The flight from reason in jihad denial syndrome

gary ashton

im very grateful that there are a few journalists around who seem to be able to express on behalf of some of the public these views. however it's amazing how most don't, in fact they fall for the very predictable 'lefty' approach which is to blame the victim and make excuses for the perp.

Hugh

There is a rather recent&interesting "quip" which may very well be interpreted as a revelation, here in No.America , consider: political correctness = cultural marxism.The enemy to us all- even the sanctimonious "progressives", may some seismic event deliver their banal&antidiluvian vapidities to the disinfectant of rigour&,perhaps,dispassionate thought is the hollow fashionable pose of this absurd herd of sheep who want only a wee bit more time - to avoid a declaration for reason....the progressive left is paralysed by lack of conviction.That, in short , is what drove them to insanity re: G.W.Bush.The proof is in the incompetence -demonstrated-of Obama...he's window dressing , as is "progressive" principle(sic).

Worried of Woking

Great to read Mark Steyn again; incisive, stylish and always with humbug on his radar.

General Cruster

thanks Mel.
Another national scandal already 'fading from view' is NewLabs record debt......doesn't Sarah Brown look lovely in a KFC kinda way? Mandelson is politician of the year! Harman is solid! Brown's a fighter!
What will be next? Can't wait.
Don't you wish you had lovely hair and thin shoulders like Alex Massie ?

Wilhelm

The lame stream media just cant say the words MUSLIM TERRORIST, can they ?

Its like pulling teeth.

Larry in Tel Aviv

this is all beyond satire and parody. You literally cannot make this stuff up. No matter what happens, the jihadists could set off nuclear bombs in Tel Aviv, New York, London and Paris, the Western world will just blabber on about Islam being a religion of peace as it all falls apart, and the jihadist nuclear holocausts will be blamed on Israel, Haliburton and our lack of accomodation, understanding and hospitality to these killers and terrorists. I'm serious, I am not kidding, not even a little bit. It is like I say beyond parody.

Andre

Worried of Woking
Read Mark Steyn's work at Steyn On Line - www.marksteyn.com/

cici

Pierre Hardy Boots www.tradertrade.com

Lizzy

Also US journalist Michelle Malkin in her blog at www.michellemalkin.com. To quote:
The violence at Fort Hood, President Obama told mourners on Tuesday, was “incomprehensible.” The “twisted logic that led to the tragedy,” he reiterated, may be “too hard to comprehend.” If the Bush administration suffered a systemic failure of imagination on homeland security, the Obama administration is suffering an willful failure of comprehension.

What exactly is so hard to comprehend? Fort Hood jihadist Nidal Hasan made his means, motives, and inspiration all too clear for those willing to see and hear. In his 2007 slide presentation to fellow Army doctors on “The Koranic World View As It Relates to Muslims in the Military,” Hasan spelled it out: “We love death more then (sic) you love life!”

skydog

Well at least Mark Steyn gets it:

"Diversity" is one of those words designed to absolve you of the need to think. Likewise, a belief in "multiculturalism" doesn't require you to know anything at all about other cultures, just to feel generally warm and fluffy about them.....

''Which need not be reciprocated by the immigrants'' he forgot to add.

Liz

The last sentence in Mark Steyn's excellent piece struck me as particularly apposite:'What happened is not a "tragedy" but a national scandal, already fading from view."
Another example of '... a national scandal, already fading from view' is of course 'Neathergate'. Fraser Nelson had a great opportunity to address this matter online, in his recent "In answer to your questions" blog. He chose to avoid it, despite the insistence from many readers that this issue should not be laid to rest. Alas, apart from you, Melanie and a few others who have the courage to grasp unfashionable nettles, the media and government share the dubious distinction of being woefully out of step with the majority of their constituents.

david elder

The media coverage of Hassan's rampage was excruciating. They tried to bury his Islamist extremism so that we wouldn't distrust Muslims, but it only succeeded in increasing my mistrust of the media. My own Muslim acquaintances are all decent people, and I gather there are some 3000 Muslims who serve in the US military and don't cause trouble - why didn't the media just tell it straight with Hassan's Islamism while noting that a lot of his co-religionists are solid citizens and even solid US combatants.

Herbert Thornton

Melanie -

This topic deserves as much publicity as possible. I hope that you will continue to draw attention to the widespread and very foolish western determination to ignore the obvious concerning Islam.

I'd read Mark Steyn's piece, but not Barry Rubin's. As you say - read and tremble.

Odd

What evidence is there that the Fort Hood shooting was a 'jihadi' attack?

Not just because the perpetrator was Muslim, surely?

What's the equivalent when a non-Muslim gun nut goes on a shooting rampage? This seems to happen frequently in the US.

David

Odd,
This really isn't difficult! When someone goes on the rampage in a shopping mall, it may be because he's been shunned by society, because he's mentally ill, because his wife was unfaithful etc. There are a myriad of sad reasons for these attacks and, in the main, they are wholly disconnected in purpose or reason.
When there is an extremist attack by a Muslim however, then the purpose and reason are very clear. The attackers have usually made it clear for some time that that is their intent (as Nidal Hasan had done for a long period of time). During the course of the attack itself, they again make clear their intentions and motivations (by, for example, shouting "Allahu Akbar" (the "God is great" jihadist battle cry)).
Muslim extremism isn’t a club, a paramilitary group and doesn’t involve shared uniforms, ID cards, or any other outward signs of unity. There aren’t any insignia to fall back on in identifying a Muslim extremist. You can use their spoken and written word though to determine their views and intentions…..they are easy to find. In fact, given how easy it is to come across their views (Nidal called himself a ‘Soldier of Allah’) and motives, it is either your intelligence or your purpose which has to be called into question in not understanding the difference between a man like Nidal Hasan and someone who decides to shoot up a shopping mall because he took the lyrics of some Gothic band from Helsinki too seriously.

Mailman

Odd,

what evidence you ask?

How's bout his own rantings, attempted contact of AQ and witness statements about his shoutings etc.

But I guess to you, unless you heard him screaming then it can't have happened.

Mailman

SimonP

Sad to see that Mark Steyn makes "13 men and women and an unborn baby are dead" to be, two paragraphs later "14 dead."

Sorry, but I just had to point that out.

Mark Steyn, "unborn babies" are people, too.

SimonP

My mistake. I misread it as saying "13 men and one woman . . ." But the "one" wasn't there.

Having re-read the piece, I respect the Mr Stein even more. Sorry for causing offense.