Caught in a dangerous trap
Men chasing Islamic targets

This could be, if you follow my advice, a brief page.

A succinct reply to those seeing a wave of violence escalating is not easy, but it's to be made without hesitation. It's difficult to say when the process had an official start. Enduring Freedom was said to be launched to combat terrorism in the wake of terror attacks on 11 September 2001. Memoriale immediately put the blame, in September 2001, on an excessive state of alarm triggered by those warning all of us over a coming threat to civilization. First of all, it was president Bush to set off political reactions envisaging a would-be state of open conflict between nations (which was a figment of his imagination). No coalition has ever been made so far. The others realized instead that no weapons of mass destruction were there, and so the US operation had the only 'chrism' of a sweeping victory over a bloodthirsty tyrant.

Counterterrorism conferences from the White House were aimed from the beginning to make us believe that terrorist groups were seeking to destabilize entire nations and civilization itself. This could be comprehensible, in the weeks following the attacks. Letters contaminated by anthrax had added to the rampant alarm.

The connection to Islam, in such bad circumstances, was Bush's greatest mistake. His visit to a New York mosque in order to state that the USA didn't have anything against their religion was an irresponsible act involving Islam into a military fight that would work as a dangerous trigger aggravating the tension throughout the world. Terrorist training began to produce its fruits, after a long incubation in the 1990s. Not just that. His statement that the September 11 attacks were to be considered as the first war of the new century contributed to the making of a war-like atmosphere. Some Muslim leaders began to speak at anti-US demonstrations held throughout the world, while an amount of anti-American feelings polluted the air of late 2001. In addition to that, Berlusconi's declaring Islamic culture as being inferior to Western civilization was another side effect turning an alleged war on terror into a war on Islam. Here are those to blame for what's being reserved to all of us. The main topics were later transferred, with outspoken remarks, on growing multi-culturalism seen as the most decisive factor (see also the killing of director Van Gogh in Amsterdam).

Since early 2002, analysts never stopped dealing with the social problems caused by the Arab immigration in the Western world. They began to see Islam as a problem. That misconception mistook the Arab world for Islam, establishing a connection between two elements that were not necessarily intertwined in history. What's more, I repeatedly made it clear that if a man firing a gun for killing dozens of innocent people avows or claims he's Muslim this doesn't mean Islam is to blame for his criminal acts. A crime is a crime, whatever you see it surrounded with. There's no connection between a crime and a belief belonging to the author of that crime. No penal code has ever targeted criminals in their makeup. When someone commits a crime in the United States, you won't go after their families of their community (there or in the Middle East). Think of a murderer admitting he's a supporter of the Chelsea football club. This doesn't mean we should address the other supporters of the team and no one can be authorized to see a connection between the two things. The responsibility for every action or misdoing is personal. It's interesting to notice that the viciuous circle causes counteracting effects, because those whose actions arouse daily comments on newspapers will feel stronger in intensifying their action. Speaking of them will do nothing but strengthen them.

Most nations long since became a multi-cultural, multi-religious society that must respect all (the majority as well as minority religious beliefs). Islam too developed a framework of life that must encourage integration wherever they settled. As a matter of fact, Jihad was only to be 'struggle and strive for Islam' (many centuries ago). Nothing to see with a clash between civilizations. Please, forget about all these things. A Memoriale page (file 1335) explained how stupid you are if you keep speaking of them.

This page was published on July 29, 2005