Not again

The US has issued travel warnings to its citizens, and also warned all American interests all over the world, particularly the Middle East and Islamic nations to be vigilant against possible terror attacks on them. This after the jailbreak of hundreds of prisoners known to be connected to Al-Qaeda by about a hundred armed men from a prison in Pakistan. This is not the first time that this happened. Last year, around four hundred prisoners were also set free by armed men storming a prison in the same country. Why they haven't learned from that, plus news that the man who led this year's jailbreak was one of those freed last year - hence he knew how the prison operates - is an embarrassment to Pakistan. Why they did not learn from the first jailbreak is just mind-boggling, even to the most ordinary person. But Pakistan has always been known to be sympathetic to the Taliban and to Al-Qaeda. Which is not surprising if these terror groups have the support of the locals. Remember it was in a compound in Pakistan where Osama Bin Laden hid out, before being found and killed by US Navy Seals.

So now, we literally have hundreds, if not a thousand fanatics free, and possibly planning terror attacks all over the world. Some of those who escaped were known to train suicide bombers. Several allies to America like the UK, France and Germany have followed suit, some even temporarily closing down embassies. Is the world to expect another wave of terror by these mindless fanatics, who proudly preach their beliefs by using terror?

I really cannot fathom thinking like this. We are not in the 12th Century, where bloody crusades were the norm. Or are we? Perhaps they have been watching too much “Kingdom of Heaven”! But instead of facing the enemy such as the great Saladin, they choose to go by the way of Osama, the coward. Terrorism only hurts the innocent. The non-combatants. People who are just going about their daily, peaceful lives. What does Islam have to say about that, aside from eternally professing that they are a religion of peace? What kind of peace? A peace where all infidels, in their eyes, are dead?

This is the problem. There is no one religious man in Islam who can rein in these fanatics. Everyone has their own interpretation of holy words, some peaceful, some not. Every holy man has his own followers, some peaceful, some not. Every group has its purpose, some peaceful, some not. So how can there be unity, if the organization is in factions? And the bad thing is, it's the world that suffers.

I sincerely hope this isn't another 9/11 in the making. Islamic leaders should rein in their terrorists. Everyone has a breaking point. If that is reached, then God help us all.

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