War of the Worlds, Part Two

I remember living in London through the Provisional IRA bombing in the 70s. I saw the very first car-bomb explode against the Old Bailey in 1972. There was no warning that time, but after a while a certain etiquette developed.


And, even as I detested the people who might have just as soon have blown me up as anyone else, I was aware there were ancient disputes involved, and that there was a potential political solution.


Nothing of the sort applies in this case. We know very well what the "grievances" of the jihadists are.


The grievance of seeing unveiled women. The grievance of the existence, not of the State of Israel, but of the Jewish people. The grievance of the heresy of democracy, which impedes the imposition of sharia law. The grievance of a work of fiction written by an Indian living in London. The grievance of the existence of black African Muslim farmers, who won't abandon lands in Darfur. The grievance of the existence of homosexuals. The grievance of music, and of most representational art. The grievance of the existence of Hinduism. The grievance of East Timor's liberation from Indonesian rule. All of these have been proclaimed as a licence to kill infidels or apostates, or anyone who just gets in the way.



Christopher Hitchens pretty much sums up what I was talking about yesterday. The terrorists who have attacked New York, Washington, Madrid, London and other places around the world, are not interested in addressing political issues, but about imposing a totalitarian agenda. It is a case of religious fundamentalism, faith-based violence that brokes no compromise.

If you want another example, read this story about the killer a Dutch filmaker last fall. The words are chilling.