Two explosions at Brussels Airport, several injured

Original post by nulli tertius

And I suspect that is what the Brits, the French and the Germans will do but Belgium is virtually a failed state. It is largely incapable of any collective action.

Posted from TSR Mobile

It stumbles on, but it's true that a lot of political things in Belgium are basically broken or chaotic.

I think the issue here though is to what extent the security forces have the resources they need and can act and to what extent the public participate and are vigilant.

It was sad to hear that the taxi driver who dropped these three disgusting lunatics off at the airport was suspicious because they didn't want help with their bags, yet apparently did not immediately report this. A culture where people feel free to report any time they feel something is suspicious is critical.

Reply 944

Original post by The_Opinion

I blame the vast majority of MPs from the 1960's until now.

Clearly many mistakes have been made. Yet it's worth noting that the US, which has always maintained strict and well enforced immigration controls over the period you talk about has also suffered home grown Jihadi terror and even rigidly controlled totalitarian countries like China have. So it clearly is quite a problem and simplistic solutions or just blaming it on uncontrolled immigration for politically motivated reasons doesn't cut it. We have the migrant populations we have and the question is what to do next, not wishful thinking about reversing it.

Reply 945

Multiculturalism

Original post by Fullofsurprises

A culture where people feel free to report any time they feel something is suspicious is critical.

That sounds like an Orwellian state; people informing on one another.

Reply 946

Original post by Multiculturalism

That sounds like an Orwellian state; people informing on one another.

Sadly I think we are all going to have to accept a situation where there is much more vigilance and for a long time to come.

Reply 947

Multiculturalism

Original post by RivalPlayer

This is what happens when a country carelessly imports people who come equipped with incompatible cultural beliefs and practices and have no desire to integrate.
.
You're essentially importing the terror threat.

I'm sorry?

Reply 948

Multiculturalism

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Sadly I think we are all going to have to accept a situation where there is much more vigilance and for a long time to come.

The problem with that is that people would racially profile Muslims, which is racist

Reply 949

Original post by Multiculturalism

The problem with that is that people would racially profile Muslims, which is racist

Not sure what you mean exactly, I mean, the authorities already do and it's fairly obvious that this is in fact regrettably necessary. I think the reality is that Muslims are going to have to accept a higher level of scrutiny of them in public places and many do I think. The issue is not easy though because it's also true that routinely hassling young Muslims previously not committing offences but angered by labelling is unlikely to endear them to the system.

Reply 950

nulli tertius

21

Original post by Multiculturalism

That sounds like an Orwellian state; people informing on one another.

You are extremely misguided if you think that people should not be informing on terrorists. What makes the informing in 1984 wrong is the illegitimacy of the regime in the novel. The novel is written from the perspective of the subversives. You cannot be a bystander in a fight against terrorism. If you are put in the position of having to make the choice, you either stand with the terrorists or with the institutions of the state.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 951

username2312659

Does anyone know if the terrorists had the explosives on them or if the explosives were planted beforehand?

If the bombs were on them then I'm concerned about airport and metro security. Surely the security would have found explosives yet they went undetected.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 952

Frank Underwood

5

Original post by thunder_chunky

It is possible to criticise a religion without criticising it's followers, let alone all it's followers. FYI, when I made comments about all Muslims being responsible I was being somewhat tongue in cheek, however I do think there is more of a responsibility by that community to do more. And I don't see an issue with criticising a religion or it's teachings when something is done in it's name, or even when it isn't. Especially when those teachings are very old and very outdated, not to mention very irrelevant. I see no harm in criticising those beliefs or even blaming them. And if you think that's an attack on all it's followers then so be it. And if you think that it is an unfair attack on all it's followers then boohoo, cry me a river cupcake.

I am an atheist, I don't care for any religion, least of all any religion which is used to justify violence. That isn't nationalist or isolationist, it's just an atheist point of view. But it's clear that you are more concerned about protecting the feelings of those from the religious community than those who are affected by terrorism or those who wish to stop it. You are definitely part of the problem that faces our society today. You are part of the regressive social politically correct community who attack those who point to the smoking gun, rather than pointing to those who hold the smoking gun. But we already knew all of that about you. You have already made that abundantly clear.

So when you said that 1.5 billion Muslims are responsible for the acts of terror committed by ISIS, you were just 'criticising the religion'? When you said Muslims should 'get off their arses and go and fight ISIS' you were just criticising the Islamic faith? Sure.

You are insulting the followers of Islam, when they had nothing to do with, and had no connection to the terrorist attacks that occurred. It's just that the people who did them happen to follow a very extremist version of the religion, they can't fight ISIS because they have families and lives to live, and ISIS poses a small threat in Syria - a country no one wants to be in. Stop pretending that you're 'criticising Islam' - blaming 1.5 billion Muslims, which you did in the very first reply to me on this thread, is criticising Muslims.

And this is exactly what ISIS want, they want the west to alienate Muslims and to reject the refugees. They believe (although mistakenly) that all Muslims will rise up in the defence of ISIS in a massive war, to achieve this, they are terrorising us and trying to make us fear Muslims so that we segregate them. So whether you like it or not, you're helping ISIS by hating Islam because three extremists attacked Brussels yesterday.

It is possible to criticise a religion without criticising its followers in some specific instances. For example if you took something which the Quoran says and said that it incites violence, but you didn't do that, instead you said that Muslims worldwide are allowing terrorist attacks to happen. Personally, I am grateful that the vast majority of Muslims are great people, and I'm betting you haven't even been to a predominantly Muslim country.

But keep calling me a cupcake if it dismisses my argument in your eyes :facepalm:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 953

Farm_Ecology

12

Original post by rajneetk

Does anyone know if the terrorists had the explosives on them or if the explosives were planted beforehand?

If the bombs were on them then I'm concerned about airport and metro security. Surely the security would have found explosives yet they went undetected.

They wouldnt have passed through security.

Reply 954

Frank Underwood

5

Original post by Lady Comstock

The operative word being "implicitly", which is largely a subjective interpretation and easily clarified if you simply ask the person whether they mean to criticise the believer as well as the belief.

I am also not even sure whether it is implicitly criticising Muslims to simply say, for example, that Islamic scripture on homosexuality is wrong. Where is the implied criticism of Muslims there? Are you criticising all Lord of the Rings readers by implication if you criticise a certain theme within the books?

That's criticising a specific things in the Quoran. You aren't criticising the religion as a whole in this instance.

Reply 955

username2312659