When terrorists target kids
EVERY victim of terrorism is innocent, and every one is to be mourned. But the bombing in Manchester, England, on Monday night that killed fans of the pop star Ariana Grande is particularly wrenching.
By Tuesday, 22 people had died and 59 others were hospitalised. The dead included 8-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos, who had come with her mother and older sister, and Georgina Bethany Callander, 18, who posted an image of her new driver’s licence on Instagram.
The Islamic State said one of its “soldiers” was responsible for the bombing, which also took the life of the man British police officials believe was behind it, Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old whose parents emigrated from Libya. It is still unclear whether Abedi acted alone, or as part of a network.
It is important to recognise this attack for what it is: an attempt to provoke a thirst for vengeance and a desire for absolute safety so intense, it will sweep away the democratic values of diverse societies.
IS wants to watch Western democracies embrace its mad version of a holy war pitting Muslims against Christians. With cold calculation, extremists have ripped apart the lives of people simply out enjoying themselves – whether at a concert or sitting around cafe tables in Paris in November 2015, or gathering for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice last year, or shopping at a Christmas market in Berlin in December.
Public spaces must be made as safe as possible, even as people recognise that more attacks will very likely occur, despite our best defences. In Europe and in the US, it is critical that immigrants, especially Muslims, are not stigmatised. As Richard Barrett, former director of global counterterrorism operations at MI6, Britain’s foreign intelligence agency, said, “engaging the community and letting the community inform us” is one way “to understand why people do this” and to prevent future attacks.
Understanding is critical. The quickest way for open societies to lose the freedoms they enjoy would be to whip up ethnic, racist and religious hatreds. But there will be those who try. The Daily Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson tweeted: “We need a State of Emergency as France has. We need internment of thousands of terror suspects now to protect our children.” Then there was the vile tweet by Katie Hopkins, a British commentator: “We need a final solution.” She later changed “final” to “true” in a new tweet after her original was widely condemned.
Trump, who travelled to Europe Tuesday, spoke to the British prime minister, Theresa May, and said what the world needs to hear: The United States stands with Britain. That spirit should bring together all citizens, of all countries, who grieve now for the innocents cut down in Manchester.