3 Things We Need To Learn From The Paris Attacks

Ladies and gentlemen, before I begin, I would like to offer a moment of silence for the citizens of Paris. My heart goes out to those whose loved ones have been taken away from them by violence and hatred. Let us hope that those who have been injured recover quickly from their wounds so that they may return to their lives as need be. Most of all though, may those responsible for this atrocity be located and arrested quickly by authorities so that peace and normalcy can finally be restored in Paris. Finally, let us spare a moment for those who have been lost in the attack that (should they still exist and perceive the world as we know it in some form) even we who live so far away have not forgotten them and wish them eternal peace.

paris_terrorist_attack

Now that that’s done, it’s time to once again address an elephant in the room that many of us feel too hesitant to even approach. Look, the truth of the matter is that there have been attacks on the French capital with more than a hundred dead and the Islamic State is claiming responsibility for the attacks and considers their acts of violence as a response to the various strikes of western world powers against Syria. As a side note (in my opinion only at least), I can only wonder why these “brave” defenders of Islam have chosen to attack the French when it seems that the Russians have done more damage to them than any other European power. Indeed, why did it have to be one of the most open-minded peoples of Europe who were one of the most welcoming to refugees and not some of the more hardened folk like the British or Germans? Oh well, that’s their “bravery” for you…

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Anyway, I hope that these recent attacks have at least brought to mind the kind of troubles we face as a people especially with President Aquino and some of his constituents continuously trying to make us believe that BBL is the solution for all the troubles of Mindanao. This, despite the fact that some of the more radical elements of Islam aren’t just not interested in peace but are hungry for violence against those they deem “nonbelievers”. Look, I’m not trying to insinuate or imply that all Muslims are terrorists, I am simply trying to point out that there are three facts we should learn from the recent crisis that has gripped Paris.

Willingness To Negotiate Doesn’t Always Work

I know that most of you are already aware of this but for those of you who aren’t, well, this is for you.

Just about everyone wants peace in their lives. Unfortunately, there are those who simply aren’t interested in peace or simply have a different definition of “peace”. These are people who will stop at nothing to hurt and eliminate those they see as not one of them.

This cannot be any more obvious than with what has happened to Paris. Truth be told, as I’ve already mentioned, the French are probably some of the more “nicer” people of Europe. They can be rude sometimes, as I know from experience, but they are more open to other cultures and have always shown a healthy respect or at least a sense of tolerance for others. However, the Islamic State chooses to attack them anyway despite their efforts in espousing a more tolerant and pacifistic stance when it comes to religious and ideological debates.

What’s sad is that President Aquino and majority of his lackeys would have us believe that the approval of the BBL as is will end the various conflicts of Mindanao. Okay, so for the sake of the argument we do approve of the BBL, is there any way that the MILF and their cohorts can assure us that there will indeed be peace in the region? If the BBL is approved, can we be sure that they won’t maltreat our non-Muslim countrymen in their territory?

Fear And Peace Do Not Mix Well

Tying in with what I’ve mentioned above, we all want peace but is it really peace many of these Muslim insurgents are calling for or is it dominance? As I’ve mentioned before, peace isn’t just about being quiet. Peace is about having a feeling of safety and opportunity of happiness. Remember always that peace seen through the barrel of a gun is not peace at all.

We can talk about peace all we want but when our own people live in constant fear of terrorist attack, can we truly say that they live in peace? Can you call a society peaceful when it is the threat of violence that keeps everyone in line instead of a united vision for a better future? Most importantly, is peace simply about the lack of troubles or having the proper facilities to cope with and counter troubles?

Caution Is Different From Discrimination

Based on the hullabaloo about the Starbucks coffee cup alone, we can tell that there’s something definitely off about society at large. Christians take insults at face value and are somehow expected to take it while so many seem to be so worried about offending Muslims that it’s getting silly. Heck, based on some research from one of my friends, there are even those who want to take the word “Muslim” off of the media for fear that it might offend the Islamic community.

As I’ve said before, I’m sure there are moderate and tolerant Muslims out there but I doubt a lot of them can deny that majority of insurgents committing these atrocities are part of the Muslim community. While I harbor no hatred for Islam and its constituents, it’s more than a little glaring that media people seem to be afraid to even call these terrorists “Muslims” for fear of offending them. Would the media display the same amount of hesitation if the terrorist group in question are Christians, Buddhists, Taoists, Scientologists or worshipers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

[Photo courtesy IB Times .]

23 Replies to “3 Things We Need To Learn From The Paris Attacks”

  1. “Willingness To Negotiate Doesn’t Always Work” – Indeed. Some people are already beyond redemption that no amount of words can soften their hearts already. Therefore, if you gave to use force should they do harm, do it.

      1. I would just as soon defer to a lawyer on the matter of Sabah; or, the Sultan of Sulu’s proprietary claim in North Borneo. My understanding as a curious layman, however, is that the Sultan’s property in North Borneo has never been part of Philippine sovereignty, and has never been described as such..neither in any of our five constitutions, nor in any of the relevant International Treaties or Protocols…Tejeros in 1897; Malolos in 1899; Marcos’ in 1976; and the Madrid Protocol.. included. This is not to say that the Sultan does not own the property. It’s just that the Philippines, itself, has no basis for a proprietary claim over it.

        In 1885, Spain, Great Britain and Germany entered into an agreement called the “Madrid Protocol of 1885″. In it, Spain who then had sovereignty over the Philippine Islands, withdrew her claim over the North Borneo property. The other parties to the agreement, for their part, acknowledged Spain’s sovereignty over the Sulu and Tawi Tawi Archipelagos, and the rest of the islands up to the Batan Archipelago up north. The paper further recognized the Sultan of Sulu as the proprietary owner of said property. There was nothing implied in the document. It was all in explicit language.

        The salient facts of this brouhaha are that: 1) Spain was the sovereign of the whole Philippine Archipelago in 1885..not the Americans nor any of the Philippine revolutionary governments; and, 2) the Treaty of Paris of 1898 gave the Philippine Islands its geopolitical status, and reaffirmed the articles of the Madrid Protocol of 1885. Interestingly, the original deed of cession of the ‘Sabah property by the Sultan of Brunei to the Sultan of Sulu has been on display in Brunei’s National Museum. To my mind, the late Sultan of Sulu had.. and his heirs still have.. a clear shot at claiming what is theirs, and the Philippines can assist in the effort as ‘amicus curiae” (friend of court) during the proceedings.This is the least ”any sitting Philippine Government” can do, owing to the pledge that, then President Macapagal, made to a trusting Sultan of Sulu, who was, in fact, Filipino.

        1. thanks for the info @xdarkx and this will be a very long debate over the Sabah claim to our country (much longer than in the Spratly Islands). But the royal family of the Sultanate of Sulu still want to get it back especially that the daughter of the former Sultan of Sulu will run for the senate by next year’s election and this will be her top agenda if she’ll win it but I don’t know if the next and new Philippine president (e.g. Roxas, Duterte, Binay, etc.) will support it and this will be a troublesome on bringing back the peaceful days in Mindanao. 😐

  2. History has shown us that strength may be useless when faced with terrorism. But I have never subscribed to the theory that political power flows from the barrel of a gun.

  3. i was many times offered in the past by this Slave of Islam to become one of them inside their religion as number of my fellows chose to do for themselves.

    one time a friend of mine, an Egytian approached me, gave his though and asked what made me to choose Christianity over their religion?

    i paused for a minute n think if that question will serve like a trap to me or not.

    so i politely answer him back with this, becasue Jesus is my savior and your’s too.

    But he contended that he was merely a man and not God.

    this gave me the position to stretch further our discussion and ask him, who is the last prophet?

    He said it’s Mo..!

    -Now i want you to remember this thing that in case someone want to try your faith this would be the best argument to win discussion:

    But Mo…died and the only prophet who was still alive is Jesus Christ. he was taken by your allah for protection and refuge in heaven.

    “once a prophet died, he NATURALLY discontinued his position as a prophet and therefore vacant with no one to take over leaving Jesus as the qualified person for that position”

    He quivered when he heard this thing and resort to many excuses. but i cut our discussion short to let him think of what i have said to him.

    Philippians 2:10 King James Version (KJV)

    10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth

    1. a Christian must know his position as a teacher for the dumb. u must be firm in judgement and strong to get them to obey you with sound doctrine.
      don’t let them see u like weakling faithless person. they’re vicious wolves waiting for a moment to devour you just like Paul said:

      “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
      but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”

      1. Do you even know who the real enemy is ?

        “Never ask for whom the bell tolls………..”……

        ……..”For it tolls for thee.”.

        1. Why bothered who wud be ur enemy ?

          a christian is a living sacrifice and ready to take risk such as what they have done to Jesus for their satisfaction.

  4. Let’s not speculate. Let’s deal with fact. Muslims, wherever they are worldwide, are adherents of a monolithic, inflexible and unrelenting religion… Islam. All of them strictly follow the tenets and strictures of the Quran, as well as the Sunnah and the Hadiths which were handed down by their prophet Muhammad. The Muslim you may encounter in trouble spots like Iraq, Palestine, Nigeria or Syria, are of the same fabric… cut from the same bolt of cloth… as the fractious Muslim in Mindanao, Sulu and Basilan.. and Metro-Manila. All of them are of the same mindset, that is, that theirs is the one true religion and that anybody who says otherwise is an unbeliever.. an infidel, who must either convert or, be taxed heavily, or, be put to death. The Mozarabes.. Spaniards who did not convert to Islam, in the 8th through the 15th century, Moorish Spain.. paid dearly to live in their own country during that period. All these are data gleaned from today’s news and from books like ‘Introduction to the History of Western Europe’, ‘History of Spain’, and ‘History of the Moors of Spain’.
    Proceeding from these accounts… the Philippine Muslims who account for about 5% of the population today have become more assertive in their life’s quest for a separate identity.. and territory. Their voices are now louder and more strident, their methods more aggressive and deadly. This new attitude matches their growing share of the population; and, is consistent with the flagrant Muslim skirmishes and assaults in other countries… Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium… where Muslim populations have crossed the 5% mark. While we can’t say for certain that these developments are inter-connected; given the foregoing accounts, it is reasonable to think so. What is certain is that the consistent weak-kneed, paternalistic and patronizing policy of this, and past administrations has been a prescription for disaster. This stance has allowed an unpleasant local police problem, early on, to transition into a wider and costlier, ‘chronic-low-grade insurgency’ problem. The saga of President Aquino’s BBL,which has already attracted international attention, can only exacerbate this problem. It is time to put a stop to this feckless and dangerous experiment.
    Please remember.. there are some failed attempts for which there are no second chances.. sky diving, bungee jumping and this BBL.

    1. Well not only the ISIS was the culprit of the Paris terror attack that had happened last Friday the 13th (very ironic on that date) but it was also the mafias who had also been planned on that said event. And one of the 8 suspects had an AK-47 riffle which it came from Eastern European countries and its illegal to sell or to bring that kind of gun in France! So how that riffle was bought and used there to attack the innocent civilians and use it to justify their cause and struggles? Well watch this video:
      https://youtu.be/iSpUF2iJcoE

  5. @ GET REAL, OMG !!! GET A CLUE, or do you really believe everything you read ? The ‘False Flag’ operations that have been going on for decades (centuries actually) are not for the intellectually weak to know.

    NOTE**************** DON’T YOU THINK it is a little odd that within 45 minutes of the attacks, suspects were named, a terrorist organization was accused and named as the perpetrator…..ALL WITH NO INVESTIGATION?

    GET A CLUE……

    this is just FYI,

    http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/11/15/french-security-left-blind-during-paris-attacks-2/

    In the immortal words of Roger Waters: ‘Things are not what they seem….’. DUH !!!!!

    1. No it isnt odd… What is odd is your comment… You think this event came out of the blue? It was meant to happen. We were as ready as we could in the sense that it didn’t come as a surprise. So yes, there is no need of a long investigation to know who was behind…. As soon as we heard the news, we didn’t need to even think twice to know that ISIS was behind…

  6. What we have learned about the Paris attack is the consistency of human nature–regardless of how much we want to tell ourselves that we have evolved–on our propensity for violence.

  7. There is a difference between “Radical or Fundamentalist Muslim”, and “Moderate Muslim”…

    Radical Muslim that adhere to the “Wahabi sect” teachings are the : Al Queda, ISIS, etc…

    The Law in the Koran is the Law of their government…any infidel or non believer of the “Prophet Muhammad” or their “God Allah” are viewed as Sub Humans. So they can just: murder them; make them slaves; scam them; lie to them; etc…to further their dominance/rule in this Planet Earth.

    You have to read the Islamic Koran, and the Hadith, to understand this religious/political ideology.

    Dying for the cause of propagation of Islam to them; earn them a reward in Paradise; with 72 virgins, and 72 mansions, for all eternity.

    This is the reason the ISIS murderers, wore suicide bomber belts, and blew themselves.

    They are now in Paradise, according to their political/religious beliefs.

    I would recommend the placing of SAF Police officers, in civilian clothes, armed with machine Pistol Israeli Uzzi, in crowded places or locations, where people meet. This automatic machine pistol, can be easily concealed, under the clothes, or jacket.

    If armed Police Marshalls (SAF), would had been placed by France, in strategic locations in the arena , concert hall, or roads, in Paris. The ISIS shooters, would had been neutralized easily.

    France had been attacked repeatedly. A few weeks ago, three U.S. Marines, foiled an attempt by an ISIS, to massacre people inside a moving train. Yet, France did not take any precautions.

    ISIS are like those : Japanese kamikaze pilots, Banzai charging Japanese soldiers, etc…during World War II. The Japanese wanted to die for Emperor Hirohito. The idiotic Radical Muslims, want to die for their God: Allah; and receive 72 virgins rewards in Paradise , as Martyr. Help them go to Paradise, by mowing them down also.

  8. Meri en me laissant escrire en Fraicais.

    Nous les Bloggers de GRP envoyons nos condoleanses aux victimes des meurtres d’ ISIS.

    Nous tenons avec l’epaule a’ epauler por combatte ce terrorisme d’ ISIS.

    Peuvent les families de tehe de consolation de Dieus de victimes.

    Pilipino translation:

    Maraming Salamat, na pinayagang ninyo ako na magsulat ng Frances.

    Tayo mga Bloggers ng GRP ay nagbibigay ng pakikiramay sa mga biktima ng ISIS na mamatay tao.

    Nakikiramay din kami sa mga pamilya ng mga biktima. Sana ang ating Maykapal ay bigyan kayo ng kapayapaan sa inyong pagdalamhati.

    1. You’re playing into the hands of the Philippine Catholic Church with that message. The world doesn’t need more entitled mouths to feed.

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