunately, elements of European society are reacting as the Islamic State desires. Far-right parties have gained strength in many European countries. France’s National Front is expected to dominate local elections in northern France this winter; on Saturday, Marine Le Pen, its leader, declared “those who maintain links with Islamism” to be “France’s enemies.” The Danish People’s Party gained 21 percent of the vote in national elections in June on a nationalist, anti-Islamic platform. The anti-foreigner Sweden Democrats is steadily growing in popularity.
With the growing right wing in Europe, it's all but certain that Europe is going to play into its plans.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Very, very important topic, and a trap we shouldn't fall into again.
By alienating those of the Muslim faith (I am atheist, myself) we do a huge disservice to them, the community, etc.
I was asking myself today how killing many, many innocent people in Syria today restored the lives of any of the Parisiennes who were killed last week? Hopefully Hollande will also at the same time donate money to Syrian medical aid, in addition to having sent them bombs and hopelessness. (Bombs have a heck of a tendency to kill guilty and innocent alike, and also to turn the populace against those delivering the bombs. Peter Ustinov once said: "Terrorism is the poor people's way of waging war and war is the rich people's way of waging terrorism."
Anger is not a good way to work out differences even if politics suggests that appearing stronger than others may cause people to believe in you. Really, too much hatred and this fans the flames of more hatred, hatred without end and without solution.
But thank you for posting the above comments! and I am afraid your dire prediction is likely to come true, especially with nationalistic forces in France (La Penn, etc.) calling for blood.
Let me close with one of the most inspirational poems of the English Language.
Abou Ben Adhem
BY LEIGH HUNT, published in 1838.
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
******************
It's not the particular religion that determines the worth of the individual.
I used to pass out copies of this to clients and I think i will start doing that again tomorrow, along with The Desiderata
