On Monday, May 22, the United Kingdom and the world at large were shocked by a brutal terror attack that took place at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. 22 year old Salman Abedi – a man now believed to have been radicalized by members of ISIS when he traveled to Syria – detonated a bomb during the concert, killing 22 people and wounding at least 59 others.
As horrific as this event is – and as shocked as it has left the world – Europeans are no longer able to label such occurrences as isolated incidents.
Since January, there have been 15 attempted terror attacks in Europe, meaning that there has been an attempted attack in the continent every nine days on average since 2017 began.
Of all of these attacks, both those that were foiled and those that were successful, all but one attack has been linked to radical Islam and jihadism. In Great Britain alone, security officials are estimated to be tracking north of 3,500 potential terror suspects. Meanwhile, Belgium, with a population over five times as small as Great Britain’s, is estimated to be tracking 18,000 potential terror suspects.
It goes without saying that these numbers are terribly disturbing. It is also entirely fair to blame European policies for allowing these horrible attacks to take place. On the whole, European nations have been very lax in their response to accepting large numbers of immigrants who come from high-risk areas such as Iran and Syria.
Leaders responsible for these policies have heralded them as the only humanitarian choice, attacking politicians such as U.S. President Donald Trump and defeated French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen for their closed-border policies. The truth of the matter isn’t so cut and dry, and allowing policies which endanger innocent citizens everywhere isn’t humanitarian at all.
While there are certainly plenty of innocent refugees who are simply seeking an escape from the war-torn nightmares their countries have become, there are undoubtedly also those who would use the current refugee crisis as a way to gain access into the countries they wish to destroy.
Without extensive vetting, it’s impossible to tell a person’s intentions. Even with extensive vetting, there will be those who are still able to slip through under the radar.
In response to this dilemma, the Trump administration has attempted to block travel to and from countries where there is a high risk of individuals becoming radicalized. These efforts, though, have faced stiff opposition, with opponents painting them as racist and anti-Muslim.
Thus far, the Trump administration has been unsuccessful in getting the travel ban implemented. Federal courts, arguably stepping well outside the intended limits of their role, have drastically stalled Trump’s travel ban.
Even without the travel ban in place, though, the United States is not bringing in nearly as many individuals from high-risk nations as many countries in Europe are, and the results are telling. In 2017, the US has not experienced a single terrorist attack outside of isolated murders carried out by lone wolf attackers. Compared to the 15 attacks in Europe, several of which led to a body count that was in the dozens, the difference is significant – especially considering the fact that ISIS arguably hates the United States more than any other country in the world.
Given the current rate of attacks in Europe, the continent’s leaders have a lot of problems on their hands that must be addressed in the near-future if Europe wants to avoid becoming the next Middle East. Though the wish to help innocent refugees is a noble cause, a nation’s first duty is to protect the safety of its own people, and shield them from deadly attacks such as the one that took place in Manchester, England.
Until ISIS is wiped off the face of the Earth (and God hasten the day that they are) countries, both European and across the world, must take more care to prevent people like Salman Abedi from crossing over their borders. We simply cannot afford to stand idly by while these horrific terror attacks continue to claim the lives of innocent people.
~ Liberty Planet
