JIHADISTS have carried out attacks on Western targets since Sept 11, 2001. The Madrid 2004 attacks, the 7/7 London bombings, Boston Marathon 2013, Paris Nov 15, 2015, Brussels 2016, Orlando and now Nice all indicate that our adversaries, even lone wolves, are disciplined, coordinated and murderously rational.
The absence of humane philosophy and moral probity aids their mission to sow death, fear and suspicion. Worldwide attention of their atrocities validates their modus operandi; they gain fame and infamy at any cost, including sacrificing their lives and the lives of civilians. Their intention is to provoke vigilance and fear: “We can hit you at will at any time and anywhere.”
Terrorists and mass murderers are convinced that if Western targets can be struck efficiently and consecutively, no amount of intelligence and security operations can prevent them from infiltrating nations.
It’s a Medusa with many snakes that re-grow as you attempt to cut another one off. However, the backlash against Muslims is a grave concern, not just in the United States but also across the developed world. Irish statesman Edmund Burke argued that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing”. We need to be cognisant of the majority of Muslims bearing the burden of post-9/11 under the suspicion that tie them, broadly and unjustly, to criminal atrocities committed by killers linked to Islam. Many Muslims are concerned that they have been tarred by the same brush of religious affiliation and that their safety is threatened. There is nothing wise about the urge to isolate and stigmatise the majority of Muslims, who want peace for all.
JOSEPH TING, adjunct associate professor, School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane