From Christchurch to the White House
- March 15, 2019
- by
- Matt
The disgusting murders of 49 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch are further evidence of a growing threat of far-right extremism that has rarely received the same level of media and political attention as its jihadist counterpart.
It’s become a cliché in far-right and conservative circles to claim that ‘Islam is not a race’, that Islamophobia is a ‘fiction’, and that hostility towards Muslims may even have some kind of spurious legitimacy. At best these arguments are a product of confusion and ignorance, and at worst a deliberate obfuscation intended to avoid accusations of racism and provide...
Shamima Begum and the Quality of Mercy
- February 17, 2019
- by
- Matt
What is mercy? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as ‘ compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.’ This definition highlights the essential component of mercy, which is forbearance and leniency from a position of power and authority.
This concept is well-established in various religious traditions. The Quran declares:...
Peter Kosminsky’s Islamic State
- August 22, 2017
- by
- Matt
The violence that we call terrorism has always been surrounded by a curious paradox. On the one hand virtually every terrorist emergency in history has declared terrorism to be a unique threat to society, yet the societies under the threat of terrorist violence are generally not encouraged and are even actively discouraged from thinking about...
History, Peace, and Beauty: On Barcelona’s Ramblas
- August 18, 2017
- by
- Matt
Of all the massacres perpetrated in Europe in the name of Islamic State, yesterday’s slaughter in the Ramblas has a particular personal resonance for me. I spent nine years in Barcelona, living near the Ramblas for part of that time. Even when I moved further away from downtown Barcelona, hardly a week went by in...
The Terror Election
- June 04, 2017
- by
- Matt
From a strategic point of view terrorism has a dismal predictability. Whatever its context or motivation its central objectives are usually the same: a) to provoke a militarily more powerful opponent into an overreaction that will strain its opponent’s resources and draw it into a debilitating confrontation from which the terrorist hopes to gain in...
Murder in Westminster
- March 23, 2017
- by
- Matt
So far nothing is known about the murderer who mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on Westminster Bridge and assaulted parliament with a kitchen knife yesterday.
The murderer is dead, having completed his homicidal spree with an act of suicide-by-cop. Last night Channel 4 News bizarrely identified him as Trevor Brooks, aka Abu Izzadeen, the Islamist bigot...
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