FT.com / Comment & analysis / Comment – Engage Muslim support or lose the war on terror
It still much too early to draw any definitive lessons from the terrorist attack that struck London. We do not know enough about the background, the plan and the perpetrators.
One possible conclusion is that the attack was a failure from the viw of the attacker. More than 50 people lost their lives, but this is a far cry from either New York in 2001 or Madrid in 2004.
Financial markets hardly registred the event. London life goes on as before. The world has adjusted to a new normality, which regrettably includes these sorts of attacks.
The September 11 attack in 2001 against New York and Washingon was probably more succesful than its planners had anticipated. Although one of the aircrafts failed to reach its designated target in Washington – either the White House or the Capitol – this was ambly compensated for by the physical collapse of the World Trade Center in New York, which could hardly have been anticipated.
But this attack against London in fact achieved very little. It was a coordinated strike along the Madrid model against innocent humans where they are mostly found – on trains, buses and in subways – but it failed to paralyze the city or the nation to any significant extent.
Londoners had seen terrorism before, and to some extent they were even anticipating it.
So, the first preliminary conclusions concerns the diminishing effectiveness and the diminishing returns on these attacks, without in any way diminishing the magnitude of the threat they represent.
If this – in the context of things – is slightly reassuring, the second conclusion is far less so.
For the first time we see suicide bombers appearing in Europe, and these seems not to be coming from somewhere else, but from these countries themselves. The hearth of the threat is in Europe itself.
We’ll learn much more in due time. But the one reassuring and the one disturbing preliminary conclusion still merits and rather profound debate on where we are heading.
The contribution of Anatol Lieven in the Financial Times yesterday is an important part of that debate.
Alla Dessa Dagar 
Protecting democracy, yes, but what kind of democracy do we have when people in many European states are prevented from casting their votes on immigration politics – the most important political issue of all, because wrong handled it may trigger terror and even wars?
The remains of dictatorship in Europe poses the real threat, because it triggers new threats all the time.
We have to deal with our own shortcomings before any kind of extremism could be handled properly.
The importance of democratic values cannot be overestimated.
”The hearth of the threat is in Europe itself.
We’ll learn much more in due time.”
I beg to differ, your kind will probably never learn. Like Neville Chamberlein. Except perhaps forgetting history, and hope that the ones listening to you are clueless sheeps aswell suffering from common amnesia.
While at it, any more suggestions to billion reward terrorist Jew-killers of the ”Palestinians” in international aid?
Got to appreciate the irony here in the slightly skewed selection of people who chose to raise their voices.
First a sort-of xenophobe, borderlining racist from what I’ve gathered in previous posts, and when it seems it can’t get any better, Simulev rears his ugly head. I’d love to see the two of you duke it out ”in the flesh.”
But you have great synergy though from one perspective. That is perhaps the biggest irony here. If one takes a ”Sven”, a ”Simulev” and a typical ”terrorist” they will have much more in common with each other than with the rest of us.
I’m sorry. Even though we haven’t seen the end of this affair, I can safely deduce that you have both come to the wrong conclusions. This has got nothing to do with either immigration or Islam. It is more accurately another blowback as it were. Chickens coming home to roost. Karma. You get the idea.
One could even call it boomerang theory / effect by a slight stretch I suppose since much of the hard-line ideas that effectively break down civil society, seed what we have just witnessed are a result of militarism which in turn is largely due to international aggression. The more you push, the more ”they” will push back (in whatever minor way they can) and the more you’ll move (towards more violence).
It’s absurd not to expect some sort of blowback and it is absurd to expect that one can be ruthless abroad and not affect one’s society by one’s actions.
If there is one thing we should be wary of, it is political forces from the entire spectrum trying to further their own ambitions and claim to power. Political forces trying to legitimize themselves by touting ant-terror laws and data retention folly. I.e. dismantling the so called ”open society” that ”terrorists” are said to despise so much. The only thing one can be sure of is that both the powers that be and the ”terrorists” are playing for the other team.
You are mr Bildt’s alter ego perhaps?
”this affair”
…has so far resulted in some 50 dead, and another 700 wounded for life. Civilians -non military- as primary targets, I might mind you.
And yet another democracy suffering from the ”minority” Muslim terrorist aggression attack. Perhaps you want to count the states in the world where a specific religion is a owerwhelming contributing factor? Perhaps for instance thai’s are ”racists” as well, for not being happy seing their civilians being blown up? If injustice should be the measurement, then Dalai Lama and his followers, the (remaning) tibetian people should be the worst, still I have yet not seen anyone buddhist targeting and massmurdering civilians, howcome?
So, if Hamas is a peacepartner for Israel, then Al-Quaida is a peace partner for UK and the rest of the terrorist apologists.
The totalitarian nature of Islam affects and takes control over every aspect of society and human life, a kind of marxism similar to the Swedish socialdemocracy.
The rigorous legislation keeps people in slavery. There is, however, one aspect of life where the muslim is free to judge and act by himself and feel like an individual, that is when it comes to punishing non-muslims, whose lives per islamic definition are worth nothing.
If it wasn´t for the effectiveness of the brainwashing procedures within dictator regimes, however, uprisings would easily overthrow them and a peaceful world grow.
Alter ego? Well. Someone has to stand up and protest or madness will reign unopposed.
First of all, as regrettable as it is, 50 dead, 700 wounded is peanuts in the grand scheme of things. Compare it to the number of people who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan in the name of freedom. And if one were to venture back in time, there are more pointless conflicts than anyone care to recollect. I call that hypocrisy when one values one life over another.
Second of all, it would be a mistake to think this is all about Islam. Or that Islam is ”totalitarian” (all religions are in a sense, especially monotheistic ones).
And quite frankly, Christianity has a far worse history.
As for why said Buddhists don’t plant bombs it really doesn’t matter. Even if it were due to their faith, it’s a statistical footnote (and there are Buddhist ”terrorists”, it’s just a question of news coverage and defining what ”acts of terrorism” are).
Most people don’t get or don’t care (sadly) about the very real, worldly, injustices that are indeed worth fighting against. Hence, the religious ploy works as a recruitment basis and making sense of rather senseless actions, thwarting cognitive dissonance. But going from that to thinking that suicide bombings or whatever is all about Islam is a bit of a stretch. When you look at many if not most ”terror organizations”, you’ll see that they are often politically motivated or driven by injustices and only using religion as a recruitment basis and a flimsy sort of justification.
Buying into the superficial ploy makes you no better than the suckers who allow themselves to become walking bombs. I suspect that the leaders of aforementioned ”terror” groups know this as well.
I think Björn said it best here. ”Superficial” is the defining word when it comes to many of the comments I’ve read on this blog since I started reading it.
I for one value being able to read Mr. Bildt’s thoughts on world events. I see no point in spewing out hatred over someone elses opinions. Constructive criticism is always interesting though.
”Alter ego? Well. Someone has to stand up and protest or madness will reign unopposed.”
Take a long deep look in the mirror, and you will find just that.
”50 dead, 700 wounded is peanuts in the grand scheme of things.”
Oh, what a lovely humanitarian you turned out to be. Tell you what, why don’t you preach that to the surviving victims or the relatives of the dead?
”Compare it to the number of people who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan in the name of freedom.”
Prior the liberation you mean perhaps under Taliban-rule or dictator Saddam? While at it, please be so kind and inform which US military commander that, unpunished of course, has ordered to specifically target and massacre non-combatants civilians in massmurder?
Seems you have a large problem separating from just military actions an unjust terrorist aggressions. But as it turns out, that’s of course not your only flaw in the illogic’s.
”And if one were to venture back in time, there are more pointless conflicts than anyone care to recollect. I call that hypocrisy when one values one life over another.”
Well how nice to know that you consider Fritz the death camp waffen SS guard at least for a minimum equal to his innocent defenseless civilian minor victims.
”Second of all, it would be a mistake to think this is all about Islam.”
Oh, so now we shouldn’t even believe when the Muslim Arabs with joy celebrates the martyrs in the Jihad, religious war in Allah’s (Islam’s) name, when proudly admitting and taking claim for the ongoing atrocities?
On TV one can watch the …
‘Head of London Center for Islamic History Hani Siba’i: In Islam, There Are No Such Things as Civilians; Al-Qaeda ”rubbed the noses of the world’s eight most powerful countries in the mud”‘
Mr Bildt stated…
”We do not know enough about the background, the plan and the perpetrators.”
Yes, we do. You perhaps dont.
So let me, again, help to fill the rest of your blanks. ”Annihilate the Infidels”
A Study of the Ongoing Anti-British Religious Hatred in the PA
Perhaps Mr Bildt can, along with the rest of the EU politicans, continue to vouch for suggesting and endorsing yet even more EU economic billion fundings and aid along with moral support to these kind of peaceful people? That of course are operating under the full protection of Mr Abbas PA terror wannabe authority?
From time immemorial…
Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
Europe will, once again, harvest what they have planted, that is the ”first London lesson”.
Björn Hallberg, I would like to thank you for a thorough analysis of terrorism. Unlike others here who have a propensity to oversimplify the root causes of terrorism, your analysis is elaborate. First, a few incontrovertible facts are appropriate here: Islam does NOT condone terror nor unjustified killing of innocent civilians. This is irrefutable! Even those vaguely familiar with Islam know this.
To be able to understand what causes terrorism, we must take into account the following aspects: imperialism, the U.S. hegemony, the grossly flawed foreign policy of the U.S. and the imposition of the Western values on the third world countries.
Blaming everything on Islam is indicative of parochialism and gross oversimplification and overgeneralization. Most Muslims are peace-loving people who live in harmony with their neighbors. It is a well known fact that Islam preaches tolerance, piety and compassion. If someone commits a heinous crime in the name of Islam then he is not a true Muslim because a true Muslim would never commit such a crime in the first place!
Björn Hallberg, I would like to thank you for a thorough analysis of terrorism. Unlike others here who have a propensity to oversimplify the root causes of terrorism, your analysis is elaborate. First, a few incontrovertible facts are appropriate here: Islam does NOT condone terror nor unjustified killing of innocent civilians. This is irrefutable! Even those vaguely familiar with Islam know this.
To be able to understand what causes terrorism, we must take into account the following aspects: imperialism, the U.S. hegemony, the grossly flawed foreign policy of the U.S. and the imposition of the Western values on the third world countries.
Blaming everything on Islam is indicative of parochialism and gross oversimplification and overgeneralization. Most Muslims are peace-loving people who live in harmony with their neighbors. It is a well known fact that Islam preaches tolerance, piety and compassion. If someone commits a heinous crime in the name of Islam then he is not a true Muslim because a true Muslim would never commit such a crime in the first place!
Alan Kocevic said ”It is a well known fact that Islam preaches tolerance, piety and compassion…”
The Choran states death penalty for its defectors and many other ”crimes”.
Islam is a strange and dangerous sect kept together only by the threat of violence. Facing a threat most people obey and keep silent, the case in Sweden, where people are forced by threat to hail its own ethnical destruction and other pervertions.
Sven, what you are saying is sheer nonsense and has no basis in fact. Islam is a peaceful religion that teaches its adherents tolerance, empathy and compassion. I suggest you read a book called Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality by one of the foremost experts on Islam John Esposito before making such preposterous comments about Islam.
In case you forgot, perhaps you should consult a history book and check who welcomed Jews that were expelled from Spain.
Sven, you must differentiate between Islam and political Islam. These are two different things: while the former teaches non-violent solutions to any given problem, the latter is prepared to realize its goals by any means necessary.
There isn´t much tolerance within the muslim world.
Maybe we should suppress womans rights and deny many other basic human rights too, but it seems a bit outdated from western standpoint and have nothing to do with democracy, which is rejeced as an ”invention”.
Updating Islam is strongly forbidden according to the Choran, which declares to have got the answers to any questions, thus, final solutions to execute.
It´s for our very best…
In a sense our society (Sweden and others) has got something in common with Islam. Both rely on dictatorship and will eventually stick together.
(Nationalsocialism has transformed into ”internationalsocialism”.)
Preventing people from casting their votes on the new EU-constituion, for instance, and much more of the same sort will accelerate this process, which seems inevitable at this moment.
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