Çidem İnç: Terror in Paris and Beirut

     On the way home from work, I heard a report on the radio about the multiple terrorist events in Paris.  Apparently, over 120 were killed by explosions and gunfire in what was a very coordinated, well planned, series of attacks.  Suicide bombers hit three different restaurants.  Germany was playing France in a soccer match and there were 2-3 explosions outside the stadium.  The bulk of the deaths took place at a rock concert in which gunmen entered, sprayed the venue with bullets, and then methodically executed people.
     This occurs the day bombings in Beirut killed 43 people.  This bombing was also well coordinated in the heinous way suicide bombings have evolved.  Two bombs were detonated in the same area to create maximum chaos and terror.
     I feel sick, empty, and numb.
     Who is responsible?  ISIS or ISIL or whatever they are being called took responsibility in Lebanon and I am guessing that everyone suspects them to behind the latest Paris attacks.  There is bound to be a similar attack in the US.  It seems inevitable.  In this regard, I hope I am wrong.
      I have yet to turn the television to a 24/7 news station.  I am numb and not sure I want to be shocked, awed, and numbed further by gluing myself to a news source,  I also wanted to react to these events without being influenced by the television journalism.
      It shows the resolve and vicious intent of ISIS.  They are a universal enemy to a great majority of the world.  They must be stopped.  I have no idea how they should be stopped, but they must be stopped.  The US, France, and others have to engage them directly with ground troops.  Air strikes will only do so far.  We will have to ally with Russia and others to eliminate this threat to half of Islam and the rest of the world.  We have to seriously look at our ally Turkey to see where their allegiance truly is.
     This ISIS enemy must be treated as just that:  an enemy capable of horrific acts.  They have no morality or compassion of anyone that is not them.  They are a serious enemy that cannot be taken lightly.
     The dastardly part of these attacks is an immediate realization of how vulnerable we can be in a free society.  This is nothing new to the people of Syria.  They have been living this for a few years and is why they are migrating to Europe in droves.  We have to defend ourselves.  We have to defend ourselves from overreacting in fascist and jingoistic ways that constrict our freedoms or polarize us religiously in our own countries.  That will not be easy to do especially if these kinds of attacks become more frequent.
     For many it will be easy to blame the new wave of migrants. Before this there were reports that terrorists could easily be part of the wave of migration.  Life will probably become much tougher for these migrants because of this Paris attack.
     I am not sure what the consequences of these attacks will be.  But is something that we will have to deal with.  Even before the terrorism this week in Paris and Beirut, many people think the world has been increasingly more polarized, tense, and thus scary place in recent years.
  Thoughts and prayers go out to those who perished and their families.
  Peace on Earth, goodwill to men.