This past week shook France and the world as three connected Al Qaeda/ ISIS inspired terrorists paralyzed the iconic Parisian city of elegance, food, fashion and art, killing in their wake, in three separate incidents,17 victims, before they were neutralized. The victims included eleven journalists from a satirical periodical “Charlie Hebdo”, two law officers and finally four Jews in a Kosher Supermarket. Not since 9/11 were nations so riveted as the needless, purposeless wanton carnage with its aftermath played out live on 24/7 television coverage. Ostensibly these cold blooded murders were perpetrated as a revenge for the desecration of the prophet Mohammed who had been blasphemed by the public reproduction of his image and then further humiliated by these images being crude cartoons. It is difficult to see this act of terror in those terms because the holy Koran, which they purported to defend, does not make any reference to blasphemy nor any to the creation of images of the revered prophet Mohammed.
For the record the Jews in the supermarket had nothing to do with the parodies. The latter's execution resulted in the eruption of the festering topic of anti - semitism in France which has been near the boil for some time. The supermarket butchery was labelled by the French President Hollande as a terrifying act of anti semitism. In the climate of the resulting increasing Jewish emigration from France, the French Prime Minister had maintained, just prior to the Kosher Supermarket slaughter, that if a hundred thousand Jews would leave France it would no longer be France and the French Republic would have failed.
COMMON PURPOSE OF MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALISTIC TERROR GROUPS AND NATIONS
These massacres need to be seen for what they are - fascist murderous actions, when written large, that are similar to the actions of the Nazis who wished, in their pursuit of world domination, to eliminate all the deviants and Jews. Pretending anything else is deception and denial which leads one to think that the Western and Eastern world will not wake up to the fact that the holy Jihad being perpetuated by the Muslim fundamentalists is a war to the bitter end. While the focus, for the moment, is in France all countries face this threat and all rationalizations to isolate and fragment all the issues related to it, are naive.
It is impossible to see each and every one of these activities, regardless of whether they are on a big stage or a smaller one, outside of the objectives of Al Qaeda and ISIS and a host of other unashamedly terrorist organizations and nations that have the same intent. The fact that they all these entities are in different arenas ostensibly involved in diverse conflicts, are not always ad idem and in some instances at odds with each other, does not make their diabolical aspirations any less obvious. We have Syria and Iran, for example, whose modus operandi and philosophy is from the savage dark ages and while at war with one another their credo, Muslim fascist genocidal fundamentalism, is the same.
The ultimate objective is to dominate and control the world. Now this may seem melodramatic but why else are they doing what they are doing? Why does Iran want a nuclear bomb? Why do we have the creation of ISIS who are in the process of carving out a caliphate in the Middle East while ruthlessly perpetuating genocide on Jews, Christians and the infidel Muslims. What is Al Qaedo’s ultimate objective when it has finally shown its metal by terrorizing the West and toppled opposition Muslim governments? What does one believe the next step is when one of them finally dominates the Muslim world - to live happily ever after in peace with the rest of mankind? If that was their goal why are they are inciting violence in the Frances , Americas and the UKs of this world? Their endpoint is world domination.
The current situation in France bares some analysis as its circumstances are replicated in many non Muslim countries throughout the world.
MUSLIMS AND FRANCE
Of all of Europe, France has the highest population of Muslims. Although by some estimates the number should be six million only two million declare themselves as such. They represent seven and half percent of the French population. They also provide the bulk, sixty to seventy percent, of the prison population and a large fraction of the French unemployed and poverty stricken.The majority of these face the same dilemma as Muslims in other countries - how do they avoid the contamination and opprobrium of the international Jihadists and the fact that nearly every other terrorist incident in the past five decades have been perpetuated by Muslims?
The pool of potential trained fundamentalist terrorists can immediately increase by at least another one thousand which is the number of French nationals that are in Iraq and Syria fighting the good fight. The number, could grow exponentially if all those that were released from prison in the nineties and the first decade of the second millennium were added to the list as logic would dictate they should be. There could well be “sleepers” among them as the surest way to avoid surveillance is to stay off the radar for a few years. The Kouachi brothers, the actors in the Charlie Hebdo bloodbath, were dropped from observation in spite of their red flag profiles as they were seen to be inactive for a few years.
The pool of potential trained fundamentalist terrorists can immediately increase by at least another one thousand which is the number of French nationals that are in Iraq and Syria fighting the good fight. The number, could grow exponentially if all those that were released from prison in the nineties and the first decade of the second millennium were added to the list as logic would dictate they should be. There could well be “sleepers” among them as the surest way to avoid surveillance is to stay off the radar for a few years. The Kouachi brothers, the actors in the Charlie Hebdo bloodbath, were dropped from observation in spite of their red flag profiles as they were seen to be inactive for a few years.
Unhappily Jabbar’s rational assessment of the devastation does not cut it in the real world and the political reality is that the onus is on the Muslim leadership, in particular, to be in the forefront of condemnation. This particularly where the radicalization of these French perpetrators, as is often the case, was at the hands of radical Islamic Imams. Regardless of what sane Muslims believe their religion has been hijacked by fanatics who are dragging them down with them.
In this vein the President of Egypt el Sisi, addressing the Al Ahzar Islamic Center three weeks ago implored the Imams to “revolutionize Islam”. “Honorable Imam you bear the responsibility before Allah… the Islamic nation is being torn apart destroyed and heading to perdition”. el Sisi suggested that the Imams were confusing ideology with religion. el Sisi recognizes the danger of fundamentalism handcuffing the Muslim world and has been brutal in his response to it.
JEWS, ANTISEMITSM AND FRANCE
France is the third most populous State for the minuscule worldwide population of Jews who only represent half a percent of the planet’s population. The latest estimate put the number in France at four hundred and seventy - five thousand. If one looks at the pervasiveness of the age old prejudice of anti - semitism as it manifests in today’s France it explains why Le Figaro reported, that following the recent outrage, the fear among French Jews was “palpable”.
The International Business Times, in a piece bylined by Zoe Mintz, reported that in 2013, forty percent of all crime committed in France was directed towards the Jewish Community. The article quoted the following figures provided by the Jewish Protection Service for that year: 423 anti - semitic acts, 318 threats, 49 acts of violence, 53 acts of vandalism and an attempt at homicide. While the article did not give a breakdown of who the perpetrators there was an irresistible inference that they came from predominantly the Muslim fundamentalists.
An analysis of the last three years shows that there were several serious anti semitic episodes, the worst of which was the murder of a rabbi and three children at a school in Tolouse in 2012. There were attacks in and around synagogues both in 2013 and 2014 including two being burned, and a rabbi and his son stabbed. Towards the end of last year a jewess was raped and robbed while in July a young 17 year old girl was pepper sprayed.
Most disturbing was an online social wave of the youth who imitated a French comedian M’bala M’bala's reverse Nazi salute. Some of these post photos of themselves in front of synagogues doing the salute. When one of M’Bala’s shows was banned there was an anti semitic march in Paris where tens of thousands, which included all right wing militants, shouted abuse at the jews and Zionists.
Most disturbing was an online social wave of the youth who imitated a French comedian M’bala M’bala's reverse Nazi salute. Some of these post photos of themselves in front of synagogues doing the salute. When one of M’Bala’s shows was banned there was an anti semitic march in Paris where tens of thousands, which included all right wing militants, shouted abuse at the jews and Zionists.
This litany of anti semitism events has continued even in the aftermath of the murders at the supermarket as there were extremist demonstrations in the Paris suburb known as “Little Jerusalem”. This, to say the least in the supposed mood of kumbiyah, is depressing. It remains to be seen how Francois Hollande’s appearance at the Great Synagogue as part of France’s unity celebration will impact the current climate of despair and ”palpable fear”.
Last year double the number of French citizens, well over 7,000, sought aliyah to Israel as compared to emigrants from the USA. While a similar number was projected for 2015 the potential figure has to be higher in the aftermath of this black week. The fact that the families of the victims in the Kosher Supermarket elected Jerusalem for their burial may well be symbolic of where France’s jewry is at.
ISRAEL AND FRANCE
To say the least Israeli and French relations have been strained of late. Israel considered that France’s vote for statehood for Abbas was treachery. France backtracked and maintained that the purpose was to force the two antagonists around a table. This did not wash as Abbas had very publicly served notice that was where he did not want to be having walked out on the USA Kerry initiative. This he did by betraying a very important tenet of those nine month discussions by seeking international “solutions” before exhausting every possibility for an accord. He went straight to the Security Council and when that failed the International Court of Justice in the teeth of concessions that America and Israel were prepared to make. France could not maintain that they were ignorant of the circumstances as the USA canvassed, in their successful effort to deny Palestine Security Council sanction for statehood, the Fatah rejection of the peace proposals.
In the midst of the terrorist crisis and the Supermarket hostage saga, French President Hollande was in constant telephonic communication with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Apparently the latter was informed of the outcome before anyone else. Jay H. Ell was immediately struck by the significance of this circumstance and was amazed that it was not commented on in the wall to wall media coverage. On its face Hollande was dealing with a domestic catastrophe which involved French Citizens so why was he conferring with Israel just because some of the victims were jews who had presumably been in France for several generations? He was not contacting the Algerian government about the Kouachi brothers whose parents had immigrated to France. Implicit in this interchange is Hollande’s acceptance of the connection of jews in the diaspora to Israel, particularly as a refuge, an interpretation which Netanyahu jumped on.
Hollande it is reported in the Israeli press was not to keen to have Netanyahu present. He supposedly did not want to turn this into a propaganda exercise for Israel. Netanyahu originally agreed but when he finally decided he was going after all, an invitation was extended to him and Abbas. Hollande making the best of the situation Netanyahu was treated as the guest of honor. The French President had also had to have been fearful of Netanyahu’s penchant to take over the show which indeed he did, being prominent and grabbing the headlines in visits to the Kosher Supermarket and the Great Synagogue.
Netanyahu unabashedly told the French Jews, “To come home”. When he arrived at the historic Great Synagogue in Paris on Sunday he was greeted like the messiah. The Israeli PM took the opportunity to make the point that he has been his cri de coeur all along and is his most powerful argument in Israel’s decades long struggle with the Palestinians: “They may have different names ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, Al Shabob, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah but all of them are driven by the same bloodthirsty hatred and fanaticism. We understand that we are in a common battle for our future”.
Hamas on its official Facebook page published a picture of all three male Parisian terrorists with the caption, “The martyrs that were dispatched by God, the heroes of Paris”. Hamas, following Israel’s comparison between them and the French terrorists withdrew their Facebook dispatch and condemned only the Charlie Hebdo murders and not those in the Kosher Supermarket.
Much as the French European right were using this for their electoral ambitions so were Netanyahu and his chief coalition partners Lieberman and Bennett who climbed on the band wagon and joined their chief in the unity march against terrorism.The latter attracted an estimated million and a half people and forty heads of State.
WHERE TO NOW?
* Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post hit the nail on the head when she attacked the arguments, to date, that have been put forward by the West as to why there is all this violence towards them by Muslim extremist countries and terror groups. To embellish on her oped essay the burden of the message is; if this terrorist attack didn’t convince the world that as wrong as waterboarding is, that is not what has spurred the Jihad; as decadent as the West allegedly is that is not why Iran wants a nuclear bomb; however untenable it is to keep over a hundred innocents in perpetuity in Gitmo, that is not the reason for ISIS and Al Qaedo barbarism; and as immoral as it is to put up settlements on the West Bank that is really not the issue with the Palestinians as peace talk after peace talk has shown. What is at stake is which Jihad faction is going to gain control of the Muslim world and then attempt the domination of the world itself.
* A topic that has been studiously avoided to date has to be faced head on if terrorism is to be stamped out and that is that terrorism by whoever has to be obsessionally opposed. What in fact is a terrorist organization and what is a freedom fighter entity? While there is not a universally accepted definition of terrorism let us take the UNO definition for starters, which definition is in line with the fact that terrorism equals terrorism: “Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for a political purpose are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them”. Even by that narrow definition Hamas falls into the terrorism rubric.
It is salutary to note that Mandela’s liberation movement, Umkhonto we Sizwe, justified its existence in that they would assiduously strive not to cause loss of life and many a sortie was called off as the risk was calculated as being too high. Mandela issued instructions that he would not countenance the loss of life as sabotage of government installations was the target.
It is salutary to note that Mandela’s liberation movement, Umkhonto we Sizwe, justified its existence in that they would assiduously strive not to cause loss of life and many a sortie was called off as the risk was calculated as being too high. Mandela issued instructions that he would not countenance the loss of life as sabotage of government installations was the target.
* As Yossi Klein Halevi, the American born Israeli who is an activist for reconciliation between the three monotheistic religions and peace in the region, claimed in the aftermath of Paris, “For years we have been watching the international community getting worked up about terrorism everywhere except Israel”.
* It remains to be seen how far the initiative started by the Egyptian President will result in the Muslims organizing and determinedly separating themselves from those who are reeking havoc on the world stage.
* It will be intriguing to follow whether the French establishment is able to persuade the Jews to remain in their country of birth. Emigration is a monumental step and considered to be as great a stress situation as the death of a spouse. Many would be giving up their positions and livelihoods. However, the “never again” cry of Netanyahu has to be resonating in the current climate of France while the reassurances of the powers that be have to have a ring about them similar to those issued by the German establishment to a jittery Jewish population in the 1930’s.
Maybe the French government’s deployment of the military to protect jewish institutions in the hangover of the recent cataclysm will not be enough to undo the perceptions and experience of the past years in France. If jews do emigrate in their droves it will be a dramatic change in the world order.
Maybe the French government’s deployment of the military to protect jewish institutions in the hangover of the recent cataclysm will not be enough to undo the perceptions and experience of the past years in France. If jews do emigrate in their droves it will be a dramatic change in the world order.
* Another question is what adjustments will the international community make as their current security infrastructure is not nearly designed to meet the threat? Unanswered is what abrogations to individual liberty will be accepted and tolerated by differing societies. The defendants of Snowden begin to look quaint in this context. The USA, for example, has estimated to have between five hundred to eight hundred thousand persons on the “no fly” list. If it is argued that you need anything up to twenty - four agents to monitor a suspect 24/7 nearly twenty million agents would be needed to keep tabs on this group and that is not going to happen. The French have arrested about nine suspects in connection with these latest atrocities. By law they are only allowed to detain them for four to five days without charges. That is no way to fight a war! The balance between the rule of law and the protection of individual rights is going to be tightrope to walk and as always one does not want to throw the baby out with the bath water.
* Bearing in mind that the statistical probability is that a terrorist is of Muslim persuasion how do you narrow down your search without a demeaning profiling approach? By far the majority of the 1.2 billion Muslims have no truck with these barbarians and just in case it has slipped under the radar a Muslim police person was a victim of the Parisian attacks, a Muslim employee risked his life by hiding several potential victims in the supermarket carnage and a Muslim cleric lead the march against terrorism in Paris at great subsequent risk to himself.
* The fat lady hasn’t even put on her make up or even appeared in the wings let alone begun to sing in what has to be the beginning of a new chapter in the ongoing battle against the forces of darkness that the universe faces again and again in its struggle for peace and equity.
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