What’s wrong, 2016?
Can we have just one day without bad news?
A girl prays for the victims of a militant attack on the Bacha Khan University, during a candle light vigil in Peshawar, Pakistan January 20, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS
Give us a break, 2016. What is the matter with you? Can we have just one day without bad news? The quick succession of brutal mass killings on a near-regular basis is alarming, sickening and frightening. We’re living in an era that we can no longer understand. There’s been no stopping this mayhem since Ramazan. Even religious sites, occasions and priests have not been spared. We are fast inching towards becoming so numb and immune to this regular bout of gory news that terror will no longer make for a headline and get relegated to page two or three.
The language of terror is evolving. The definition of terror has widened. If the Islamic State waging pseudo-jihadist attacks of the most horrific and inhuman kind weren’t bad enough, a new faction of cold-blooded murderers, mostly refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, have emerged on the scene. Their settings are unlikely (who would have imagined a church attack in Normandy?) and their victims do not have a definite profile per se. They are easy, soft, innocent targets of all age groups, thronging public places and going about their daily lives. These miscreants are invariably depressed, mentally unstable, bullied, or perhaps, all of the above. But the reality is that the attacks by this faction, while not directly religious or ideological, still draw their inspiration and audacity from the shameful techniques employed by religion-toting terrorists. The IS isn’t as important an organisation as it is an idea. The convenient, mischievous and narrow interpretation of Islamic tenets being used for radicalisation is what is leading to such barbaric acts. With every attack that takes place, someone else in another part of the world is getting motivated and fomented to commit an assault that’s even more heartless, outrageous and heinous. Each new development is coming faster than the previous one and each shock is fading briskly in light of the next one.
French militant attacks church while under house arrest on terror charges
If one were to keep Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria aside for a minute, Turkey, France and Germany, all inundated with Muslims coincidentally, have borne the biggest brunt of grotesque terror. Despite countless peace marches, protests, hash-tags and columns (like this one) expressing outrage, there are only a few plausible solutions being bandied around to stop this endless procession of slaughter: parents keep a close tab on their children, the young be educated about tolerance and peace, employment opportunities be offered to the gullible who get easily brainwashed by the IS in the name of Islamist jihad, gun lobbies be silenced, draconian gun laws be enforced, and vicious, hate-mongering clerics be eliminated.
Those condemning Donald Trump as the ‘new Hitler’ need to rethink their unfounded vitriol. His latest revised call for strong new regulations and restrictions on anyone trying to enter the US from a terror-ravaged country makes perfect sense. There’s no point seeking refuge in human rights and political correctness any more. Call him a racist or a bigot, but he’s hit the nail on the head. Countries need to start shutting their doors and tightening their immigration policies before things get worse. This is bound to mitigate, if not eradicate, the current tide of attacks. Even that much is welcome for starters!
Islamic State expanding foothold in Afghanistan
Tailpiece
There is outrage in the UK over frontal nudity in a promiscuous dating show (‘Naked Attraction’) on television that sees contestants baring all in a bid to find love. I am not sure what all the fuss is about. I see nothing wrong in sexual frankness. The show was openly advertised as one that would offer gratuitous nudity and voyeurism so I wonder why the moral crusaders who are feeling offended even tuned in to begin with.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2016.
The language of terror is evolving. The definition of terror has widened. If the Islamic State waging pseudo-jihadist attacks of the most horrific and inhuman kind weren’t bad enough, a new faction of cold-blooded murderers, mostly refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, have emerged on the scene. Their settings are unlikely (who would have imagined a church attack in Normandy?) and their victims do not have a definite profile per se. They are easy, soft, innocent targets of all age groups, thronging public places and going about their daily lives. These miscreants are invariably depressed, mentally unstable, bullied, or perhaps, all of the above. But the reality is that the attacks by this faction, while not directly religious or ideological, still draw their inspiration and audacity from the shameful techniques employed by religion-toting terrorists. The IS isn’t as important an organisation as it is an idea. The convenient, mischievous and narrow interpretation of Islamic tenets being used for radicalisation is what is leading to such barbaric acts. With every attack that takes place, someone else in another part of the world is getting motivated and fomented to commit an assault that’s even more heartless, outrageous and heinous. Each new development is coming faster than the previous one and each shock is fading briskly in light of the next one.
French militant attacks church while under house arrest on terror charges
If one were to keep Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria aside for a minute, Turkey, France and Germany, all inundated with Muslims coincidentally, have borne the biggest brunt of grotesque terror. Despite countless peace marches, protests, hash-tags and columns (like this one) expressing outrage, there are only a few plausible solutions being bandied around to stop this endless procession of slaughter: parents keep a close tab on their children, the young be educated about tolerance and peace, employment opportunities be offered to the gullible who get easily brainwashed by the IS in the name of Islamist jihad, gun lobbies be silenced, draconian gun laws be enforced, and vicious, hate-mongering clerics be eliminated.
Those condemning Donald Trump as the ‘new Hitler’ need to rethink their unfounded vitriol. His latest revised call for strong new regulations and restrictions on anyone trying to enter the US from a terror-ravaged country makes perfect sense. There’s no point seeking refuge in human rights and political correctness any more. Call him a racist or a bigot, but he’s hit the nail on the head. Countries need to start shutting their doors and tightening their immigration policies before things get worse. This is bound to mitigate, if not eradicate, the current tide of attacks. Even that much is welcome for starters!
Islamic State expanding foothold in Afghanistan
Tailpiece
There is outrage in the UK over frontal nudity in a promiscuous dating show (‘Naked Attraction’) on television that sees contestants baring all in a bid to find love. I am not sure what all the fuss is about. I see nothing wrong in sexual frankness. The show was openly advertised as one that would offer gratuitous nudity and voyeurism so I wonder why the moral crusaders who are feeling offended even tuned in to begin with.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2016.