Terrorism, Coming Soon to Your Neighborhood?
"I'm afraid we are seeing an increase in radicalization [of Islamic communities] in the Netherlands." Tjibbe Joustra, the Dutch national coordinator for counterterrorism, told the Washington Post by telephone interview on July 20, 2006. "In their search for motivation and their search for reasons to radicalize, they are no longer looking so much at national issues as international ones."
Swiss and Dutch officials comment that they are seeing an increase in Islamic extremist activities in their countries and they are not alone. France, Spain, India, and Thailand are also experiencing increased terrorist activities tied to Al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist groups as well.
More alarming is that some terrorist activities now being played out by small extremist factions that don't even have ties to Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, or the other major terrorist players. This fact of localization and starter-cells is documented by the intensive investigation done by Spanish authorities after the al Qaeda-like train attacks of March 11, 2004. Spanish authorities have uncovered that these "local terrorists" had not received training in any terrorist camp nor had they received any underground funding. The cell responsible for the train bombings appears to have coalesced as a group from a local mosque and then planned and funded their own attacks.
This is alarming news to everyday citizens. We seem to think that the worldwide terrorist network is run like a government or large company with clear hierarchy and a chain of command. That if we root out the leaders of these organizations the attacks will stop. Not the case anymore! Small local Islamic extremist terror self-starter cells are now choosing to act alone without the support of the larger terrorist organizations. The situation is alarming and clearly indicates that winning a war on terror that has spread to this small local level will be most difficult.
There must be a solution to solve this thorny and growing problem.
Swiss and Dutch officials comment that they are seeing an increase in Islamic extremist activities in their countries and they are not alone. France, Spain, India, and Thailand are also experiencing increased terrorist activities tied to Al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist groups as well.
More alarming is that some terrorist activities now being played out by small extremist factions that don't even have ties to Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, or the other major terrorist players. This fact of localization and starter-cells is documented by the intensive investigation done by Spanish authorities after the al Qaeda-like train attacks of March 11, 2004. Spanish authorities have uncovered that these "local terrorists" had not received training in any terrorist camp nor had they received any underground funding. The cell responsible for the train bombings appears to have coalesced as a group from a local mosque and then planned and funded their own attacks.
This is alarming news to everyday citizens. We seem to think that the worldwide terrorist network is run like a government or large company with clear hierarchy and a chain of command. That if we root out the leaders of these organizations the attacks will stop. Not the case anymore! Small local Islamic extremist terror self-starter cells are now choosing to act alone without the support of the larger terrorist organizations. The situation is alarming and clearly indicates that winning a war on terror that has spread to this small local level will be most difficult.
There must be a solution to solve this thorny and growing problem.
I like to think of myself as educated, enlightened, certainly not bigoted. Yet with the continuing news of arab terrorist threats and the reality of weekly bombings in other parts of the world, I find the threads of unreasonable fear starting to weave themselves into my psyche. I liken it to the bigotry my parents and many other middle class whites of their generation seem to have for black people. I have always tried to rise above my parents' fears and while I don't feel I have completely succeeded, my children have. For them people are people; their color truly doesn't matter.
This past weekend an Middle Eastern couple pulled up to the curb of the house next door which is for sale. The man had a full dark beard and wore a headpiece. The woman was dressed in the long black robe and hood you see on Middle Eastern women on TV. He called to me from the open car window and when I went over, handed me his cell phone and asked me to call the listing agent. I wasn't sure whether it was because his English was somewhat marginal or because he thought the agent wouldn't talk to an arab. As it turned out, the agent was closed and we only got a recording. The couple drove away.
What I didn't like was the way I felt about the meeting. Based only on their appearance and fractured English, I felt uncomfortable. Do I think the man was a terrorist or would bring terrorists into my neighborhood? No. But I found myself thinking of this couple in the stereotypes learned from news headlines instead of as individuals. I found myself not disliking them really, but feeling uncomfortable with the differences in dress and in purported customs and values as gleaned from the news.
Frankly, I am appalled at myself. The flames of fear are being fanned by the media daily. I live in a community noted for its tolerance and ethnic variety. Yet for all the cultural diversity in my neighborhood, there are few arabs and none in my neighborhood.
I have always believed that people are pretty much the same from culture to culture. We fight the same daily battles, raise our children, go to our jobs, take care of our homes -- the commonalities are numerous. Why then when we meet someone from a different culture do we focus so greatly on the differences that separate us? Why not instead celebrate those differences and focus on the things we have in common? I am tired of living in fear. I want to live in harmony.
Why is it that society marginalizes and excludes the newest minority to seek shelter.
Posted by Secret Citizen | Fri Jul 28, 09:58:00 PM EDT
You raise some very important points Secret Citizen. Cultural differences make for misunderstanding if we allow ourselves to react without thought that people are truly the same on the inside.
This has been a very important issue for many mainstream Muslims and one reason why many Muslim immigrants in Europe tend to live in self-segregated communities compounding certain problems. It is a comfort factor. Everyone wants to be accepted by their community on a deep inner level.
Posted by The Watcher | Sat Jul 29, 06:21:00 AM EDT