The Gray Monk

« A very timely sermon... | Main | Translyvania visit »

September 06, 2004

Terror on the rampage

The atrocity in Beslan, Russia, over the last few days just about says everything you need to know about the Islamic Fundamentalist approach to dealing with anyone they perceive as an enemy, essentially anyone who isn't a member of their peculiarly twisted brand of Islam. The news that some of the smallest hostages had been released by the terrorist thugs in the Russian hostage drama sounded hopeful. At least the world now knew that the hostage takers were Chechen rebels and that there were about 40 of them - most "wired" with suicide bombs and fully prepared to kill their innocent hostages and themselves for their cause. Their "cause"?

Why, full independence for a poverty-striken chunk of land with almost no industry, insufficient food production, or work for its population. Why? Because they are Muslim fundamentalists who want an Islamic "paradise" ruled by Ayatollahs - or something! A perfectly acceptable reason to murder a large number of non-Muslim "enemies".

This accords perfectly well with Mayor Ken Livingstone's favourite "moderate" Muslim cleric, Al-Qaradawi's fatwa and other pronouncements on the subject of Islamic resistance to "invasion" and "attacks on Islam". The revelations that he advocates killing Americans and Britons who have "invaded" the territory of Islam is no surprise to those who, unlike Mr Livingstone and his Labour Party halfwits in Parliament, consider this man and his fanatical followers to be "moderate". It really makes one wonder what they call "extreme". I suppose I must be fair and point out that Red Ken Livingstone does state publically that he condemns any violence "in Iraq", and the Minister who supported the visit of Al-Qaradawi recently, never shared a platform with him - and that the Metropolitan Police who promoted his visit now say they are "evaluating" their involvement. Doesn't stop the terrorists folks, but it makes us feel better about it, doesn't it.

The news that the siege was ended by the Russian Security forces, whose hand seems to have been tipped by the premature detonation of one of the "Black Widow" bomber's bomb, will, no doubt, reverberate round the globe. That there were so many casualties among the hostages is a matter of deep regret, and we should all pray for the victims and their mourning families. That so many of the scum who perpetrated this outrage should have managed to escape, hiding amongst their hostages in truly "courageous" fashion and using them as shields to the last, should send a message to their supporters, appeasers. and followers that signals loud and clear the type of gutless cowards they really are. It can be of little comfort to know that most of those who escaped were later cornered - one of these vicious women even went to the local hospital and tried to blow up her bomb in the Casualty Waiting area - a Security Guard grabbed her and threw her out, thus preventing her from doing this and her attempt to detonate the bomb - the rest appear to have takebn hostages with them, but this doesn't seem to have stopped the enraged population from dealing with at least two of them.

We should also pray for an end to the pronouncements of the appeasers who do nothing but encourage these fanatics to believe that they can and will get away with these ever more bloody attrocities. Already there are those whose hysterical voices are raised in condemnation of the Russians' ruthless supprssion of this insurrection. How long do these no doubt well-meaning, but certainly misguided, folk believe this situation could have gone on? What other groups might have been encouraged to attempt an even more dastardly grab for hostages and the spotlight? No, tragedy though it is for those who have been hurt, killed, or scarred by the trauma of this event, it is better that it has ended swiftly and without bargaining. This sends a message that no one can misread - don't try this sort of stunt in Russia, they don't have the squeamishness to be found elsewhere. Of course, this means that we in the West need to be even more vigilant - the terrorists now know that while they cannot intimidate the Russians - they just might be able to do it here!

One piece of good news, I suppose, is that the French journalists are reported to have been handed over to a more "moderate" group of terrorists to be released after negotiation. I wonder how many Euros will flow into the terrorists coffers in exchange?

Posted by The Gray Monk at September 6, 2004 09:22 AM

Comments

Posted by: Laughing Wolf at September 6, 2004 02:50 PM