11-15-2015, 06:23 PM
^ I get Mo's point about unequal media coverage in regards to the deaths in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
While those deaths are equally sad to me, they're less shocking at this point than deaths resulting from a coordinated surprise terrorist attack against civilians in the heart of a stable country at peace. So, the media will of course be all over the Paris story and the public will generally be very interested in learning more details as the investigation continues. I'm not saying that the media is doing anything right or wrong, just that I understand the disparity in coverage.
Anyway, no doubt terrorists can do real damage with good explosives/bombs, with or without guns, especially if they plan well and execute according to plan. I think Mo probably has good insight and theories into why jihadists and Islamic terrorists do what they do.
My guess is that some radicalized Muslims (including foreigners/converts) are willing to be suicide bombers because they truly believe the extreme fundamentalist message and that they will be rewarded when they commit to killing others (infidels) and themselves. Others are probably detached and gullible individuals who are anxious to belong to something bigger than themselves; ISIL has slick internet marketing campaigns to attract those kinds of frustrated people from all over the world. Yet others are probably mentally disturbed or morally bankrupt individuals looking for an excuse to kill and don't mind dying for the thrill. And, I'd guess there are a fair number of them, particularly those from ISIL-controlled land, who don't have a choice or other opportunities, so they just do as they're told to make some money and/or stay alive as long as possible.
One thing is sure, France and other European countries are struggling to contain radicalization and terrorist indoctrination of their local criminals while they're in prison. Prisons are foreign recruiting grounds.
I'm not sure where you could find detailed crime stats for Paris specifically, but here's the OSAC overview of crime in Paris: https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReport...?cid=15642
And, this is a useful and sourced database for country-specific crime rates: http://knoema.com/atlas/France/ranks
While those deaths are equally sad to me, they're less shocking at this point than deaths resulting from a coordinated surprise terrorist attack against civilians in the heart of a stable country at peace. So, the media will of course be all over the Paris story and the public will generally be very interested in learning more details as the investigation continues. I'm not saying that the media is doing anything right or wrong, just that I understand the disparity in coverage.
Anyway, no doubt terrorists can do real damage with good explosives/bombs, with or without guns, especially if they plan well and execute according to plan. I think Mo probably has good insight and theories into why jihadists and Islamic terrorists do what they do.
My guess is that some radicalized Muslims (including foreigners/converts) are willing to be suicide bombers because they truly believe the extreme fundamentalist message and that they will be rewarded when they commit to killing others (infidels) and themselves. Others are probably detached and gullible individuals who are anxious to belong to something bigger than themselves; ISIL has slick internet marketing campaigns to attract those kinds of frustrated people from all over the world. Yet others are probably mentally disturbed or morally bankrupt individuals looking for an excuse to kill and don't mind dying for the thrill. And, I'd guess there are a fair number of them, particularly those from ISIL-controlled land, who don't have a choice or other opportunities, so they just do as they're told to make some money and/or stay alive as long as possible.
One thing is sure, France and other European countries are struggling to contain radicalization and terrorist indoctrination of their local criminals while they're in prison. Prisons are foreign recruiting grounds.
I'm not sure where you could find detailed crime stats for Paris specifically, but here's the OSAC overview of crime in Paris: https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReport...?cid=15642
And, this is a useful and sourced database for country-specific crime rates: http://knoema.com/atlas/France/ranks