Paris

I’m appalled. Well of course I am. So many innocent people just trying to have a peaceful night out. In what universe is this justified?

And in what universe does it make sense to attack refugees fleeing from the same appalling idiology? Look, the enemy isn’t Muslims. The enemy is hate and violence.

“The bully doesn’t fight because he wants to win; he fights because he wants a world in which everything is resolved by fighting (note: The bully himself doesn’t realize this). It doesn’t matter if he loses — the moment you chose to fight, his side already won, and the world becomes more like the world he wants to live in.” 6 Ways to Keep Terrorists From Ruining the World

Osama bin Laden wrote that he wanted to provoke ordinary westerners to be horrid to regular Muslims. It was his best recruiting tool. And every time something like this happens, the far right go, “Baaaaaaaa!” and rush to oblige.

I see two groups of people who are very, very keen to persuade the rest of us that all Muslims are support ISIS: ISIS themselves and the European/American far right. But then ISIS and Nazis have far more in common with each other than either has with the rest of us:

• Violence is glorious when we do it
• God loves only us
• We are oppressed when you hurt our fist with your face
• Anyone who thinks differently deserves death
• Anyone who loves differently deserves death
• Women are tolerated only when agreeing and silent and not threatening our egos.
• Anyone who prays differently deserves death – even a different denomination of our own religion.

I think this video show a much better reaction. Imagine all the people living life in peace.

Posted by sheila

Sheila came to La Palma with a six month contract and has stayed 24 years so far. She used to work as a software engineer at the observatory, but now she's a writer and Starlight guide.