Disputes on terror origin
Like the leaders of other Western countries targeted by Islamist
terrorists, French President François Hollande has insisted that the recent
attacks in Paris are not a product of Islam. At the same time, terrorists
operating against Western targets themselves believe and insist that their acts
of brutal violence against non-Muslim targets are indeed inspired, even
required by Islam. Given that the debate about the “truth” of the
Muslim-terrorism nexus is ultimately inconclusive, Western political leaders
would be better advised, at least in the name of intellectual integrity, to
stay out of this theological/ideological minefield. Political prudence,
however, dictates that whatever the elusive “truth” about a link between Islam
and terrorism may be, the public denial of its existence is the correct
response for Western leaders.
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