If Leftists and Muslims agree on anything, it is on the necessity of finding the root causes of terrorist acts. Like the 7/7 London bombings.
Circumstances the terrorist make, goes the apologist line. Those poor, suffering Palestinians/Bosnians/Kashmiris/Iraqis. If only the infidel/imperial aggressor/Israelis were to stop its/their evil ways; if only the outstanding conflicts of the world were resolved; if only the poverty-stricken Muslims of the world were allowed to make a decent living. Only then would terrorism (or at least the Islamist variety) die out.
Excellent storyline. End all conflicts. Give the poor a living wage. Stop war, oppression, racism. Who can disagree?
A few questions:
- Why weren’t any of the London bombers Iraqis or Palestinians?
- Why weren’t any of them from the slums of Cairo or Karachi?
- Just what was their problem anyway?
Alas, the answers are far from simple. The bombers were British lads - of Pakistani descent no doubt, but as British as warm beer. What then prompted them to blow themselves and almost a hundred of their compatriots one fine summer’s day?
Hate, ideology, fury, brainwashing. All of there terms have been used as explanations. All I know is this: if an Iraqi or Palestinian blows himself up at a crowded bus stand, I can understand it. I do not condone it. I loathe any ideology that urges the taking of human life. But I do understand it.
The actions of the Leeds 4, on the other hand, are beyond my comprehension. One thing though is clear: addressing the oft-quoted root causes of terrorism is no solution for the mindless hatred that compels these fanatics.
