Reflections on Brussels

Last updated on: March 22, 2016 at 9:58 am by Dan Peterson

Reflections on Brussels 2016-03-22T09:58:00-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The skyline of Brussels on a happier day
(Wikimedia Commons)

We don’t yet know — at least, I don’t — who is behind the horrific attacks in Brussels, Belgium. (The fact that three LDS missionaries were among the wounded will bring this event closer to home for many of my readers.)

It’s virtually certain, though, that they were carried out by Islamists. And that’s even without the report that I heard just a few minutes ago, which indicated that Arabic-sounding shouts were heard just before the two bombs exploded at the airport.

In fact, it seems highly likely that this was an ISIS operation, or, at least, an effort carried out by an ISIS affiliate or wannabe.

In the light of those assumptions, some very preliminary thoughts:

We’re plainly playing catch-up. We’re on the defensive. We’re swatting at bees, while the hive from which they came — the Syrian town of Raqqa, which is the capital of the self-proclaimed “Islamic State,” where the self-proclaimed Islamic caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi holds court — remains relatively untouched.
ISIS operatives are using this safe haven not only for planning attacks, but for creating sophisticated recruitment videos and working on more effective weapons (including the apparent production of chemical agents and the retrofitting of rockets in order to bring down passenger airliners and military planes). And they do so in relative peace and quiet, undisturbed.
The incoming commander of CENTCOM, which is responsible for the Middle East, acknowledged in congressional testimony just a few days ago that we have no strategy for destroying the seat of the so-called “caliphate” in Raqqa.
“Carpet-bombing” Raqqa and other ISIS targets, which some candidates have advocated, isn’t even remotely a good idea. Most of the people even in Raqqa itself are innocent civilians, suffering under the tyrannous thumb of an arbitrary and incredibly cruel occupation force. They are victims just as much as are those killed and wounded in Paris and Brussels and in San Bernardino and on that Russian airliner that ISIS brought down.
It seems likely to me that one of the immediate political upshots of this event will be at least a slight uptick in support for Donald Trump. People often turn to a perceived Strong Leader in times of fear and uncertainty — and, yes, I do very much have Hitler and Mussolini in mind on this point. But I’m absolutely certain that his election would be a foreign policy disaster for the United States, and that it would constitute a major obstacle for our efforts in the Middle East.
I can certainly understand calls to block Middle Eastern refugees at our border. And I fully grasp the fact that we’re not equipped to vet those seeking to enter our country. This is a major challenge, and a moral dilemma. Blocking Muslims at the border, however, will not work. First of all, it’s blatantly unconstitutional. Our government isn’t permitted to discriminate between theologies. Secondly, it would be an absurdly blunt instrument that would offend our friends — will the kings of Saudi Arabia and Jordan be barred from entering our country? will their sons and grandsons be banned from studying at our universities? — and that would keep Muslim neurosurgeons based in Toronto from attending medical conventions in New York. Third, it wouldn’t keep our enemies out: How in the world are we going to distinguish Muslim Syrians from Christian Syrians? It’s already been reported that ISIS has instructed some of its people to wear crucifixes. Does anybody really imagine that, if asked at the airport immigration counter “Are you a Muslim?” an ISIS agent is going to respond “D’ohhh. I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that question. Yes, I am,” and then sheepishly leave the line for a return flight? A constitutionally-permissible option, of course, would be to bar (or, at least, to slow down) entry into the United States from certain nations where we have concerns (e.g., Syria). Such an option can be discussed. The idea of banning Muslims as such is a non-starter.

Finally, let me just say that, to me, one of the terrible things about the rise of Islamist terrorism has been its destruction of the public image of Islam.

I’ve spent much of my life reading, writing, and teaching about Islamic culture and civilization — about great thinkers such as al-Ghazali, Ibn Khaldun, al-Kirmani, al-Biruni, Ibn al-Haytham, Ibn Battuta, al-Khwarizmi, Avicenna [Ibn Sina], Ibn Tufayl, al-Farabi, Averroës [Ibn Rushd], and al-Tabari, and great literary figures such as Rumi, Nizami, al-‘Attar, Ibn al-Muqaffa’, Abu Nuwas, Omar Khayyam, It pains me deeply to see so great a human tradition reduced in the eyes of many to a hateful, nihilistic, and poisonous ideology that seems to delight in the violent and bloody murder of innocents. If I were a Muslim, I don’t know how I could endure the sorrow of what has been done to the good name of my faith.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

March 22, 2016

"Our Government Was Designed to Protect Us from the Trumps of the World"

Next Post

March 22, 2016 In "The Federalist": "How Mormons Could Prevent a President Trump"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible has only one chapter?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Zephaniah Obadiah Nahum Habakkuk