A Stop-the-Presses Alert from AP, "Judge: Militants Want to Attack Europe" (thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist):
PARIS - Islamic extremists are returning to France from Iraq's battlegrounds with the skills and desire to carry out attacks in Europe, a top anti-terror judge said Thursday — warning that Europe needs a better-coordinated effort to face the threat.The Iraq war is changing the face of militancy in France, investigating judge Jean-Francois Ricard said in an interview with The Associated Press. As with some of the suspects in the London bombings, some French Islamic radicals with violent intentions are unknown to authorities, he said.
Islamic militants from France have long participated in armed struggles and received battle training around the globe, in places such as Chechnya, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, Ricard said. But only rarely have such militants sought to bring violence back with them, he said.
"I have confirmation ... of this return (from Iraq) with action targeting our countries. We've been starting to see it this year" and in 2004, Ricard said. "It's very worrying."
"The return of some individuals is starting: They're taking round trips. You can't think that once in Iraq, there's no return," he said. "It is not true."
Tacit in this judge's assessment is that the fault lies with the West and the US in particular for the mayem the Jihadis will unleash on their European hosts...
Well it may be true that the war in Iraq has simply become the latest pretext for the Islamists to wage Jihad -- the fact that they consistently find a receptive audience in Europe for their trumped up claims of victimization. They will transgress against their European hosts in the comfort that the US and its policies will bear the brunt of European criticism for their predations, not the terrorists themselves.
I keep saying that 9/11 taught me that terrorism WORKS -- and we won't see a diminution or cessation of Jihadi violence until we make the costs to Muslims PROHIBITIVE for their ongoing aggressions against non-Muslims... I also keep saying 'what will that entail...?' To me this is the most important question that needs answering. All the other malarky about moderation in Islam, or reform in Islam is just smokescreen and snookery...
What's the logic here?
France was, and remains, firmly opposed to the invasion of Iraq, so why would jihaddists fresh from battle in Iraq want to attack French targets?
Could they be holding another [Halal] beef, and could they just be looking for an easier, safer place to continue their jihad mayhem? (Some accounts suggest life isn't a bed of roses for them in Iraq. They're being turned in by the local sheiks, Sunnis included.)
A cogent statement by jsla. This never-ending jihad will not be stopped until the ante is raised so high that the practitioners of the religion of peace are forced to turn inward. Unfortunately, this will take a long time because until the appeasers, like France, Germany, and our own "Blame America First" crowd understand that they, too, are targets despite their appeasement, the war will go on and we are on our own.
It's going to be a real pleasure, in ten years or so, to crack a cold beer, flip on the tube and watch the Foreign Legion slugging its way through St Denis--I mean, really giving it the old college try: artillery, close air support, the works. Street by street and mosque by mosque.
I may actually root for them to take it back from the Caliphate. But I'll still smile when the UN condemns France for its racist, aggressive, imperialist war.
OT - A kafkaesque development in French Dhimmitude has discretely taken place. Blasphemy is now against the law in the land which invented mockery of religion.
The webmaster of the satirical site www.musulmanesonline.com has been given a three month suspended prison sentence and a massive 15 000 Euro fine for mocking Islam. The reason for the fine is the usual 'incitement to racial hatred' despite the fact that no racial group was targeted by the site.
There are two reasons why this is different from previous similar cases. Firstly in previous cases brought by Islamic groups against the writer Michel Houellebecq and the teacher Louis Chagnon, judges found in favour of the defendants and agreed that criticism of Islam was not racism.
Secondly the case against www.musulmanesonline.com was not brought to court by the usual pro islamic anti racist organisations but by the French state. (The only agrieved private party was the Hergé Foundation who were not pleased that an illustration from a Tintin book appeared on the site.)
That France, with seemingly no prompting from any organisation has slammed down hard on satirical criticism of Islam is an extremely sinister developement.
More can be read in French (only in French unfortunately) at this link http://www.france-echos.com/actualite.php?cle=6839
The only conclusion that can be drawn is that the French State is utterly terrified of their 'tiny minority'.
Jihadists have attacked Europe before--one need only remember that Charles Martel drove invading Islamic armies from France at the Battle of Tours early in the eighth century. I might also add that jihadists wish to attack and destroy ALL of the world that is non-Muslim, something they are willing to work very hard at.
We have the return of a very old enemy on our hands.
All conflicts in the Islamicized part of the globe such as Kashmir, Afghanistan, Southern Sudan et al have accomplished the same feat of revitalizing militant islamic jihdists. This is of course an occasion for great concern and one for which there is no obvious solution.
Pointing fingers is not going to help anything or anyone at this point. Let us hope that Europeans (and indeed we Americans) are now well past that exercise in futility.
Solidarity, loyalty to the causes of democracy, the principles taught by Judeo-Christianity, and the improvements gained through our advancements in the arts and sciences, coupled with courage, innovativeness and perseverence should help provide us the sustenance required to weather this storm and emerge the clear victors.
"Now is the time for strength and resolution."--Margaret Thatcher.
Pandering, dupliciousness, mass immigration, appeasement, being a terrorists' haven has nothing to do with this, does it?
"...one need only remember that Charles Martel drove invading Islamic armies from France at the Battle of Tours early in the eighth century...."
Shouldn't it read "Charles Martel ACCIDENTALLY drove invading Islamic armies...?
Just wondering! Don't forget Charles 'The Hammer' was FRENCH!
Islam is taking over the world by hook or by crook (or so it would like). France is not immune.
Sebastian:
And yet some cretin of a French "comedian" (of Vietnamese origins, I believe) was very recently acquitted in a high court of charges of anti-Semitism for dressing up as an orthodox Rabbi and giving the Nazi salute among other things.
Pythagorus:
But those were the days when the French took Roman Catholocism seriously.
Greetings to all from El Cid.
Solidarity is the right way to approach this, as much as I have been upset by some in France who resent America, I feel the time has come to work together to save the west and the world from threat of Islam.
We are share a common bond with France, the destruction of the cultural heritage, beautiful art and architecture of France is obviously a blow to all westerners and to all mankind.
Our enemies don't see us as Frenchmen or Spaniards, American or English, they see us as the dar-al-Harab.
If France is attacked them I'm a French!
When churches are invaded in Belgium, I'm a Belgium!
When Buddhist are murdered in Thailand, I'm Thai!
When I read about the tragic history of the Islamic Invasion of India and the deaths of millions, then I'm India.
We all stand together as victims and potential victims of Jihad.
United we stand, divided we are forced into the slavery of dihimitude.