The Paris outrage GUEST COLUMN R.K. Raghavan Tribune dt. Jan. 11, 2015 Assimilation meets isolation in Europe Paris killings show tinder in the form of mounting social inequality between the immigrant and the native citizen in most of Europe. This is therefore fertile ground for unrest and violence.  What happened earlier this week at the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo — a leading French satirical weekly — may have shocked the world at large. Many close observers of international terrorism are, however, not surprised. They are nearly unanimous that this cruel turn of events — killing of 12 people — was waiting to happen, given the weekly’s continual lampooning of all religious beliefs, especially those held dear by Islam. The journal’s office — situated not far from the iconic Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame cathedral — had earlier been extended police protection after it was bombed in 2011. This has proved inadequate against the recent well orchestrated team action of those who were apparently appalled at the perceived intransigence of the journal in sustaining a deliberate denigration of Islam. The attack once again established that a determined terrorist cannot be deterred, however well prepared the law enforcement agencies may be, and whatever law they get their governments to frame. Having said this, it is facile to believe that only a slight to his religion provokes the average terrorist in Europe. There is tinder in the form of mounting social inequality between the immigrant and the native citizen in most of Europe. This is therefore fertile ground for unrest and violence. It has been the cause of tension in most of the continent for more than a decade. France, Germany and the Netherlands have in particular been affected. The problem has defied any positive resolution through rapid economic uplift of those who lag behind others rather starkly. Among the latter, Muslim immigrants stand out for their large numbers — nearly 5 million in France alone, out of a total population of 66 million — and the abysmal ghetto ambience in which they are forced to live. A fallout of the State’s obvious incapacity to usher in major ameliorative measures has been a nearly mindless criminal justice response that has aggravated feelings of alienation and anger among the immigrants. France’s ban of the veil a few years ago is one example. It was actuated by a belief that downgrading religious symbolism could be effective in checking religious fundamentalism. A miscalculation of the highest order! The 9/11 attack promoted a fear of religion-based violence that few European governments could resist, and this has perpetuated a response that has polarised the countries in the region into Muslim and non-Muslim, a development that probably culminated in the Charlie Hedbo attack. This unfortunate situation is compounded by a stringent clamping down on all immigration, not merely that of the Muslim. Add to this cocktail the police suspicion that a sizeable number of Muslim immigrants either perpetrate or abet violent acts solely driven by religious fervour. Nearly 400 arrests during the past five years on this score does not actually endear te government to the average Muslim immigrant. The Charlie Hebdo episode will have a domino effect. This is particularly so because the Al Qaeda has already claimed that it had a hand in the Paris attack. There is also a report many youths from Europe have been drawn to the ISIS and have actually gone to Iraq and Syria to fight for the jihadist cause. This should make governments in the whole of Europe egg on their intelligence agencies to spy more and more on Muslims, taking these agencies right into mosques. The intrepid anti-immigration leader Marine Le Pen of the National Front party in France can be reasonably expected to step up her vitriolic rhetoric against admitting any more immigrants, especially Muslims, into France. This could further infuriate the fanatic fringe in the Muslim community and instigate them into misadventures such as Charlie Hedbo. The future of Europe in the matter of terrorism will have to be a mixed bag. Governments in the continent will work towards enhancing cooperation, especially the exchange of intelligence. The Europol is expected to play a facilitating role. It has an impressive database and a channel for exchange of intelligence. There is already pressure in the UK for a freer hand to the security forces in handling terror. If the rest of Europe joins the chorus, it will bring to focus the eternal debate on how to bring about a balance between individual freedom and extended government snooping into private communication channels. The question however is: Will a state of preparedness help to take the edge off terrorism? Not necessarily. The younger among the immigrants in all of Europe are mostly born in the countries to which their parents arrived decades ago. They are not said to be overly exercised about religion or pursuits related to it. They will not, however, reconcile themselves to a situation where they will remain second-class citizens and cannot compete with the natives, either for education or jobs. It is this difficult situation that belies any belief that Europe will be able to buy peace quickly with the immigrants, especially the Muslims among them. Meanwhile, a tightened immigration policy and stricter implementation of anti-terror law will undeniably appeal to the governments in the region. This is definitely not an agreeable environ in which life will be smooth, either for government or for the citizen. (The writer is a former CBI Director)
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 00:20:25 +0000
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