EDITORIAL: Combatting the scourge of terrorism after Manchester

As of Thursday, May 25, 2017

THE atrocious terrorist attack at the end of a pop concert in Manchester earlier this week has shocked not only the British people but also the world.

So-called ISIS has claimed responsibility for this barbaric and callous act of appalling violence - a suicide bomber detonating an explosive device, packed with nuts and bolts for maximum destructive effect, which killed 22 people and injured more than 60 others, many of whom are critically ill, while some people remain unaccounted for.

The horror of this sickening and calculated act has seemed even worse because it was directed against young people and innocents, the youngest of whom was only eight. It has been described as the worst terrorist attack in Britain since the London bombings in 2005. As always in such distressing circumstances of hysteria and panic, the local emergency services reportedly responded calmly, quickly, bravely and effectively.

Many world leaders have reacted with horror in condemning what happened and have sent messages of sympathy to Prime Minister Theresa May. This newspaper also extends its deepest condolences to our British friends with whom we retain close links through our shared colonial history.

The perpetrator has been identified as a 22-year-old son of Libyan refugees. Born and educated in Manchester, he is said to have returned to the UK recently from visits to Libya and Syria and was known to the security services but not considered a particular threat. There are said to be up to 3,000 people at any one time on a watch list of homegrown fanatics, though not all can be under permanent surveillance. In case, perhaps, he was part of a wider network, the security level in Britain has been raised to ‘critical’ which means that another attack may be imminent. Troops have also been deployed in support of the police, in particular to beef up security at prominent public buildings.

Horrific events of this sort tend to elicit the same response from political leaders - consider recent serious incidents in Paris, Brussels, Nice, Berlin and Istanbul as well as at the House of Commons in the heart of London barely two months ago. Since the first priority of any government is national security and the safety of its citizens, they issue what some people view as platitudes about defiance of extremism and the strength of national unity and traditional values which can never be destroyed by terrorism. They also provide reassurances about the effectiveness of counter terrorism measures together with warnings about retaliatory action in the form of hate crimes.

All this is expected and welcome, but in the aftermath of the Manchester bombing we are already reading about demands for sterner action against the radicalisation of young Muslim men which seems to result in such extreme hatred.

In an open democracy, there can be no guarantee of absolute security against anarchists, fanatics and extremists, or people who President Trump now calls ‘losers in life’, alienated from society and unhappy with their own existence, who are prepared to murder or maim other people. But it has been clear for some time that terrorism - either directed or inspired by ISIS extremists and their perverted interpretation of Islam - is affecting large parts of the world and has to be confronted and destroyed.

At the international political level, it was encouraging to watch Mr Trump’s impressive speech in Riyadh to Arab leaders during his first overseas trip in which, while stressing that he had not come to lecture them, he urged that they themselves should take action against ISIS at its source in the Middle East.

As seen from faraway this side of the Atlantic, the urgent task in Britain is somehow to stop the proliferation of hate preachers in mosques and elsewhere who spread their ideas of violence and division with the result that young Muslim men born in the UK grow up hating their own country.

Here in The Bahamas, we are under the protective umbrella of our giant neighbour. But, despite that, we are vulnerable to a surprise attack simply because we might be viewed as a soft target, so it behoves us as a nation to remain vigilant.

Terrorism in whatever form is repugnant and should be condemned unequivocally. Our hearts go out to all those suffering in Manchester at this moment.

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Porcupine 7 years, 5 months ago

Editor,

Your words are empty. Your perspective uneducated. What a poor excuse for an editorial. Terrorism has dramatically increased due specifically to the actions of the US and Britain. The security agencies of the US and Britain are well aware that these acts of terrorism are due specifically to the policy measures (bombing 7 countries at present) that the US and Britain currently embrace. Why would you condemn this act of terrorism, and yet ignore the thousands of innocent people killed by the indiscriminate bombing of Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, or the continued support of Israel in their ethnic cleansing of Palestine? You can't really be so ignorant. Truly! Or, am I wrong, and you have written about the war crimes committed by your two beloved nations? Have you not seen the pictures of the children (all innocents) who happened to be in the wrong place at the right time when the US and Britain unleashed their deadly bombs? Surely you have read these accounts of wedding parties being bombed. Or, don't you believe them? What do you know about Saudi Arabia? Can you honestly say that they are a democracy, are fair to their people, do not abuse women or hold slaves? Yet, your Mr. Trump just gave them 110,000,000,000 dollars worth of military hardware to further oppress others. Do you remember reading where 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudis? Or, that our intelligence agencies consider Saudi Arabia to be a major financier of terrorism? How do these facts escape you?

Editor, what could you possibly be reading that you would have such a warped view of reality and be so devoid of compassionate and Christian critical thinking. For God's sake, there are dozens of great writers out there who cover these subjects daily. That you could honestly praise Donald Trump says enough. Trump is a poor excuse for a human being. He as no decency in his entire body. He is a liar and an opportunist who is not fit to lead a family and here he is as POTUS. Turn off your TV. Do some reading.

Porcupine 7 years, 5 months ago

Surely you understand that to prevent the radicalization of anyone, they must feel included in society. The US and Britain have done their absolute best to build walls and alienate anyone of a different hue or religion. That such a large part of the population of the US and Britain is so unenlightened is due in large part to the media's role in dumbing down these populations. Your editorial is a perfect example of this. Nowhere do you mention the overwhelming evidence of the subversion of democracy, the regime changes, and the military invasions of sovereign countries by the US and Britain. Is it because you don't know your history? Or, is it because you choose to ignore these very realities. The majority of the world's people, according to the trusted polls, view the US as the greatest threat to peace and security in the world. Imagine what the world would look like if we truly had been interested in peace? And, instead of spending nearly 1,000 billion dollars a year on military crap and brainwashing our youth to hate we actually worked to improve the lives of people around the globe. Editor, you want peace on the streets of Nassau, to stop the carnage. And yet, you continue to support two countries actively bombing innocent civilians. When has this strategy ever worked? Editor, are you so steeped in the imperialist mentality that you can ignore war crimes? Your statement, "Here in The Bahamas, we are under the protective umbrella of our giant neighbor." shows how ignorant you are of the US's stated policy goals. Does the term, full spectrum dominance, mean anything to you? The US and Britain could care less about democracy and their own people. The Bahamas entire population could be wiped out completely and the powers to be in The US and Britain wouldn't bat an eye. This is a fact. The governments of both countries have been completely taken over by the monied elite. Do you not see this in The Bahamas? Do you not want to? The media have pandered to their "advertisers" shying away from anything that could be seen as detrimental to their bottom lines. Therefore, they remain soft on issues and big on fluff. And, newspaper editors control this flow. There is an absolute wealth of information, studies and analysis of these truths I mention. As an editor, it would seem incumbent upon you to open your eyes to these facts. That you have not done so, and are able to pen such a shoddy piece as the one above, says much about the Tribune. I am more than happy to suggest a whole body of literature that more accurately and intelligently concerns so many of the issues you raise. There are some absolutely brilliant writers and journalists out there that you really need to be exposed to. Your opinion piece above makes me wonder if it were not really written by a D- student in a Bahamian high school.