Let me be clear from the beginning — TERRORISM SUCKS, and I denounce every act thereof wholeheartedly … That having been said, it is just as important to state that most of the more common responses to terrorism actually make the suffering it causes worse and actually make future attacks far more likely. As such, those responses (however understandable) — aggression, anger, revenge, violence, bigotry, persecution — suck just as much.

So, with these Truths in mind, and in the wake of the latest ISIS-inspired tragedy in Brussels yesterday, let’s take a moment to take a deep breath and review the Moral Reality of the brutal suckiness of the matter, shall we?

*First off, it sucks that innocent people are maimed & murdered for a radical minority’s misguided political/religious agenda … AND,

*It sucks that the Koran (which yes, I have read) is indeed an exclusivist book that directly encourages discrimination & division, and that indirectly hopes for world domination … AND,

*It sucks that the Bible is essentially JUST AS IMMORAL; just as exclusivist, just as rife with division & discrimination against all deemed “other”; just as supportive of violence, and just as hopeful for ultimate world domination … AND,

*It sucks that the majority of the world’s Muslims are being labelled as terrorists despite the fact that the vast majority of them (despite their Koran) are peaceful, kind, loving people who would never do anyone any harm … AND,

*Its sucks that the many of the world’s Christians & Jews are arrogantly looking down upon Muslims because of recent terrorist attacks while conveniently ignoring the fact that A) their religions were even more immorally violent in their “younger days” and B) the governments of their home countries (primarily the United States with its drones, and Israel with its apartheidization of Gaza) are actually CAUSING the radicalization of Islam with their standard & constant policies of violence against & persecution of Muslims … AND,

*It sucks that the United States and other “world leaders” were behind the creation of the group that claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, just as it sucks that the United Sates and other “world leaders” continue to support policies that directly fund & support ISIS and similar terrorist groups … AND,

*It sucks that the average American conservative refuses to think for his or her innately moral self; preferring instead to be willingly spoon-fed the American media’s disgusting brand of anti-Muslim vitriol & fear-mongering — leading to open prejudice against innocent Muslims at home (who are now frequently being called “Muzzies” by the ignorant & the fearful, and who are frequently being threatened with — or actually inflicted with — acts of physical violence) … AND,

*It sucks that, except for Germany (who is indeed doing her fair share), the governments primarily responsible for the massive international Muslim refugee crisis have fully abandoned most of the world’s Muslim refugees — the vast majority of whom being innocent people brutally forced from their homes by attacks inflicted or instigated by the United Sates &/or her allies … AND,

*It sucks that the most common response to terrorist attacks are precisely the responses that the terrorists want — violent reprisals that inevitably kill more innocent Muslims, and that then inspire surviving family members to become “terrorists” themselves to exact revenge … a crackdown on the liberties of those lands afflicted (e.g. The Patriot Act in the U.S., the current pseudo-martial-law in France & NSA spy programs throughout the world) … an almost rabid fear of all Muslims that is crushing any chances for real understanding & thus, eventual peace … an overt aggression towards (and often violence against) all Muslims that is pushing more & more of those people towards radical terror groups … and an open call by many prominent politicians to start treating all Muslims pre-genocidally — the way the Nazis treated the Jews before WWII, and the way Americans treated the Native Americans during the 1800’s.

ALL of this SUCKS, my Friends — ALL OF IT … and a great majority of it cannot be stopped by you alone … AND YET, you CAN DO YOUR PART to stop it. You CAN DO YOUR PART to turn the tide away from ignorance & aggression and back towards decency & peace …

*You can do your part by refusing to give in to your primal fears … You can start by being bold in your Love, despite what the mass media & your politicians are telling you … You can start by refusing to submit to the barbarism of Islamophobia yourself.

*AND you can also do your part by standing up boldly against those who would spread that same fear and that same ignorance … You can openly (& respectfully) rebuke the racists in your midst, and you can loudly (and not-so-respectfully) rail against fear-mongering leaders who rain down their inanities from on high … You can be a voice of peace in this time of conflict, my Friends; you can be a beacon of Light in this time of grim darkness.

*AND most importantly of all, you can do your part by actively reaching out to CARE for the Muslims in your community … You can worship with them, you can feed them, you can speak with them, you can smile at them, you can hug them & you can hold them, you can revel with them, and you can mourn with them.

Rest assured my Friends, until Islam has the fortitude to reform itself from within, it will continue to be a false flag puppet in the wicked wars of the rich & the potent … Until the vast majority of peaceful Muslims have the courage & the wherewithal to stand up to their more radical brothers & sisters and convince them to stand down, those violent few will continue to be used by the world”s “leaders” to inflict further acts of senseless, fear-provoking and suffering-producing carnage.

And yet this is NOT a hopeless situation … My Friends, WE CAN put an end to this madness. And please understand that it will not be via voting booth or sidewalk debate that peace ultimately comes … No, true Peace will only come when we each have the bravery to STAND WITH our Muslim brothers & sisters as brothers & sisters — when we each enliven the courage to support them in their quest to reform their religion — when we each have the moral fortitude to resist our instinctive calls to react with ignorance & aggression & fear, and replace the same with Compassion & Forgiveness & Love.

Amen … Let it be so.

 

 

 

Filed under: The War on WAR by Scaughdt