The murderous attacks in Paris shocked most people around the world. The cruel and senseless massacre of the professional contributors of Charlie Hebdo followed by the attack against a kosher supermarket brought home a clear message: Terror is not confined to a certain geographical region and its target is Our Way of Life. I chose to use this term because it does not exclude anyone. The term Our way of life is flexible enough to embrace people of all faiths, those of us who live in more liberal democracies as well as those who aspire to expand freedoms in their homelands. In short it includes all those who understand, that in the 21st century people have the right to espouse ideas and beliefs that may cause some of us displeasure and yes- even pain. We understand- though we may resent some opinions.
The assassins of Paris are the latest in a long list of people who have placed themselves beyond the pale. Yes, we tend to remember 9/11 and other such horrendous attacks, but the truth is that even attacks on people of different faiths, the bombing of buses and trains etc in the final analysis tell us one thing and one thing only- these are acts of aggression against our way of life. Consequently the conclusion is that now is the time for some serious thinking. How are we to overcome the challenge?
Now is the time for real cooperation. It behooves us to realize that when confronting this kind of terror, what we have in common is greater than our divergences. Are we ready to understand that we face a common threat that aims to destroy our way of life and not just register a tactical success? I have little doubt that our differences will not wither away. It is however a question of priorities.
As long as there are those who do not hide their aim of destroying a way of life that presupposes the coexistence of different opinions and faiths, our task is to ensure their malevolent schemes are frustrated. This is the Challenge that Evil places at our doorstep.