By Faisal J. Abbas
27 June 2015
How much terrorism can the world take in 24 hours? Friday 26 June, 2015 will certainly go down in history as a day that pushed the limit.
Just in case the daily dose of evil committed by the likes of ISIS or Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq wasn’t enough, we witnessed three additional horrific attacks done in the name of Islam yesterday (and during the holy month of Ramadan, I might add!).
In Kuwait, a deadly bomb took the lives of 27 innocent people and injured 200 others in an ISIS attack on a Shiite mosque.
In the Tunisian resort town of Sousse, at least 39 innocent people were killed and dozens wounded when at least one ISIS gunman opened fire at a beachside resort. Meanwhile, a headless body and Islamist flags were found at the scene of an attack on a gas factory near France’s second largest city, Lyon.
Here is what will happen next: leaders of affected countries will visit the wounded and vow retaliation, world leaders and concerned parties will condemn, the press will talk about it for a few days.
Then, the story will die and terrorism will be forgotten – until it strikes again.
‘Quiet condoners’
The madness needs to stop. But this will not happen as long as there are Muslims who may not actively participate in these crimes but still think the likes of ISIS have grounds for what they are doing,
People might say the above argument echoes the rather unpopular (but accurate nevertheless) views of British PM David Cameron who recently accused many British Muslims of quietly condoning the ISIS ideology.
Now, while it remains a puzzle how anyone can agree – privately or publicly – with this group’s evil creed; one has to wonder if these “quiet condoners” realize that it is Muslims – and nobody else – who are ultimately being hurt the most?
Let us not forget that after almost each one of these attacks, hate crimes against Muslims increase and Muslim communities end up finding it harder to be accepted, to find jobs and to integrate.
Some might ask: what about Muslim grievances regarding occupied lands, unjust causes and unfair treatment, which these terrorist groups claim to be fighting for?
In response to that question, one can only ask how many of these grievances, while legitimate, have been solved by terrorism? If anything, the likes of ISIS and al-Qaeda has made these causes worse and much more complicated to resolve.
As simple as this truth is, many people refuse to see it and this is probably the reason why I remain extremely pessimistic about our region. Perhaps one positive thought remains. It is said that the night is darkest just before the dawn – I don’t think our night can get any darker!
Faisal J. Abbas is the Editor-in-Chief of Al Arabiya English, he is a renowned blogger and an award-winning journalist. Faisal covered the Middle East extensively working for Future Television of Lebanon and both Al-Hayat and Asharq Al-Awsat pan-Arab dailies. He blogs for The Huffington Post since 2008, and is a recipient of many media awards and a member of the British Society of Authors, National Union of Journalists, the John Adams Society as well as an associate member of the Cambridge Union Society.
Source: https://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2015/06/27/Are-we-living-Islam-s-darkest-hour-.html
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