Islamist terror cannot be stopped by the security and intelligence services alone. It has to be fought culturally and economically. But the only cultural response that is going to beat them is the one that does not play their game.
It has to be based on the core values of European democracies – and this is true whether or not we like the eurozone or even the EU as institutions. Those core values reach back to the Enlightenment and the Renaissance; they are secular and humanist in action, even when carried out by people who are devout Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Where to start? Eradicate the slums, remove religious bigots from all educational contact with children and give kids brought up in obscurantist faiths an education that insists the prejudices of their parents may be mistaken. And find the young people jobs. [429 comments]
[TOP RATED COMMENT 375 votes] "Islamist terror cannot be stopped by the security and intelligence services alone. It has to be fought culturally and economically."
We had a culture once that would have done the job just fine. But multiculturalism came along and destroyed it.
Reap what you sow.
[SECOND 306] I guess it took the murder of journalists in the one of the great Western cities to finally convince the Guardian that tolerating the intolerant merely because they are by some definition an "oppressed" faith might actually make things worse.
[THIRD 268] Ah yes, the old, old left lie that poor people are prone to become terrorists.
The 9-11 murders were mostly upper or middle class. 75% of all Islamic terrorists come from the upper or middle class. 90% come from caring, intact families. 63% have gone to college, as compared with the 5-6% that’s usual for the third world.
So stop with the fairy tales already.
[FOURTH 263] Blimey, a Guardian article that concedes both the Euro and multiculturalism has failed.
Wonders will never cease, you should join UKIP Paul.
[FIFTH 247] "The only common culture that will survive the onslaught that IS and its allies are planning for Europe has to be built on two principles: first, religious tolerance and respect for migrants’ rights under international law..."
Tolerance?! How about the acceptance of migrants that they no longer live in an Islamic country and start acting as such?!
Why should I have to tolerate something that is completely alien to my culture and beliefs for goodness sake? [Guardian Cif] Read more
