THE march of over a million people, including 40 leaders, to condemn the recent terrorist attack in Paris is a significant development in the global fight against terror. However let us hope that world public opinion will not be manipulated and led astray with false allegations against innocent Muslims living in the West, thus creating another threat on a larger global scale. Political analysts believe that the policy of the war on terror, initiated by the Bush administration, has led to the present danger of diverse terrorist acts and ultimately we are now faced with a major global security risk. The negative consequences of this course of action have been the radicalization of many Muslim youth and a triggering of a cycle of revenge that seems to have no ending. The war on terror proved to be disastrous. American and European policy makers should realize by now their folly in applying the policy of collective guilt on the whole Muslim nation. Arab and Muslim countries are very diverse and the silent majority are moderate, peaceful people who are struggling to achieve progress and live in dignity. The emergence of terrorist organizations in the Arab and Muslim world are a threat to its people more than they are to the rest of the world. People in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other Muslim nations are innocent victims of a radical ideology that has spread in retaliation to injustices and wars. The United States and its coalition leaders, in combating the threat, need to make sure they avoid repeating the mistakes that led to the creation of these radical groups and instigated sectarian conflicts, enraged extremists, encouraged Islamophobia and infuriated Muslim youth. Meanwhile, the radicalization and the internationalization of the Syrian conflict have further escalated regional wars and, now, external forces are determined to spread the conflict into Western countries for selfish gains. Media analysts and politicians with conscience are speaking out against the political designs to force American dominance on world affairs. According to Paul Craig Roberts, who was assistant secretary of the treasury during the Reagan administration and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, the terrorist attack in Paris was orchestrated, just as other terrorist plots were created by the FBI, to make the terrorism threat real to America. The former US official wrote in a recent article widely circulated on social media that the CIA has revived a policy that it followed against Europeans during World War II era when the US spy agency would carry out attacks in European states and blame them on communist groups. Israel the staunch ally of the US could also be a formidable threat to global peace and security. The Israeli government is prepared to go to extremes against any country that supports an independent Palestinian State and that includes France. Meanwhile, another risk to global security is the rise of the number of Western military veterans who are illegally crossing the Iraqi-Syrian border. According to a Reuters report many from the American, British, German, Canadian, Europeans with Israeli nationalities and elsewhere in the West have taken up arms claiming humanitarian reasons to join in combat. This unfortunate development could fuel the conflict further and turn it into a Crusaders' war. Indeed, what is happening in the region spells a major disaster. The Middle East has become a playing field for external forces. The liberty of taking up arms against a sovereign country is illegal under the UN charter. Advocates of peace should mobilize global public opinion to stop the escalation of conflicts and wars. They should exert more pressure on Western policy makers to apply justice and promote peaceful coexistence. The expansionist policy of Israel, which continues to defy international laws and UN resolutions, remains to be one of the root causes of terror in the region. The deliberate Judaization of Al-Quds and the systematic changes in the demographic make-up of the city is an antagonistic practice that is also the source of much rage in the Arab and Muslim world. The United Nations and the global community should play a greater role to enforce international laws and hold countries who are a threat to global peace responsible. Fortunately the impunity of European countries in backing the unjust occupations and settlements in Palestine is finally eroding. Today there are brave voices of Western peace advocates and civil society organizations who are well informed and aware of the regional Cold War and the external forces that are fueling sectarian conflicts in the region. The global public opinion championing peace and justice could create a greater impact and influence Western countries to take a stronger political stance towards Palestine, the Muslim population in the West and the people in Arab and Muslim countries. It is crucial to address the regional political crisis with a more positive approach, recognizing the Arab and Muslim societies concerns, hopes and aspirations. Such policies could have far-reaching consequences. Advocates of peace are called upon to continue their quest to put greater pressure on American and European countries, especially the current members of the Security Council, and the emerging powers in the global arena to change direction and form policies promoting justice, global prosperity and peaceful co-existence. — Samar Fatany is a radio broadcaster and writer. She can be reached at [email protected]
