George Soros appears nervous.
Not about Islamic terrorism, mind you, but about
He’s penned an op-ed titled “The terrorists and demagogues want us to be scared. We mustn’t give in”, wherein he frets that — given radical Muslims terrorizing the West in places like Paris, San Bernardino, and Next Location Undetermined — we might be letting fear guide us.
The jihadi terrorists’ ultimate goal is to convince Muslim youth worldwide that there is no alternative to terrorism. And terrorist attacks are the way to achieve that goal, because the fear of death will awaken and magnify the latent anti-Muslim sentiments in Europe and America, inducing the non-Muslim population to treat all Muslims as potential attackers.
Umm… yeah… so?
And that is exactly what is happening. The hysterical anti-Muslim reaction to terrorism is generating fear and resentment among Muslims living in Europe and America. The older generation reacts with fear, the younger one with resentment; the result is a breeding ground for potential terrorists. This is a mutually reinforcing, reflexive process.
The hysterical anti-Muslim reaction to terrorism is generating fear and resentment among Muslims in Europe and America
How can it be stopped and reversed? Abandoning the values and principles underlying open societies and giving in to an anti-Muslim impulse dictated by fear certainly is not the answer, though it may be difficult to resist the temptation. I experienced this personally when I watched the last Republican presidential debate; I could stop myself only by remembering that it must be irrational to follow the wishes of your enemies.
Isn’t, then, George’s “fear” of Republicans the same kind of irrational fear that he/we should be avoiding? I’m confused.
Der Trumpenfuhrer
Methinx George is most afraid of Der Trumpenfuhrer:
[I]t is an egregious mistake to do what the terrorists want us to do. That is why, as 2016 gets underway, we must reaffirm our commitment to the principles of open society and resist the siren song of the likes of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, however hard that may be.
