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.... And difficult to navigate means that we don't like to talk about it. But ignoring this won't make it go away. To address the issue, we can't ignore the tie between Islam and Terrorism, nor can we blame Terrorism on Islamism.
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I realize that, for a moment, I ask for nuance; but we are capable of it. I think there is a very easy way for all of us to look at the terrorism committed in Islam's name, by Islamic crazy people but not support by most Muslims.
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So I propose that we look at this fairly honestly on both sides. And I think that for most of us, I have a way.
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Use the war in Northern Ireland and the terror fermented by the IRA as an analogy.
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In the 1970s, there were a massive number of terrorist attacks in London (and other parts of England) by the IRA - the Irish Republican Army. This was a Catholic Terrorist organization that believed that all Ireland should be run by Dublin, even though Northern Ireland voted to stay with the Commonwealth of England, Wales and Scotland.
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During this terror campaign a number of (primarily Irish) Catholics outside of England and Ireland, including a massive number in the United States, supported the general aim of the IRA, but denounced the tactics. Sometimes denounced, sometimes explained but finally supported the terrorists.
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Now the general London population had no issue with either side. They hadn't voted,and probably didn't give a shit, whether the suburbs of Belfast were run out of Belfast, Dublin or Far Rockaway. But they were pretty damn pissed and angry about being the focus of bombs and attacks.
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But neither the British or the Americans or anyone else blamed all Catholics for the violence. EVEN when many Catholics in the United States actively supported the IRA (albeit the disapproved of killing civilians in London).
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Think of the current batch of terrorism in Paris (and most other places) like that. They aren't particular furious at the editors in Paris, the film makers in Holland or the people that worked in the World Trade Center. They attack them in order to scare (terrorize) the rest of us into abandoning a position. In this case, they believe that the Western World imposes rule in the Middle East or supports horrible rulers in the Middle East or supports Israel too much. I am not agreeing with their position. I am not certainly not agreeing with their methods or goals. But we have to understand them in order to respond effectively.
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Casting all Muslims as terrorists is counter-productive. And not in a touchy-feely way, but actual, genuinely stupid as shit.
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The IRA was brought to the bargaining table, in large part, by the mainline Catholics abandoning them. Particular rich Catholics in America who finally withheld money until the killing stopped.
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We have to find the people that are funding these terrorists and dry up the funding. To reinforce peaceful transitions. And we have to change in order to to this (a little - just a little change).
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First, we have to stop allying ourselves with people that fund terrorists. We are propping up Saudi Arabia and other countries that donate Zillions of dollars to terrorists.
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Second we need to open communications with Mainline Muslims that don't approve of this. Remember, when England started talking with the IRA, they didn't tar all Catholics as killers. In fact, the US Special Envoy (that all sides reluctantly worked with) was George Mitchell, and American Catholic.
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I am not saying there is a simple way out of this mess. But I am saying that deciding all Muslims are bad guys is the way forward into death and more war, not a solution.