The iconic Champs Elysees is beautifully lit up for the coming holidays. The city resonates with impromptu renditions of “La Marseillaise” and the slogan “Go out to the Bistrot!”
The stricken French capital and its defiant citizens are sending the message ‘Business as usual.’ In reality, however, nothing is the same since the Friday the 13th attacks; not only for France but also for the civilised world.
France is in a state of emergency, giving the police powers to knock down doors and make arrests. People merely suspected of being radicalised or having unsavoury friends are subject to house arrest and the concept of internment camps is under discussion. Authorities can block websites and seize phones without a judicial warrant. And for the first time France’s feisty population is prepared to relinquish a little liberty for security; understandable when Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) threatens more of the same.
Moreover the treaty allowing for the free passage of persons and goods through the Schengen zone is under debate. Following an emergency meeting of EU Justice and Interior ministers, it was agreed that the 26 member countries will tighten their borders involving checks of EU citizens. This move has put thousands of genuine refugees at great risk, warned the UN High Commissioner for Refugees last Friday.
“This is becoming increasingly untenable from every point of view—humanitarian, legal and also safety related, not least in light of falling temperatures and the risks for children and others with specific needs,” said a UNHCR spokeswoman. Sadly, the refugees have been made scapegoats. Most of the eight attackers were either French or Belgian-born citizens.
The Paris attacks have impacted the US more than anywhere else; never mind that security experts assert the risk there is minimal because it has far less home-grown radicals than Europe and maintains a database of everyone entering the country.
The House vote to pass a bill that virtually bars Syrian refugees from being resettled was a despicable knee-jerk reaction particularly when those who had been cleared were primarily the elderly, widows with children and orphans. More than half of all governors have refused to accept any Syrian refugee in their state.
Far worse has been the virulent anti-Muslim reactions of numerous Republican presidential front runners. Donald Trump has called for a database of all Muslims in the US so their movements can be tracked likened to the “J” stamped by the Nazis in the passports of German Jews.
Trump wants all mosques shut down. Marco Rubio goes one step further by advocating not only mosques but all the places where Muslims gather together be closed—“Whether it’s a cafe a diner or an internet site,” he told Fox News. Ben Carson says Syrian refugees should be screened like “rabid dogs,” although it’s now confirmed that the passports found close to the bodies of suicide bombers in Paris are fakes. Ted Cruz says only Christian refugees should be allowed in after undergoing religious tests which is blatant bigotry.
American politicians are overreacting, just as their predecessors did in response to the Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbour when thousands of Japanese-Americans were shamefully rounded-up and forced into internment camps. And again, post 9-11 when thousands of Muslims were detained without access to lawyers and, according to General Wesley Clark, seven predominantly Muslim countries were placed on the Pentagon’s invasion ‘to do’ list.
Hillary Clinton is one of the few voices of reason. “Turning away orphans, applying a religious test, discriminating against Muslims, slamming the door on every single Syrian refugee—that’s just not who we are. We are better than that.”
The tragedy is that this constant anti-Muslim drumbeat is exponentially heightening Islamophobia in both the US and Europe where the far-right is having a field day. Muslims in France complain they are being met with cold hard stares and are beginning to feel a sense of alienation. “Here we go again,” write American Muslims on social media with some admitting the changed climate and the prospect of a President Trump is making them fearful.
The hysterics need a reality check. Most of the Paris attackers were convincted petty criminals. One, Ebrahim Abdeslam, owned a bar and, according to his wife, abused alcohol and drugs. His brother Salah, still on the run, was a regular consumer of alcohol.
The woman killed during the police raid on two apartments was “a party girl” and a heavy drinker who posted photographs of herself in the bath. Friends revealed she never attended a mosque or was seen praying.
The ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, believed to be a confidante of the self-ascribed Caliph, drank and smoked marijuana. Syringes found at various addresses suggest others were under the influence of cocaine and heroin.
Let’s remember too that Daesh has killed many more Muslims than non-Muslims in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan, plus several Muslims were also killed on that fateful day. France’s Muslim communities are mourning too.
Refusing to recognise that those inhuman creatures are defacers of Islam’s message, pitting citizens against each other and painting all refugees as dangerous extremists plays right into the hands of Daesh. If their actions drive us apart and rob us of compassion, they’ll have won.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.
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Fear is changing who we are
Posted on November 27, 2015 by Linda S. Heard
The iconic Champs Elysees is beautifully lit up for the coming holidays. The city resonates with impromptu renditions of “La Marseillaise” and the slogan “Go out to the Bistrot!”
The stricken French capital and its defiant citizens are sending the message ‘Business as usual.’ In reality, however, nothing is the same since the Friday the 13th attacks; not only for France but also for the civilised world.
France is in a state of emergency, giving the police powers to knock down doors and make arrests. People merely suspected of being radicalised or having unsavoury friends are subject to house arrest and the concept of internment camps is under discussion. Authorities can block websites and seize phones without a judicial warrant. And for the first time France’s feisty population is prepared to relinquish a little liberty for security; understandable when Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) threatens more of the same.
Moreover the treaty allowing for the free passage of persons and goods through the Schengen zone is under debate. Following an emergency meeting of EU Justice and Interior ministers, it was agreed that the 26 member countries will tighten their borders involving checks of EU citizens. This move has put thousands of genuine refugees at great risk, warned the UN High Commissioner for Refugees last Friday.
“This is becoming increasingly untenable from every point of view—humanitarian, legal and also safety related, not least in light of falling temperatures and the risks for children and others with specific needs,” said a UNHCR spokeswoman. Sadly, the refugees have been made scapegoats. Most of the eight attackers were either French or Belgian-born citizens.
The Paris attacks have impacted the US more than anywhere else; never mind that security experts assert the risk there is minimal because it has far less home-grown radicals than Europe and maintains a database of everyone entering the country.
The House vote to pass a bill that virtually bars Syrian refugees from being resettled was a despicable knee-jerk reaction particularly when those who had been cleared were primarily the elderly, widows with children and orphans. More than half of all governors have refused to accept any Syrian refugee in their state.
Far worse has been the virulent anti-Muslim reactions of numerous Republican presidential front runners. Donald Trump has called for a database of all Muslims in the US so their movements can be tracked likened to the “J” stamped by the Nazis in the passports of German Jews.
Trump wants all mosques shut down. Marco Rubio goes one step further by advocating not only mosques but all the places where Muslims gather together be closed—“Whether it’s a cafe a diner or an internet site,” he told Fox News. Ben Carson says Syrian refugees should be screened like “rabid dogs,” although it’s now confirmed that the passports found close to the bodies of suicide bombers in Paris are fakes. Ted Cruz says only Christian refugees should be allowed in after undergoing religious tests which is blatant bigotry.
American politicians are overreacting, just as their predecessors did in response to the Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbour when thousands of Japanese-Americans were shamefully rounded-up and forced into internment camps. And again, post 9-11 when thousands of Muslims were detained without access to lawyers and, according to General Wesley Clark, seven predominantly Muslim countries were placed on the Pentagon’s invasion ‘to do’ list.
Hillary Clinton is one of the few voices of reason. “Turning away orphans, applying a religious test, discriminating against Muslims, slamming the door on every single Syrian refugee—that’s just not who we are. We are better than that.”
The tragedy is that this constant anti-Muslim drumbeat is exponentially heightening Islamophobia in both the US and Europe where the far-right is having a field day. Muslims in France complain they are being met with cold hard stares and are beginning to feel a sense of alienation. “Here we go again,” write American Muslims on social media with some admitting the changed climate and the prospect of a President Trump is making them fearful.
The hysterics need a reality check. Most of the Paris attackers were convincted petty criminals. One, Ebrahim Abdeslam, owned a bar and, according to his wife, abused alcohol and drugs. His brother Salah, still on the run, was a regular consumer of alcohol.
The woman killed during the police raid on two apartments was “a party girl” and a heavy drinker who posted photographs of herself in the bath. Friends revealed she never attended a mosque or was seen praying.
The ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, believed to be a confidante of the self-ascribed Caliph, drank and smoked marijuana. Syringes found at various addresses suggest others were under the influence of cocaine and heroin.
Let’s remember too that Daesh has killed many more Muslims than non-Muslims in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan, plus several Muslims were also killed on that fateful day. France’s Muslim communities are mourning too.
Refusing to recognise that those inhuman creatures are defacers of Islam’s message, pitting citizens against each other and painting all refugees as dangerous extremists plays right into the hands of Daesh. If their actions drive us apart and rob us of compassion, they’ll have won.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.