[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Those 17 dead are at least owed our understanding, our appreciation that the rise of Islamic extremist groups is an incredibly complex phenomenon and - like it or not - Western foreign policy is a part of that phenomenon. Western involvement in the Middle East and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are a part of this story. As Robert Fisk was writing the other day, the bloody history of French-Algerian relations are a part of this story. Pretending it isn't will get us nowhere. Claiming that its tantamount to victim blaming to try and analyse the context behind these attacks will get us nowhere.

To quote from that article by Fisk:



So yes, nothing can justify these attacks. There is not a shred of responsibility that the cartoonists need to take for the way that they were gunned down in cold blood. ISIS and Al Qaeda are murdering scum who deserve no sympathy. No one has sought to deny any of that. But let us not allow it to wilfully blind ourselves to the wider picture, a picture that is far bigger than three gunmen and some offensive cartoons. Let us not allow it to prevent us from trying to comprehend the true extent of the threat, it's character, it's motivation and it's background. Otherwise we will never be able to confront it, otherwise we will just feed the perpetual cycle of violence.

Edit - was posting the same time as TS above - I share his sentiments

No, sorry MTVN - you are posting from a totally different perspective from T.S and certain others, though T.S does keep changing his stance.

I agree with most of what you say and I genuinely respect your passion and belief in what you are saying - it is patent.