Munich Train Station Attack: Jihad Has No Borders
Another Islamist attack has likely been carried out on European soil this morning. As reported, a knife-wielding man was alleged to have stabbed four people at a German train station whilst shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest). One of the victims has now died, with others sustaining life-threatening injuries.
Just as reports of suicide attacks in the middle-east fail to raise an eyebrow anymore – frequent Islamist attacks on European citizens are becoming par for the course too. They’re increasing in frequency, but our willingness to be honest about its root cause is sorely lacking. As this story is unfolding, there may well be mental health issues at play that we are not currently aware of.1 However, the fact that this explanation is actually an ‘if’ element speaks volumes about the situation we find ourselves in.
Apologist rhetoric for these kind of acts span a spectrum of masochism and conspiracy theory. It’s now so predictable that I don’t even need to check to be absolutely certain it has already began across news articles, comment threads, social media and TV programming worldwide.
Bodies are still warm and people are fighting for their lives, yet “we made this poor disenfranchised killer behave this way” or “he’s working for Israel” can already be heard. Or, one of my personal favourites: “if we criticise Muslims for their Islamist views, we will just create more extremists”. Well, shouldn’t we really be talking about that then?
It’s a very quaint idea to think you are defending Muslims by propagating the notion that they’ll kill you unless you’re nice to them. That’s a far lower opinion of Muslims than I’m able to subscribe to.
As obnoxious and downright wrongheaded as these excuses are, amazingly they still enjoy less controversy and scrutiny than stating the plain truth. The truth that perhaps these individuals behave the way they do because of what they believe to be true about the religion of Islam. They prove their sincerity day after day. Pointing out as much will no doubt summon thought terminating clichés such as ‘racist’ or ‘Islamophobe’ from the terminally dishonest.
Those responsible for carrying out Jihad represent a diverse collection of socio-economical backgrounds. From education, wealth, family life and ethnicity they appear to have almost nothing in common. They do all have one particular thing in common however. They adhere to a very dangerous, yet plausible interpretation of a very popular and growing religion. We can talk about this honestly and still recognise that we need not implicate Muslims as a whole.
Many who view this issue solely as one of immigration should also know that the suspect is reported to be a German national. Jihad has no borders. It exists wherever people are able to spread Islamism unchallenged. And we’re still pretending it either doesn’t exist, we deserve it or we caused it. With attitudes like this, we may as well just offer to kick our own chairs at the gallows.
Train stations, concert halls, football arenas, streets, cafes and bars. These are the new war zones. I’d rather not get used to that if it’s all the same. If Jihad can be defeated, you can be absolutely certain it has to start with talking honestly about it.
Stephen Knight is host of The #GSPodcast. You can listen to The Godless Spellchecker Podcast here, and support it by becoming a patron here.
- UPDATE 10 May 2016 – As indicated in a later report by The Guardian, it appears mental health and drug issues may be a factor here. Needless to say, there will often be an overlap where religious delusion is concerned. The Guardian is now reporting that earlier accounts of cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’ have not been verified ↩
Our ABC – National Australian Broadcaster and I notice BBC are still promoting the line that extremism has something to do with lack of jobs, boredom, alienation, low socio economic status of Muslims esp young men, – first they are saying those Muslims living in the West now they say also throughout the Middle East too are doing it because they are the underprivileged class -blah blah – nothing to do with religion. The danger to the West comes from cultural rot – Islam is much more resistant to change and willing to relentlessly push its agenda regardless of when Muslims are in a society with a different majority culture. I think most Muslims think this way because the religion just is SOO conservative. Their reflexive position is that everything is the fault of the West and capitalism and too much of the left just love that. The left even defend bully victim behaviour of too many Muslims that you see over and over again.
Where Islam is recognised (rarely) by the left as the basis of this trouble the solution is a gentle understanding chat – and what if they aren’t willing to listen.? Most Muslims unfortunately have very conservative values that just aren’t compatible with democratic liberalism and expect the west to accommodate their lifestyle in full – rather than making compromises in their incredibly prescriptive religion maintained by innumerable personal contacts within the muslim umma. I don’t think ordinary leftists or even well meaning polite folk are capable of understanding just how tribal and brainwashing and all embracing it is as a faith. People start praying every day at 4.30 and in Islamic countries the prayer is on loudspeakers Everywhere top volume for up to an hour. Its not easy to break intensive brainwashing maintained within a tribal mode of operating but you have to vigorously argue with it every time and not back down, whilst being fair minded and offering opportunities the rest of society gets to those who are permanent residents. We need to impress on them they have exceptional opportunities in the West, including economic opportunities and religious freedom, like any freedom is simply not absolute, moreover they must respect the dominance of the majority culture – which is secular. We need to confront the conservatives head on about the secular bit here too – often the left likes aspects of religion so long as they can use it to promote a communist-authoritarian like version of the common good, and so they will side with religion when it suits. Certainly this is the case in Australia in programs like The Religion and Ethics Portal on ABC online, the Moral Minefield and Religion Report programs on ABC National and many discussions on various programs that have a deep hostility to Dawkins, Sam Harris, atheist Muslims and anything they can label “scientism”. The Multicultural television and radio corporation SBS, is similar. Its a tragedy because the alternative private media is mostly highly conservative. The whole Islamic religion is about maintaining tribal kin based and inherited authority based relations above contractual and merit based ones. Most Muslims are more tribal and that is how they have won in history over time and we keep calling pushing back against this “racism”
We need to make sure there are not segregated schools but also not put up with visiting extremist mullahs – identify them and ban them and deport them instantly if they set foot in West. Likewise identify extremist mullahs in West and ban them visiting abroad. On the ABC the programs are busy arguing the killing of the Bangladeshi bloggers was not really to do with Islam per se – it was them darned Saudis (backed by the West of course), and that none of the bloggers were really atheist. Pathetic. The Universities and the media are the hubs of this over generations now and it has pervaded many professions of people educated in the POMO/Crit theory reflexive assumption that the West carries the stigma of Original Oppressor Sin that No Other Culture or Peoples have ever Comparably been Capable Of and we must Atone even if it means The Destruction of our Wretched Body Politic and Cultural Fibre. Meanwhile those criticising Islam in Islamic countries are being butchered in ever greater numbers and the Left’s response is a just so story, the right’s response is blame Muslims … but not point out that the trouble in Islamic countries is by far MOSTLY to do with the rigidity, authoritarianism and Sectarianism of their religion.