Friday the 13th’s massacre attacks in Paris by radicalized terrorists calling themselves ISIL on bars, restaurants, a concert hall and a stadium in which 129 people died and more than 350 others were injured, has resulted in international outrage precipitating widespread media coverage.
FRANCE IS AT WAR WITH SYRIA
French President Francois Hollande, in his speech to joint session of both houses of Parliament, stated that France is "at war" with Syria. While an interim 10 ten day ‘state of emergency” had already been called, Mr. Hollande asked for an immediate bill to be passed placing France under a three month "state of emergency"[i]. This would effectively reduce constitutional rights while increasing the French military and police officers’ ability to conduct a thorough investigation.
Over the weekend, with the assistance of U.S. intelligence, France engaged in airstrikes in Syria. Ten fighter jets targeted sites, including a command centre, a recruitment centre for jihadists, a munitions depot and a training camp, in the terrorist's stronghold in Raqqa, Syria, successfully dropping 20 guided bombs.
Mr. Hollande stated that France’s military campaign against the terrorists in Iraq and Syria will only intensify.
Mr. Hollande stated that France's European allies were obligated to assist in protecting its citizens. During the same address, he referred to United States having already stepped up to do so.
In essence, Mr. Hollande invoked Article Five of the Washington Treaty governing NATO members. Article Five requires NATO member nations to defend other members when faced with a threat. Article Five is a commitment clause or casus foederis requiring each member state to consider an armed attack against one member state to be an armed attack against them all. Article Five states:
The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security [ii].
Invoking Article FIve will hasten the sharing of intelligence, heighten European action against arms trafficking, and improve concerted attacks against radicalized terrorists on domestic soil and abroad.
Photo Courtesy of ABC News
As for the type of military invention, President Barack Obama addressing the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey, firmly stated that, "This is not a traditional military opponent. We can retake territory and as long as we keep our troops there we can hold it. But that does not solve the underlying problem of eliminating the dynamics that are producing these kinds of violent, extremist groups[iii]."
"There's also the role of surveillance, domestic and foreign, and getting private companies, like Apple, to allow the U.S. government access" by the National Security Administration (NSA)[iv]. NSA surveillance, the most elite and comprehensive program of its kind, will be augmented by programs already in place in allied countries, such as Britain’s M-15, which handles domestic surveillance, and M16, responsible for global surveillance.
THE REFUGEE CRISIS
Mr. Hollande, during yesterday’s speech, and Mr. Obama, at the G20, both reiterated that the Syrian refugees are just as much victims of terrorism as were the 129 brutally slaughtered in the Paris attacks this past Friday.
To exclude the right of refugees to seek political asylum in the European Union and the U.S. would be a crime against humanity[v].
Despite an outcry over accepting refugees by several U.S. States, Mr. Obama “urged the U.S. to "step up and do its part" to help those fleeing the civil war[vi]”.
"Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values… Our nations can welcome refugees who are desperately seeking safety and ensure our own security. We can and must do both," Mr. Obama stated at the G20 Summit[vii].
Presidents Obama and Hollande both stated that there will be a better system of registration for Syrian's seeking refuge.
If the incident resulted in backlash against the refugees, it would be consistent with the terrorist's radicalized view that those fleeing from Syria are also its enemies deserving to be punished. Closing the door only furthers the terrorist’s agenda.
The other consideration is that ISIS recruits globally from outside of those sharing its ideology, preying upon those individuals who are disenfranchised and malcontent. Denying a safe haven to refugees only increases the pool of individuals from which ISIS can recruit[viii].
ELIMINATING THE NAMES ISIS, ISIL and IS
The radicalized terrorists also recruit from among those who lured by what is no less that its blasphemous use of the term "Caliphate". A Caliphate is a prophet sent by God, not only to lead all of Islam but to provide just governance[ix]. Abu Bakr, leader of the radicalized terrorists declared himself the rightful Caliphate on June 29, 2014[x].
The continued use of these names by the governments and mass media only allows the terrorists to use mass media to its advantage[xi].
During his speech, Mr. Obama was definitive in stating that ISIS isn't a "state". But, when we refer to it as ISIS, or as IS or ISIL, we inadvertently condemn the innocent Islamic population and perpetuate deep-seated mistrust and rampant discrimination against them. In the few days since Friday’s attacks, peaceful Muslim people have already adopted the slogan “not in my name”[xii].
This writer suggests that it would serve humanity’s best interest in the fight against terrorism to call the group what it really is: “the radicalized terrorist group”. It would vitiate the blasphemous use of the words Caliphate, Muslim and Islam.
About the Author
Cynthia M. Lardner holds a journalism degree, she is an attorney, and has trained as a clinical (school and agency) therapist. As a thought leader, her philosophy is to collectively influence conscious global thinking understanding that everything and everyone is subject to change given the right circumstances; Standard Theory or Theory of Everything.
Having just relocated to Den Hague or The Hague, she is currently looking for a challenging position that will fully utilize her collective skill set.
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Endnotes
[i] "Paris attacks: 'France will destroy IS' - Hollande", November 17, 2015, as found on the www at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34836439.
[ii] North Atlantic Treaty (Washington Treaty), April 4, 1949, NATO, as found on the www at http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_17120.htm.
[iii] "Obama defends US military strategy against Islamic State" November 17, 2015, BBC News, as found on the www at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34839217.
[iv] Montenero, Domenica, "The Real Debate: 2 Very Different World Views On Terrorism", November 17, 2015, as found on the www at http://n.pr/1HTdpOc.
[v] Lardner, Cynthia, “Closing Borders: A Crime Against Humanity, November 2, 2015, as found on the www at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/closing-borders-crime-against-humanity-cynthia-lardner; http://cml.gamesofthrones.us/2015/11/closed-borders-crime-against-humanity.html; https://cynthiamlardner.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/closing-borders-a-crime-against-humanity/;http://cmlardner.blogspot.com/2015/11/closing-borders-crime-against-humanity.html.
[vi] "Sweeping Reactions From Politicians Over Syrian Refugees In U.S.", November 17, 2015,?NPR News, as found on the www at http://n.pr/1j3uKxf.
[vii] Montenero, Domenica, Infra Endnote iv; "Paris attacks: US states halt taking Syrian refugees", November 17, 2015, BBC News, as found on the www athttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34835353.
[viii] Lardner, Cynthia, “Corporatized Terrorism”, (“ISIS Gone Corporate”), Game of Thrones, January 17, 2014, as found on the www athttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/isis-gone-corporate-cynthia-lardner-deverouxcleary-1; https://cynthiamlardner.wordpress.com; andhttp://cynthialardner.blogspot.com/2015/01/isis.html?m=1
(“ISIS campaigns—involving towed field guns, self-propelled armor and first-class tanks—do not come cheap. ISIS columns advance using satellites and thermal cameras, driven by skilled professionals who are paid serious wages, estimated at well north of $1,000 a month[40].”
The CIA states ISIS has recruited than 30,000 fighters. As of July “…more than 12,000 foreign fighters had traveled to Syria to fight with extremist groups, many of them now counted among ISIS’s ranks, including more than 1,000 westerners, around 100 of them American. Later estimates put the number of foreign fighters in Syria at approximately 15,000,” stated Matthew Olsen, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center[41].
ISIS’ human resources campaign preys on the needs of others based on two separate, yet related, principles. First, by declaring himself Calphifate, Abu Bakr has preyed upon the general Islamic community’s devotion to its historical teachings. Second, ISIS has used the international community’s failure to insure that basic needs are fairly and equally met, such as protecting against civil rights violations or providing clean water for the one billion people who go without, to generate followers from amongst the disenfranchised[43].
…
ISIS is “…leveraging social media and other media channels in pushing its propaganda by projecting a picture of normal civil life[45]. ISIS’ state of the art computer network recruits via social media, sending tens of thousands of tweets each day[xv]” (Citations Omitted)).
[ix] Lardner, Cynthia, “Corporatized Terrorism”, Infra Endnote 8
(“The Prophet Muhammad “…institutionalized the “doctrine of “One Ruler, One Authority, One Mosque [16]”, giving rise to the title of “Caliphate”. A Caliphate is a prophet sent by God to lead of all of Islam under a just system of governance.
“The last caliphate – that of the Ottomans – was officially abolished 90 years ago…Yet in a 2006 Gallup survey of Muslims living in Egypt, Morocco, Indonesia and Pakistan, two-thirds of respondents said they supported the goal of “unifying all Islamic countries” into a new caliphate[17][vi].” (Citations omitted)).
[x] Id. (“[T]he Middle East is being reformatted…That is why their interest in reformatting of the space and formation of obedient regimes goes under the slogan “caliphate”, stated Polosin [21].
ISIS size and structure render it positioned to withstand, if not ignore, regional challenges by other groups and governments who have questioned Abu Bakr’s proclamation [vii]…
ISIS and Abu Bakr’s use of the Caliphate title has created the false perception that it will provide the infrastructure lacking in underdeveloped countries, and the just governance, honoring human rights, many countries have failed to provide. The promise has attracted disenfranchised and unempowered Muslims and non-Muslims from around the world who have placed their need for fair and responsive governance above any ideological conflict.” (Citations Omitted)).
[xi] Id. Endnote x (“Terrorist messages have backdrops designed to create the impression that they are disorganized or even lacking in resources. Nothing could be farther from the truth. ISIS Media Division rivals the best of public relations firms. In an interesting counter-maneuver, this past week a statement by ‘activists and fighters’ was released stating that ISIS’ cohesion has been weakened by “flagging morale, desertion and factionalism’. Consistent with M-Model corporate strategy, the same statement went on to state “focus shifts to governing the area.” Solomon, E, “Isis morale falls as momentum slows and casualties mount,” December 20, 2014, Financial Times, as found on the www athttp://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f1705f00-85e6-11e4-a105-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3OusMJrzk.”)
[xii] "Paris Muslims fear attacks backlash" November 17, 2015, Reuters TV, as found on the www at http://watch.reuters.tv/Gr.
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