Sunday, November 15, 2015

When is terrorism not terrorism?

What happened this weekend in Paris is horrific, a heinous act of terror against innocent civilians. It is however only the most recent such attack this year against innocents by radical Islamist terror groups affiliated with Al Qaeda/Islamic State/Boko Haram/Al Shebab.

Over 200 Russian civilians were murdered recently when ISIS/Da"esh blew up a civilian airliner. Facebook didn't suggest changing my profile pic to the Russian flag. 100 Turkish civilians were murdered in a recent bombing of a pro-Kurdish peace rally in Ankara. No rash of Turkish or Kurdish solidarity flags. In recent days scores have been killed in terror attacks in Beirut and in Iraq. Most Western news outlets barely covered the story. in August 20 civilians were killed and over a hundred wounded in a terror attack in Bangkok. It drew media coverage and concern largely because of fears for Western tourists.

In April this year 147 Kenyan students, mostly Christians, were massacred by Al Shebab terrorists in their college. The New York Times described the murderers as "militants" and no one changed their FB profile to a Kenyan flag in solidarity with the people of Kenya.

20 people were killed in Cameroon by a 13 year-old suicide bomber this July. One of several such attacks in this West African nation. Last month 38 people were murdered and dozens injured in a double suicide bombing in the Chadian capital N'Djamena. There have been numerous terrorist shootings and suicide bombings in Mali and Nigeria this year, many "small" scale Boko Haram attacks on villagers in neighbouring Niger and Chad, shootings, throat slittings, beheadings and the like. They were barely reported in the international media. When is the last time anyone changed their FB picture to the flag of Mali in solidarity with this nation's suffering at the hands of al-Qaida/Boko Haram?

The only reason you heard about the massive terror attack in Sousse, Tunisia in June was that most of the 38 people murdered were Western tourists, hence it was a terror attack and the perpetrator was not simply a "militant".

And you wonder that no one seems to care about the wave of terror attacks in Israel or cares about a few murdered Israeli civilians?

If it doesn't happen in Western Europe or North America it hasn't really happened and probably isn't really terror and those probably aren't really innocent victims.