from Nicolas Hénin, held hostage by ISIS for 10 months:
Central to their world view is the belief that communities cannot live together with Muslims, and every day their antennae will be tuned towards finding supporting evidence. The pictures from Germany of people welcoming migrants will have been particularly troubling to them. Cohesion, tolerance – it is not what they want to see.
Why France? For many reasons perhaps, but I think they identified my country as a weak link in Europe – as a place where divisions could be sown easily. That’s why, when I am asked how we should respond, I say that we must act responsibly.
And yet more bombs will be our response. I am no apologist for Isis. How could I be? But everything I know tells me this is a mistake. [...]
While we are trying to destroy Isis, what of the 500,000 civilians still living and trapped in Raqqa? What of their safety? What of the very real prospect that by failing to think this through, we turn many of them into extremists? [...] The Syrian people need security or they themselves will turn to groups such as Isis.
I strongly disagree. It would be the same as showing humane face to Hitler during WWII. Also, during very heavy bombings of German cities (mostly by US and UK), population didn't turn Nazis because of it.
ReplyDeleteHe-who-must-not-be-named
you are making two very problematic assumptions: first, Hénin does *not* propose showing a humane face to ISIS (i.e., "Hitler"); he proposes showing a humane face to all those civilians around them and to the refugees who have suffered much more than any european has at the hands of ISIS. second, we can't draw a neat comparison between these two (equally disgusting) groups and the reasons that people are recruited to the cause. their goals are different, as are the reasons that people join(ed). i can't think of a concrete way to argue this now, but i will--and maybe it will be a separate post.. not a reply to a comment :)
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