A Lebanese student in Germany is suspected of planting one of two bombs that failed to explode on regional German trains. Germans are said to be stunned because they thought the country’s vehement opposition to the Iraq war would insulate it from becoming a terror target.
So how do you say “well, I never” in German?
The evidence seems to point to poorly trained Islamic radicals who don’t appear to be closely linked to terrorist networks. Or, in other words, just some average Muslims living in your garden variety infidel country who, for whatever reason, got a jihadi bug up their rears and commenced to waging holy war against anybody who happened to be handy. Fortunately, their amateurish efforts failed.
As for the Germans being shocked, maybe they haven’t heard, but there’s a holy global jihad going on out there and no infidels have officially been issued free passes from mass murder in the name of Allah. They’re opposed to the war in Iraq? So what? They’re still infidels and when you get right down to it, amongst a certain ilk, the only good infidel is a dead one.
Kai Hirschmann, deputy director of Essen’s Institute for Terrorism Research and Security Policy, wasn’t particularly surprised at the plot. According to him, despite its opposition to the Iraq war, Germany is still seen as being on the side of the U.S. and Britain because of its role in Afghanistan and for helping train Iraqi police and military.
That’s certainly more than enough to provoke the wrath of Islamic radicals. On the other hand, it might not take even that much. Instead, it could simply be the sinful nature of everyday German life. That’s all it took for a crew in the Netherlands whose plot to blow up Amsterdam’s famed Red Light District on general principle was foiled by local authorities.
Maybe now that Germany knows that an absence of overt military action in Iraq isn’t enough to placate local Islamic radicals, it might change its attitude about simply sitting out the war on terror while somebody else deals with it.
Greg Strange provides conservative commentary with plenty of acerbic wit on the people, politics, events and absurdities of our time. See more at his website: http://www.greg-strange.com/
