Belgium is known the world over for its chocolates, waffles, fries and beers. In addition to its delectable comestibles, Belgium is also known for its great scenic beauty, it also reportedly has more castles per square mile than any other country in the world. Largely multicultural, Belgium is a host to people from various ethnic groups and religions, in fact people of foreign origin are estimated to form one fourth of the total population, the largest group of being from Morocco. Belgium is hence the modern, liberal and welcoming country that anybody seeking a good life would aspire to live in.
Yet it is this very hospitable and inclusive
country that witnessed two dastardly terror attacks a few days back, when two terrorists
attacked the Brussels airport, setting off two high-intensity explosions, this was followed by another bomb explosion in the Brussels subway system. So far more
than thirty people are believed to be dead, over sixty people in critical
condition, and over two hundred and seventy injured. ISIS has claimed
responsibility for the attacks. This is was the worst ever attack of its kind on
Belgian soil
ISIS has been rather prolific in
its reign of terror in both the Middle East and Europe. In France, ISIS was
responsible for the killing of twelve people last January outside the office of
satirical magazine Charlie
Hebdo. ISIS also
claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Russian airliner, resulting in the killing
of two hundred and twenty two people in Egypt. Last November, ISIS attacked a concert hall in
Paris that resulted in killing of over one hundred and twenty five, injuring three
hundred and sixty five. Recently, in Istanbul, Turkey an ISIS inspired suicide
bomber killed five people, wounding thirty seven. It continues to brutalize
Shia Muslims and foreign nationals in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and
West Africa. There is a report today that four hundred highly trained ISIS terrorists
have been dispatched to Europe to conduct more attacks
Following each of these attack there
are the standard reactions, the strict condemnation of terrorist group, global
solidarity with the country attacked, condolences to the victims, lauding of
the emergency services and law enforcement, finally a request for peace and
calm. Government buildings all over the world lit with the colors of flag of the country who suffered the attack. Social media also joins in in mourning the loss and debating about the
cause, display pictures are changed to show support.
Upon hearing of the attacks we panic and immediately contact
our loved ones to make sure that they are safe and well. In time, things calm down and life goes
on. We travel by public transport, we dine at restaurants, we visit cinema
halls and board aero planes in an attempt to live as normal a life as possible,
but somewhere in our mind is the thought that ‘it could happened now, and all
could be lost’. But we have little choice but to continue. Sadly, even before
we begin to feel safe again there is another attack and the cycle of solidarity,
condemnation and condolences continues.
The reason we are in this mess
today goes back to 2007 when President Obama decided to a prematurely withdraw
of troops from Iraq, that created a vacuum that allow ISIS thrive. Soon ISIS
began to annex territory in Iraq, it also continued to brutalizing innocent
people in both Iraq and Syrian. Many US and EU citizens were executed by ISIS
killers, they taunted the civilized world by releasing videos of the brutal killings.
But President Obama has dithered relentlessly and had no cogent plan to
confront the killers. At one point he even termed the ISIS killers JV
team. Today, ISIS not only conducts
attacks but also inspiring people all over the world who are not directly
associated with the organization to conduct attacks. The current refugee crisis
where thousands of undocumented individuals from Syria and other countries entered Europe has further exacerbated the problem
Multiculturalism means that we have to be unconditionally welcoming and accepting of cultures
that are diverse from ours. But do we also accept cultures that have values that
are contrary to basic principles of the civilized world such as equality for
women, freedom to question religion without fear of consequence, freedom to leave one’s religion without fear of consequence and respect of other religions. Have we become so tolerant that we even begin to
tolerate those who are deeply intolerant? Today a country such as UK has eighty
five courts that follow Sharia Law and dispense rough justice, where it believed to be wrong to prosecute men who rape their wives and court
officials giggle when a woman described being abused.
The highly charged
atmosphere of political correctness led by the left has leaders and politicians
biting their tongues while speaking against the threat of Islamic Terrorism for
fear of ending their careers after being branded ‘intolerant’ or ‘racist’. An article
in the Daily Mail effective addresses an issue rarely seen in the mainstream
media, about the way some western Muslims raise their children that causes them
to gravitate towards terrorism. Even at the memorial site for the victims in
Brussels, there have been incidences of hijab wearing woman tearing
the Israeli flag and middle eastern looking man placing a Palestinian flag and
places it over the Israeli flag so it can no longer be seen. This is not just a
problem about law enforcement and intelligence, it is a social problem and a
cultural problem as well.
It is not an
understatement to suggest governments across countries are struggling against
the number one menace in the world. Never mind about solutions, there is
reluctance to even acknowledge the problem of Islamic Terrorism, many even
hesitate to utter these words. The first step in curing an ailment is
identifying it and calling it by its name. Alas the ailment has been identified
but few will even dare and call it by its name.
Enter US Presidential Candidate and GOP front runner Donald Trump, perhaps the only man of real consequence and importance
who has not only completed step one i.e. naming the problem for what it is,
uttering the forbidden words ‘Islamic Terrorism’ but also has plans for step
two to prescribe a cure.
To begin with Trump wants a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, until there is a complete understanding of the problem. Trump wants open up the laws such that is legal to employ enhanced interrogation techniques such water-boarding to extract information from captured suspects that may prevent future attacks. He wants to build wall over the Mexican border into America that is the primary source of illegal immigration in the US and could possibly prove safe passage for terrorists. Trump has urged law-abiding and well-meaning Muslims to participate actively in the war on terror by collaborating with law enforcement and not providing safe haven to terror masterminds in their neighborhoods.
We see this happening every so often, the
most recent example is terrorist mastermind of the Paris Attacks was living in
a Moroccan dominated area of Belgium and went unreported for months. Trump want
tougher background checks on immigration and believes that European countries
should also follow this practice. Trump
has also said that he would encourage and compel Muslim countries to participate
in armed conflicts against ISIS, this is a very important step as the war on
terror during the Bush era was perceived as a war of civilizations.
Let’s also look at the plan of
other candidates. Hillary Clinton will follow President Obama’s suit of
political correctness, open borders, the allowing of refugees into the US, in
fact it could be argued that her ineffectiveness as secretary of state was part
of the reason we are in this situation. GOP rival Ted Cruz has plagiarized some
of Trumps ideas and added some of his own such as carpet bombing ISIS but that
would be impossible as they are enmeshed within civilian populations across
cities in Iraq and Syria. Then there is the great socialist Senator Bernie
Sanders who thinks that global warming is reason behind terrorism
We are living in troubled times.
Any more dithering and we could be on the brink of destruction, it is only a
matter of time before ISIS acquires a nuclear weapon. We need a leader who has a strong record of getting
things done and getting them done fast without fear of consequence. All through
the campaign Trump has been baselessly attacked for his stand on illegal immigration
and terrorism, and yet he has not dithered, neither has he softened his stand. He
clearly is the only man who understand the problem, has a plan to destroy ISIS
and most importantly has the guts to execute it.
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