Christopher Hitchens: WE CANNOT SURRENDER, States which shelter these killers will know no peace

mirror.co.uk ^ | July 8, 2005 | Christopher Hitchens

[Tolik]

SOMEWHERE around London at about a quarter to nine yesterday morning, there must have been people turning on their TV and radio sets with a look of wolfish expectation.

I hope and believe that they were disappointed in what they got. There just wasn't quite enough giggle-value for the psychopath.

It must have been infernal underneath King's Cross, but above ground no panic, no screaming, no wailing and beating the air, no yells for vengeance.

I'm writing this in the early aftermath, but I would be willing to bet there will have been little or no bloody foolishness, either: no random attacks on mosques or shops or individuals. After all, devices on our buses and tubes are an open proclamation that the perpetrators don't care if they kill Muslims. Which, of course, is part of the point. When we use the weak and vague word "terrorism" we imply indiscriminate cruelty directed at civilians.

"Sadism" or "fascism" or "nihilism" would do just as nicely: all the venom that lurks just on the sub-human level of the human species.

In a tightly interwoven society, all that this poison has to do is ally itself with a certain low cunning.

People are afraid of plane crashes and of heights: in that sense 9/11 was the perfect strike on the collective unconscious. People are likewise afraid of fire and of crowded or subterranean conditions: the mind of the fascist is naturally attuned to exploit such dreads. I am guessing the planners of this coordinated atrocity hoped for more mayhem than they got, but the casualty figures are in a sense beside the point.

WE all knew this was coming, and that one day a homely and familiar name like Tavistock Square would become a synonym for barbarism. The good old red London bus, a worldwide symbol of our capital, ripped to shards in an instant.

Random and "senseless" though such violence may appear, we also all know it expresses a deadly ideology; indeed that in some ways it is that ideology.

The preachers of this faith have taken care to warn us that they love death more than we love life. Their wager is that this makes them unstoppable. Well, we shall have to see. They certainly cannot prove their point unless we assist them in doing so.

My American friends have been impressed by the composure of the Londoners they have seen on the screen: I bet London Transport runs again rather sooner than US airlines resumed flying after 9/11.

I remember living in London through the Provisional IRA bombing in the 70s. I saw the very first car-bomb explode against the Old Bailey in 1972. There was no warning that time, but after a while a certain etiquette developed.

And, even as I detested the people who might have just as soon have blown me up as anyone else, I was aware there were ancient disputes involved, and that there was a potential political solution.

Nothing of the sort applies in this case. We know very well what the "grievances" of the jihadists are.

The grievance of seeing unveiled women. The grievance of the existence, not of the State of Israel, but of the Jewish people. The grievance of the heresy of democracy, which impedes the imposition of sharia law. The grievance of a work of fiction written by an Indian living in London. The grievance of the existence of black African Muslim farmers, who won't abandon lands in Darfur. The grievance of the existence of homosexuals. The grievance of music, and of most representational art. The grievance of the existence of Hinduism. The grievance of East Timor's liberation from Indonesian rule. All of these have been proclaimed as a licence to kill infidels or apostates, or anyone who just gets in the way.

FOR a few moments yesterday, Londoners received a taste of what life is like for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, whose Muslim faith does not protect them from slaughter at the hands of those who think they are not Muslim enough, or are the wrong Muslim.

It is a big mistake to believe this is an assault on "our" values or "our" way of life. It is, rather, an assault on all civilisation. I know perfectly well there are people thinking, and even saying, that Tony Blair brought this upon us by his alliance with George Bush.

A word of advice to them: try and keep it down, will you? Or wait at least until the funerals are over. And beware of the non-sequitur: you can be as opposed to the Iraq operation as much as you like, but you can't get from that "grievance" to the detonating of explosives at rush hour on London buses and tubes.

Don't even try to connect the two. By George Galloway's logic, British squaddies in Iraq are the root cause of dead bodies at home. How can anyone bear to be so wicked and stupid? How can anyone bear to act as a megaphone for psychotic killers?

The grievances I listed above are unappeasable, one of many reasons why the jihadists will lose.

They demand the impossible - the cessation of all life in favour of prostration before a totalitarian vision. Plainly, we cannot surrender. There is no one with whom to negotiate, let alone capitulate.

We shall track down those responsible. States that shelter them will know no peace. Communities that shelter them do not take forever to discover their mistake. And their sordid love of death is as nothing compared to our love of London, which we will defend as always, and which will survive this with ease.

Christopher Hitchens is a columnist for Vanity Fair.

[Tolik]

Nailed It!

    This ping list is not author-specific for articles I'd like to share. Some for perfect moral clarity, some for provocative thoughts; or simply interesting articles I'd hate to miss myself. (I don't have to agree with the author 100% to feel the need to share an article.) I will try not to abuse the ping list and not to annoy you too much, but on some days there is more of the good stuff that is worthy of attention. You can see the list of articles I pinged to lately on  my page.

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[Eurotwit]

Hi tolik.

I would very much like to be put on your nailed it ping list.

Thanks for many great posts.

Cheers.

[Tolik]

My pleasure.

:^)

[FormerACLUmember]

Hitchens: my favorite socialist, other than Tony Blair. He has more neurons (in appreciating the true nature of the enemy) than the entire insane US democrat party:

[UB355]

save

[nikos1121]

Best post of the day in my opinion. Thank you.

[American Quilter]

Bravo, Christopher Hitchens!

He may be a lefty on a number of issues, but he's got this one absolutely right. You cannot negotiate with someone who is dedicated to your destruction.

I just wish every western government saw this issue as clearly as he does.

[daddypatriot]

As always, Christopher Hitchens speaks real truths. The man is not only one of the most gifted writers of our time, but one of the wisest of all those who write. I applaud vigorously the words he has written about the Islamic terrorists. The cowards of our time tremble at the very mention of jihadists, but I have no fear of the cowardly bastards! I stand with Sir Christopher.

[Sabramerican]

The grievance of the existence, not of the State of Israel, but of the Jewish people.

That why are you so pro-"Palestinian" and anti-Israel, Chris?

States that shelter them will know no peace.

How about the new Hamasistain in Gaza, Chris?

[kalee]

We know very well what the "grievances" of the jihadists are.

Yes and I don't want to live in the world that lives up, or rather down, to Moslem standards. This morning Marvin Kalb was on Fox saying that bullets and bombs were not the way that we needed more dialogue.
Marvin...they don't want to dialogue!

[kalee]

Christopher Hitchens gets it ping.

[Capt. Tom]

All of these have been proclaimed as a license to kill infidels or apostates, or anyone who just gets in the way.

I am surprised Hitchens doesn't get it.

It is not about grievances. It is about doing what God(Allah) wants done.

He should take the time to read the Koran. - Tom

[FormerACLUmember]

[neverdem]

Nice catch!

[traumer]

Could you please put me on your ping list?
Those articles are RIGHT ON !

Thanks :o)

[andyk]

I bet London Transport runs again rather sooner than US airlines resumed flying after 9/11.

I'll bet they go through a lot fewer caskets, pints of blood, devastated fire departments, and occupied hospital beds.

[samadams2000]

Human race held back by Muslims....Film at 11...

[Tolik]

OK. Thanks.

[agere_contra]

I bet London Transport runs again rather sooner than US airlines resumed flying after 9/11.

Yes, this is a bit of a cheap shot. Not that I'm an airline fan either