Qatar- Terror in Paris

11/15/2015 5:09:16 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) France must not bow to terror and Hollande has vowed they would not.

France is in shock. In the deadliest attack on Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings gunmen and bombers left 127 dead in the French capital which was claimed by the Islamic State. The world expressed solidarity as leaders from Barack Obama to Vladimir Putin and across every continent expressed their condolences to French President Francois Hollande who said the attacks amounted to an act of war against his country. Security has been tightened all over Europe and several other countries.

France must not bow to terror and Hollande has vowed they would not. The Paris attacks should only steel their resolve to defeat terrorism and it enjoys the support of the entire world including Arab countries in these efforts. Qatar has condemned this act of terror in unequivocal terms and so has other GCC countries which enjoy excellent relations with France.

The attack came as a huge shock to France which is yet to recover from the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Why us again the French are asking. The question has acquired urgency.

One reason given is that France’s policy towards the war in Syria has been more pronounced than any other Western country. It was early in calling for President Bashar Al Assad’s exit and still insists he must quit and recently joined air strikes in Syria against the Islamic State. This week French warplanes attacked oil and gas installations in the Deir ez-Zor area to destroy ISIS infrastructure and its financial resources. President Hollande also announced the deployment to the Gulf of France’s only aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle to support operations against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The ISIS claiming responsibility for Paris attacks referred directly to French aircraft “striking Muslims in the lands of the caliphate”.

One unfortunate fallout of this terror attack will be a further rise in Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment. This can only undermine the fight against terrorism and the government must act cautiously not to deepen the divide. France has 4.7 million Muslims which is too huge a number to be left sulking and angry with a feeling of being discriminated against. The authorities should also evaluate the efficacy of its anti-radicalisation campaigns and find out why they have been seemingly unable to prevent a small number of Muslims from veering towards violent radicalism and jihad.

The Paris attacks would likely thwart the dreams of tens of thousands of Syrian and other asylum seekers who are knocking on the doors of Europe. It will also complicate the lives of those who have found refuge as they will be looked upon with suspicion. The fight against terror should not only involve eliminating terrorists but also identifying the causes of terror. Syria has become a breeding ground for terrorism.

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