editorial

Terrorism in Paris

Posted on by Caleb

By now you’ve likely heard of the horrid terrorist attack in Paris that claimed the lives of 12 people, including two police officers. The perpetrators are still at large, having escaped after a brief gunbattle with the outgunned Paris police. If you’re not up to speed, today in Paris at least two gunmen armed with AK variants and yelling “Allah Akbar” attacked the offices of a satirical French newspaper, killing 10 employees and two police officers. You can see brief footage of the attack here, which I should warn you is graphic and includes the execution of a wounded cop.

Here’s what 12 people lost their lives over today:

Charlie-Hebdo

A cartoon. Think about that for a second. Just sit and think about it. Imagine in the United States, if someone were to say, depict Jesus Christ as a sleezy con-artist who lies to women to get laid. Oh wait, what’s that? Someone did that just recently? It was on Family Guy’s Christmas episode a month or so ago? And yet no one burned Seth Macfarlane’s house down, no one got killed. Sure, some people got angry on twitter, but no one grabbed automatic weapons.

I need to be clear before we continue that there are plenty of rational, peaceful followers of Islams that do not support, condone, or encourage this kind of violence. I wish there were more of those people. The reason I wish there were more of those people is because Islam is largely represented by its worst members, the radical factions that do support and practice violence. The closest example I can think of would be if the Westboro Baptist Church was what people across the world thought of when they thought about Christians (and if the Westboro Baptist Church chopped people’s heads off on the internet). But the western world does a pretty good job of condemning our own extremists, people like McVeigh and Westboro. Why don’t I see the moderate Muslims doing the same thing in the wake of attacks like this?

I’m frustrated. I’m angry. I’m tired. I know that there are people who absolutely want to bring this kind of violence to our shores. Murdering people over cartoons. But, and this is important, that’s generally not here yet. We’re still America. We still have freedom of religion and we should continue to do allow people to practice whatever religion they see fit, including Islam. Maybe Islam won’t ever have a reformation, and will continue for another 1200 years trying to cut a bloody swatch of domination across the globe. But I do know one thing. Unless everyone agrees to stand up to radicals who terrorize in the name of Mohammed, the peaceful moderate Muslims will never even have a chance to become the voice of their religion.

Caleb

35 Comments

  1. More evidence of the “religion of peace”..NOT! The global Islamization movement is well underway and, unfortunately, condoned by the Progessives, Liberals, apathetic public and spineless politicians.

    1. We usually do. Think about that shooting in Vegas where the two cosplay-weirdos executed those cops. The first, and extremely vocal reaction from the pro-gun community was “fuck those guys, they’re not with us.”

      1. Weird it’s almost like muslims ARE constantly saying “that’s not us” in regards to terrorism, maybe it’s hard to hear that though if all you’re doing is reading guns and ammo magazine

        1. You have been drinking the “black cool aid,” I think. Check the stats…black on black crime kills way more than whitey! The “poor black communities” exist because the blacks have capitulated to the Liberal Democrats, listened to the B.S. from the Sharptons, Jacksons, Holders and Obamas. They are the underclass because of the ” great society,” promise me more, give me more. Where are the black families (that once included men) from the 50’s which were able to raise their legitimate children? Q.E.D.

  5. Caleb, I appreciate and respect your thoughts and perspective on the incident in Paris. More people like you need to inform all of the “want-to-be, and current radicals” that “many” of us will not stand for this. Thank you for the post!

  6. It is interesting, you said: “Islam is largely represented by its worst members, the radical factions that do support and practice violence” however, who is it that portrays/delivers this representation to the public?

  7. Maybe the greatest numbers have no terrorist inclinations themselves, after all, the people (collective) have to live their lives, feed their families, whatnot. However, you must remember that it’s their holy book itself that states the infidels must be either converted or decapitated, and there’s a concept called “taqiyya” that not only allows but encourages the faithful to use misdirection and even lies to the infidel in order to further the caliphate. In other words, you can’t really trust anything any of them says. I would love it if the “moderates” actually spoke for the whole, but after study, I can no longer trust any of them.

    1. “I would love it if the “moderates” actually spoke for the whole, but after study, I can no longer trust any of them.”

      Ditto!!

    2. were you describing islam? or scientology? at least the latter isn’t killing anyone… yet.

  8. Does it bow down on a prayer mat and face the east 5 times a day ?…Then kill it!

  9. When will white men stop going on murder sprees in schools and movie theaters? When will men stop killing people altogether? Somebody needs to say enough is enough and take care of the male problem this world has. Statistics don’t lie.

    Or wait, do generalizations only work for brown people exclusively, I forget?

    1. Philosophy is not limited by skin color: “White” converts to islam have played key roles in multiple domestic terrorist plots.

  10. This is why I can’t stand the gun community

    “DON’T TREAD ON ME, BUT GO AHEAD AND TREAD ON POOR BLACK COMMUNITIES”

    *shouts down black people* “ALL LIVES MATTER!!”

    2 seconds later

    “KILL ALL MUSLIMS”

      1. Caleb, I think Washington was responding to comments from Wally or Larry, not your article. At least that is where it seems to be pointing from my view.

        1. Sorry, reread the comment thread and see that Caleb was right ion the first place.

  11. Religion is not the cause, its an excuse. The culture and society behind it is what drives these acts, using Islam as an excuse and a rallying call.Islam itself is no more inherently violent than any other major religion. If you cherry pick quotes from any major religion there will be things that can be contorted justify to violent ends or would be condemned in modern society if followed word for word.

    I agree with most of what Caleb said but the bigoted regurgitation of conservative nonsense without any apparent independent thought that is being shown in some of these comments is really highlighting why our community has problems being taken seriously sometimes.

    2. THEIR CULTURE IS PRODUCT OF THEIR FUCKED UP RELIGION! What don’t you understand about that? It’s not sub-atomic physics, read their religious texts, see how they apply it, and realize why they continually kill each over stupid shit. Sure there are some muslims pretentiously following a peaceful path, because they either choose to cherry pick from the texts, or lack the fortitude to embrace Islam completely. Islam in its entirety should not be tolerated as a religion, and become reclassified for what it really is: a despicable child-raping, goat-fucking hate group!

  12. Very rightly stated, however, being a Muslim and living in a country which is fighting islamic terror for the last 10 years, I would say that there are more muslims which are fighting this type of terror than what is portrayed on the media. We have ahd over 40,000 casualties including military / civilian in the past 10 years in our fight against terror. Yet the nation is cracking down on the terrorists with a new resolve every day. We have to understand that these radicals do no follow islam. They are misguided by people playing a larger game of domination and power and religion has nothing to do with it. Last month, 140 children were rounded up and shot dead one after an other in a school in one ofo ur major cities.Such inhumane acts are not a part of any religion in the world. Islam clearly states that civilians, children and women are not to be touched and treated with respect even after victory. These were muslim children. From Muslim families. the message from the terror group behind the attack was “we want you to feel our pain”. Do you think the radicals, if they truly believed in supremacy of religion, would kill their own?. Islam is being used to control and brainwash the radicals. Unfortunately, now more than ever. And this is happening in every part of the world. Such terror attacks are making it difficult for muslims around the world to coexist, which is expected. I wish we would have a different world in the near future to wake upto. I wish we would change the world. I wish we eradicate this not just from our country, but from the world. Our army is cracking down on these with the full military might that we have including air strikes and landbased ops. The world has to stand united against this. This terror is totally against what Islam has taught us. We will eradicate this terror from our ranks, we will prevail in keeping the true spirit of Islam. We will not let these people hijack our religion. We will prevail.

    1. Tim, if you’re truly a “moderate” muslim, please tell us how you interpret the commands from your “religion” about murdering every non-muslim and to make Islam the dominant authority?

        1. FYI, comments with two or more links in them will automatically trigger the spam filter and be held for review until a moderator approves them.

        2. Then explain why there’s a huge disproportionate amount of radical islamists than say, suicide bombing Buddhists or Christians targeting whole schools of innocents in the modern era?

          There is something uniquely wrong with the Islamic principles. People can interpret anything a million different ways, but when there are patterns of actions too frequent to be statistical outliers, there is an associated problem that has to be admitted before it can be treated. These aren’t games, these are facts, and the more people realize their lives shouldn’t be dictated by a millennia old scam, they can start treating other humans with a lot more dignity.

          Am I saying all religion is bad? No, that’s great people can have faith in something. But when elements of your faith can be explicitly used against others, don’t be surprised when its legitimacy is seriously questioned. That’s why there is a general decline in hardcore religious groups in the western culture. Knowledge, and respecting human decency has unbound the control measures religion has used to stunt human progress for centuries. Islam, the submission, is the last fight against this enlightenment.

          This is a gun blog and I apologize for derailing this into a theological rant.

      2. Probably the same way I interpret old testament verses about wiping out entire cities down to the women and children.

      3. I do not know what is the source of your information about Islam but I will try to have present a structured answer. I have read the Quran multiple times myself and have read many authentic history books and interpretations by Islamic, Christian, and modern day western authors. Islam was one of my research areas in post grad.All this was just because I wanted to know what it is about in stead of being a muslim with blind faith just because I was born in a muslim family.

        First about the belief itself. Muslims believe in a long line of prophets sent by God onto this world including David, and Jesus and Muhammad. All of them are as respectable to us as any other. Muslims believes that God has reveled 4 holy books onto the world including the Zaboor, Torah (David), the holy bible and the Quran being the latest. Subsequently people belonging to all these faiths (Judaism, Christianity ) are called “people of the book” and are understood to pray to and believe in the very same god as muslims do. Muslims are allowed to live with, eat, pray, and even marry into the people of the book (not murder every non muslim).

        Islamic history is divided into two parts mainly. The life of the prophet, and post his passing. After the Quran itself, the belief is guided by the interpretation of the Quran by Prophet Muhammad himself through his life and his actions.

        When Muslims returned to Mekka post migration, all opposing people, including generals (even the biggest enemies of Islam who killed many kin of the prophet himself) were unconditionally pardoned by the Prophet. All warriors, families and children were allowed to continue their lives as they would including the freedom to practice their religion what so ever it was. There are many examples of this throughout the history. If islam commanded killing of all non muslims, how is that you would find that the major cities in the hundreds of years of islamic rule were always lived in, visited by, and traded with people from various religions.

        Again, just as radicals amongst us have found justifications to killing people and serving their own agenda (not one terrorist commander wants only to set up a Muslim government, all of them want to set up “THEIR OWN” Muslim government. They want to rule. Period.) people from all over the world can find justifications for serving their own agenda. Like murdering all Muslims. Its both ways.

        I just hope better sense prevails and we as humans, do benefit from the hundreds of years of civilization, progress enlightenment in stead of behaving like barbaric territorial animals. But I also believe that such problems need a decisive force component to solve. Look around, and you will see that it is the muslim population which is facing the majority of the brunt in their fight against terror. And rightly so, its our problem and we need to be on the forefront to correct it. Last week, a terrorist blast in Yemen killed 37 people. People dying in muslim countries fighting against this terror are in hundreds every week. Multiple muslim countries are engaged in military action against this terror. 9 Taliban commanders were hanged in my country in the last one week.

        Again, Muslims all around the globe are fighting this and sacrificing their lives while doing so. This is our war and we are fighting it. Let there be no doubt about our commitment, and our actions in ending this even if it requires lethal force.

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