Chiswickite - formerly The Croydonian

Some observations on yesterday's events

Having grown up in the 70s and 80s, I well remember the horrors the Fenians inflicted on us, and have hazy memories of the Baader Meinhoff gang, the Red Brigades etc etc, but what separates the urban terrorists of that period from the Islamofascists of today is the rather clearer modus operandi of the former, and their more selective targeting. Even considering all out inter state warfare, Kyoto was blocked from being a nuclear target in ’45 because of the importance of its religious sites to Shintoists, and the Germans were somewhat surprised that Monte Cassino abbey was bombed.

As I have noted before, the IRA etc were more than capable of causing massacres, should they have sought them, and it was notable that when they killed the 'wrong' people, like that poor child in Warrington, the IRA's command were quick to issue (admittedly mealy-mouthed) apologies. They recognised that the broader constituency they were appealing to - SDLP supporters in Ulster and bone-headed 'Irish' Americans (there are more Americans descended from Ulster Protestants than from southern Irish Catholics) - were likely to be appalled by such actions. In contrast, the methods of the Islamofascists, as evidenced by yesterday, 9/11, 7/7 etc is to slaughter indiscriminately, and there has been nothing approaching a backlash within the Muslim communities against the actions performed in their name. Even the pseudo-moderates mutter bromides about ‘community anger’ about the chimaera that is Islamophobia, or about Western foreign policy. And of course they have then gained (im)moral support from moral relativists (by far the kindest phrase I could use) like Jenny Tonge and Cherie Blair.

It is notable that none of the apologists for Al Qaeda and its wannabes have ever, to my knowledge, expressed any regret for the death of Muslims caused by their 'spectaculars', let alone we infidels. Apart from the obvious savagery towards those who are not they, it also tells us that 'collateral damage' is more than acceptable to them.

Broadening this out, the Islamofascists have gone out of their way to attack soft targets, whereas the terrorists we got used to /generally/ mounted attacks against what could, in their terms, be seen as legitimate targets - the law, the armed forces, politicians, and local 'enemies'. It is perhaps worth pondering on why the Green terror has not been applied systematically against the state, and why attacks on Jews have been limited to the odd shul / graveyard desecration and beating up Yeshiva students. Given that most of our homegrown Islamofascists have roots in Kashmir, it is also notable that Hindus and Indian-linked targets have not found themselves to be primary targets.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 at 12:45 am. You can skip to the end and leave a response.