There Are More French Muslims Working for French Security Than for AQ
Olivier Roy is a true SME on Islam in France and the title says something we often miss:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivie...b_6445582.html
Quote:
Roughly speaking, two narratives are conflicting: the dominant one claims that Islam is the main issue, because it puts loyalty toward the faith community before loyalty to the nation, it does not accept criticism, does not compromise on norms and values and condones specific forms of violence like jihad. For the adherents of this narrative, the only solution is a theological reformation that would generate a "good" Islam that is a liberal, feminist and gay-friendly religion. Journalists and politicians are always tracking the "good Muslims" and summoning them to show their credentials as "moderate."On the other side, many Muslims, secular or believers, supported by a multiculturalist left, claim that radicalization does not come from Islam but from disenfranchised youth who are victims of racism and exclusion, and that the real issue is Islamophobia. They condemn terrorism while denouncing the backlash that could in turn radicalize more Muslim youth.
The problem is that both narratives presuppose the existence of a French "Muslim community" of which the terrorists are a sort of "vanguard."
The juxtaposition of these two narratives has created a deadlock. To overcome this, it is necessary to first take into account a number of inescapable facts -- facts which we do not want to acknowledge because they show us that the radicalized young people are in no way the vanguard or the spokesmen of the Muslim population, and in particular, that there is no "Muslim community" in France.
Radicalized young people, who rely heavily on an imagined Muslim politics (the Ummah of earlier times) are deliberately at odds with the Islam of their parents, as well as Muslim culture overall.
A Muslim who does not need to apologize
The French press via Twitter are reporting that a Malian Muslim employee at the kosher shop, a Lassana Bathily, saved several / six hostages by hiding them in the basement.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6_QmB-CYAATYv-.jpg
(Added) A report on his actions (in English):http://www.jewishnews.co.uk/paris-te...tages-freezer/
THis report is in French, I've no idea what it actually says:http://m.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/...o%2FVEGXqxIVQQ
Joining the dots: who is responsible?
Predictably there are comments whether the "dots were joined up", was it an intelligence failure or a political decision on the strategy.
Shashank Joshi (RUSI) concludes:
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The new challenge isn't the prioritisation of threats, but the growing mismatch between the number of potential threats and limited resources
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30760656
Professor John Schindler has a more caustic comment and points his finger at the politicians:
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The real problem is that French politicians, as in all Western countries, have absolutely no idea what to do with the burgeoning numbers of aspiring jihadist killers in their midst.
Link:http://20committee.com/2015/01/10/th...lure-in-paris/