A press release from the European Commission:
The European Commission and the High Representative deplore today’s crime in Copenhagen costing the life of at least one citizen. One life is one too many. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. Europe stands united with Denmark in upholding freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Europe will not be intimidated.
I hope it really won’t. This kind of shit is intimidating, make no mistake about that. That’s what it’s for and that’s what it does.
But one thing it also does is make more people loathe Islam with more of a passion. Maybe the disgusted parents and older siblings of these “jihadists” will eventually be able to get that through their heads – they’re not doing their beloved religion any favors.
Europe will not be intimidated.
I wish. What will actually happen is that this our goverments will overreact and will use this event to further reduce personal freedom and liberty for an “increase” in security. Of course without being effektiv in any way shape or form. I already know what our Innenminster will say: “We need more surveillance. We need backdoors into cryptographie. We need to save more Metadata (Vorratsdatenspeicherung)”.
Yeah, Europe will be intimidated. A lot.
Also: We need the Bundeswehr to operate against domestic threats! (There are historic reasons why the German army is expressively forbidden to be used as a police force)
And some Christian conservatives will prohably call for a stronger blasphemy law again.
Every time they do, quote a passage from the Bible that constitutes illegal hate speech, advocacy of crime or a terrible infringement of human rights. Then wonder aloud why this stuff is permitted in bookshops where your child might pick it up and read it.
Hmmmm. I’m not convinced of that – or, rather, I fear that the opposite might have some truth to it. I think that making people loathe their religion might be what they’re after. Generate loathing for the religion, and that will make things much worse for the average Muslim on the street, either through direct attack by right-wing nutcases, or through a general contamination of the public sphere. And that, in turn, creates and reenforces a wholly unnecessary cultural divide – a Muslims-against-everyone-else mentality. Making non-Muslims the enemy will end up… well, it’ll end up making them the enemy.
Maybe the only way to win is the “I’ll ride with you” Australian way.
Their religion loves death, conquest, and terror. So no, they ARE doing it a favor.