When four bombs went off in London during the G-8 summit my first thought (like yours) was Al Qaeda.
I didn't blog it. I'm glad of that now.
It turns out, according to British police, that the four suicidie bombers here were British citizens, natives. Three from Leeds, one from Luton. True, their parents were Pakistani immigrants, but the people who carried this out were local. The British police, who have done wonderful work on the case so far, are now trying to find out who put them up to this.
Again, let's not pre-judge. This might be an Al Qaeda "sleeper cell." But they could have been working under a British-based Islamic radical. Their targets may not have been Englishmen, but Muslims, since all four bombs went off in areas where many Muslims live.
I don't know. Neither do you. Let the system work.
But the face of this attack is looking less like Osama Bin Laden....
...and more like Timothy McVeigh (right).
Before 9-11 the biggest terrorism incident in this nation's history was the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. It was done by Timothy McVeigh, an American. He was executed for it.
McVeigh, it turns out, was twisted into a weapon against the government by people who decided the government was at war with them. Their cries of Ruby Ridge and Waco resounded in McVeigh's ears, and turned him into a weapon of mass destruction.
This may have happened in England as well, only here the cries may have been of Jerusalem and Iraq, of assimilation and non-Islamic behavior by secularized Asian-born citizens. Those who have used terrorism as an excuse to kill "the other" conveniently ignore, and forget, McVeigh, and all the other McVeighs who might be out there.
They also forget Eric Rudolph, now serving life without parole for (among other things) the Atlanta Olympic bombing.
Those who want to draw conclusions and commit mass murder before the evidence is in should do us all a favor, and shut up.
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist for over 25 years and has covered the online world professionally since 1985. He founded the "Interactive Age Daily" for CMP Media, and has written for the Chicago Tribune, Advertising Age, and dozens of other publications over the years.
1. Alan Hargreaves on July 13, 2005 04:24 AM writes...
Well said Dana. I hope folks pay attention.
Alan.
Permalink to Comment2. Brad Hutchings on July 13, 2005 08:12 PM writes...
A subtle difference between McVeigh/Rudolph and the four subway bombers is that both McVeigh and Rudolph valued their own lives enough to try to get the hell out of Dodge after setting off their bombs. Similarly and more relevant to British experience, the IRA never intentionally did suicide bombings.
The London bombing strongly appears to be the first suicide bombing in modern Europe. According to the families of the bombers, one made a recent pilgramage to Pakistan for religious training. The youngest turned to radical Islam to the point where he would only talk to or acknowledge other Muslims.
Europe has got a very serious Muslim problem. The elites want to act enlightened, they caution against painting a broad brush on a religion because of the acts of a few extremists. Yet, look the at Theo van Gogh murder, or the head-scarf fracus in France (caused by gangs of young Muslim men beating up and raping mostly non-Muslim, poor girls who dared appear unveiled in public), or the estimated 10,000 Mulsim men in Great Britain who have received training at terrorist camps.
In our country, if the Amish, the Scientologists, the Jehovah's Witnesses. or whoever had this kind of death cult going, we'd send in Janet Reno. Europe is really going to have to come to terms with their Muslim problem, because it goes beyond bombings. It may be the lens of the media, but it seems to me that whenever there is some Western Muslim put up to denounce the extremists, there is always a "but"... "we condemn this, but these kids have nothing to live for", "we condemn this, but the greater culture is poisonous and you have to address that too". Westerners aren't asking Muslim guests and immigrants to become lilly white Euros, but if they'd figure out how to condemn the obvious cancer in their midsts, there'd be less reason for general distrust of them. Look to the Catholic Church for an example of reasonable behavior. You'd never find the Pope or a Bishop or even a Priest expressing public or private support for anyone who planned to bomb an abortion clinic. That sure would be a great start for Euro Muslims.
As to an international response to this bombing... The Brits shouldn't waste the missiles. Instead, perhaps they could send Page 3 reprints to each of the good citizens of Saudi Arabia. For the US response, maybe a blanket country-wide license for Viagra to King Faud. Cut the Columbian drug cartels in on the deal for good measure.
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