Politicians mislead Americans on terrorism

After 9/11, Americans were misled about the motives. We were told terrorists hate our “freedoms,” and religion was the problem. After the Paris attacks, politicians are again framing the tragedy as purely religious.

Like 9/11, there are motives not being publicized. The stated reasons by bin Laden were all American foreign policy. Likewise, a central motive for the Paris attacks was French airstrikes.

If we continue believing misleading politicians, war will perpetuate indefinitely. Phyllis Bennis wrote in The Nation, the “same ‘global war on terror’ … isn’t working. Because you can’t bomb terrorism — you can only bomb people … Sometimes you might kill a terrorist — but that doesn’t end terrorism; it only encourages more of it.”

When we appear to be waging Holy War against Muslim countries, and only show flag-waving sympathy when white Westerners die, we look like racist Holy Warriors, which is how we falsely see them.

Journalist Lydia Wilson interviewed captured ISIS prisoners, and found many fighters are not driven by religion. Prisoners she interviewed were “woefully ignorant about Islam and have difficulty answering questions about Sharia law, militant jihad, and the caliphate.”

One prisoner described his motivation as follows, “The Americans … took away Saddam, but they also took away our security. I didn’t like Saddam … but at least we didn’t have war … we need security. We are tired of so much war … All I want is to be with my family, my children.”

As politicians promote a simplistic false narrative, pro-war and right-wing centers of power are strengthening. France and the U.S. now have an expanded casus belli for more bombings. Racist minds are positioned to blame all Muslims, especially the vast numbers of Syrian refugees fleeing war and terrorism at home.

Patrick Kingsley wrote in The Guardian, “One theory is that ISIS hopes to turn Europe against Syrian refugees … (reinforcing) the idea of unresolvable divisions between east and west, and Christians and Muslims, and so persuade Syrians that Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate is their best hope of protection … You know what pissed off Islamist extremists the most about Europe? … It was watching their very humane, moral response to the refugee crisis.”

ISIS is receiving the desired response, more support for their cause and accelerated recruitment. Thousands more civilians will be bombed, and images of dead children are excellent terrorist recruitment propaganda. We are being played not only by terrorists, but by politician warmongers that pretend they oppose terrorism while continuing to support radical Islamic oil dictators.

Alarmingly, our dictator “allies” from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and others receive billions in military machines and crowd control equipment to quell democracy. They are also the greatest source of funding to Al Qaeda and other terrorists. A leaked Clinton memo stated that Saudi donors were, “the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.”

This information is ignored by politicians. “More war” is their primary foreign policy answer. After 13 years, this policy has proven a failure. The people must rise up in a mass peace movement and demand world peace now! ABEL TOMLINSON

Fayetteville