So much been said and written about the attacks in Paris. Less so on the attacks in Beirut just 24 hours prior to Paris. Now we have what appears to be confirmation that the Russian aircraft that crashed in Egypt was as a result of a bomb. Just a few days ago, people were murdered in Afghanistan and dumped by the side of the road. One of these people was just nine years of age, a little girl decapitated and thrown away like discarded rubbish. Over 450 plus people slaughtered in the space of a couple of weeks and they are the ones that hit news services.
It’s difficult for me, as I suspect it is for many others to comprehend what drives men (and to a lesser degree woman) to carry out atrocities on this scale and with such levels of brutality. They claim that a book or a directive from their God made them do it, simply doesn’t cut it. It has to be more fundamental than that. There is only one God even Muslims believe that. So 'their' God is Satan.
There is so much written about this problem by people who know much more about the issue than I do. Trying to make sense of it and to sort the fact from the fiction is really hard. My decision is based on what I read, who has written it; their experience and their motives. Then there are my life experiences and my fundamental beliefs and principles. Most importantly what I learn from people I know personally and who I trust, who are involved in the particular field of interest. Some of those people I take guidance from are very directly involved.
So using the above as my framework in trying to understand the Muslim issue this is how I see it. We are facing the greatest challenge to our security and to world peace that I have faced in my lifetime. We are battling an enemy that I don’t understand. I doubt many apart from those on the frontline do. An enemy who wants to take us back to the brutality of the Dark Ages. It’s an enemy who doesn’t discriminate along ethnic lines. They simply kill anyone who doesn’t submit to their warped doctrine. Submit or die. It wouldn’t matter if I were from Iraq, Syria, Africa, Australia, America, England or France, they’ll still kill me. It doesn’t matter whether I am a Muslim, a Catholic, an Anglican, a Buddhist, they’d still kill me. It doesn’t matter if I am young, old, male or female they’d still kill me. Their enemy is the world that I am part of; the free world.
The terrifying part is, I have no idea who ISIS really are apart from vicious killers who hide behind a religious text which they have manipulated to justify their murderous, maniacal regime. If you listen to experts it does appear many who hide behind the ISIS brand (and other Muslim terrorist group for that matter) are hired mercenaries. Others are people who are seduced by the extremely good ISIS propaganda which paints a picture of their new utopia. A utopia that bears no semblance to reality. The world of; they hate you, but we love love you come help us build this brave new world. That's what they sell. Then we have the radical religious fanatics who dream of a new caliphate and world domination. It isn’t as though you can point a finger at them and say that is ISIS. They come from all lands, they don’t parade around in uniforms like the Nazis. Many in the west look like everybody else walking down the street. So, I guess like me many people are fearful and it's very easy for that fear to overwhelm to the point that we start to suspect everyone who wears the mantle of Muslim.
In our relative safety in Australia I view what happens in Europe, the Middle East and because I’m interested in other parts like Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan etc and I shudder. I witness what happened in Parramatta and the realisation hits, it can happen here and whilst it was only one person it still happened. When I think that the murder in Parramatta was carried out by a 15 year old boy my blood runs cold. He was a child. A child that hated so much he killed and lost his life for it. He could be the kid standing at the bus stop near my home. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks that.
It’s the unknown that frightens people. It frightens me. That’s human nature. I understand that but I can't spend my life jumping at shadows.
The question for me is, how do I deal with this. I am not going to let it stop me leading my life. I’ll still travel and go about my day as usual. I’m more wary and cautious than I used to be but I can’t let that beat me. I’m not going to label all Muslims the enemy or demand the innocent atone for the actions of radicals. That hardly seems fair. I’ll continue to support my Muslim friends. I know they are as fearful, appalled and frighten as I am. I will focus on what I can do, albeit not much to help us overcome this scourge. I will do my best to share information and to show compassion for those who are struggling. I know in making my position public, that I am going to alienate a lot of people. I’ve already had some dreadful accusations hurled at me, I expect it will get worse.
I am a conservative but was told a couple of nights ago that I have been marginalised by moderate conservatives on Twitter for failing to join the ‘ban and kick-out all Muslims’ voice. It was also suggested that the only people who share my position are from the left. I hope that isn’t true. I’m grateful for the advice, but I have to stay true to myself, my family, my friends. I think about what my parents would expect of me if they were still here. I’m sad that a division has developed along political lines. I feel like all my bridges are being demolished. How others whom I have never met judge me is up to them. What is important to me is how I judge myself and how my friends and family judge me, as it should be.
I was always taught to stand up for what I believed in. I’ve tried to do that despite how hard that can be at times. So I will condemn as loudly as I can all terrorists, be they Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, whatever they are but I simply won’t brand everyone who follows a specific religion because of the actions of some.
The experts within the Muslim faith state ISIS wants to create division in the world. They want to pit Muslims against the rest of us. They want to drive more to their cause. I believe the experts because frankly, they know more about it than I do. You don’t have to be too bright to understand that ISIS is extremely good at propaganda and since Paris they have done a very good job of achieving their objective. I’m not going to be part of their strategy, hence my commitment not to put every Muslim into the same bucket as ISIS and other terrorist groups.
“The practice of selectivity appears to be the tactic of choice of those who promote propaganda.” That said, it isn’t just the domain of ISIS the anti-Muslim brigade use it as well. As an example, I’ve used quotes attributed to Barrack Obama that were doing the rounds on social media yesterday.
Firstly the list attributed to Obama, 40 mind-blowing quotes from Barack Obama about Islam and Christianity.
I am no fan of Barrack Obama. Anybody who reads my Twitter timeline knows that, but I do believe in fairness and truth and that list is a classic case of ‘selectivity being used for propaganda’.
The following article headed up, Truth on the cutting room floor proves it.
This type of scurrilous propaganda is used for one reason and one reason alone and that is to suck in the gullible to a cause. Not un-similar to ISIS. It's not that hard to check the validity of some of this stuff.
This is how I see it:
If Muslims don’t condemn the actions of Muslim terrorists, they are branded sympathisers and supporters.
If non-Muslims defend the majority of Muslims who are not terrorists, they are branded secret Muslims and Islamist supporters.
If Muslims do condemn the actions Muslim terrorists, they are branded liars.
If non-Muslims defend the Muslims who condemn terrorist they are branded naïve.
If Muslims condemn Muslim terrorists and the language isn’t tough enough, or they dare to plead don’t condemn all Muslims, they are accused of being against the west and not taking responsibility.
If non-Muslims try and defend softer language they are accused of being leftie sympathisers and even socialists.
We even have a Senator in this country advocating fitting all asylum seekers and the Grand Mufti with electronic tracking devices!!! Regular Muslims must feel a bit like the Jews did in Nazi Germany, which is exactly what ISIS wants. It appears we have leant nothing.
Well for what is it worth that’s my view of the world and how I plan to deal with it and why. I’ve made a commitment not to make a very bad situation worse by whipping up fear and anger. I hope to heaven that the leaders of this world get off their bums and do something constructive about fixing this problem. I wouldn’t have their jobs for a billion dollars. I fear for what our world is becoming. I fear religious Muslim fanatics and the really shocking thing is, I’m starting to fear my own kind.
