North African Conflict and Religion

[Summerlander]

The situation is this...

UK's Prime Minister David Cameron announced that we have a long road of struggle with international terrorism after making a decision to cut defences. Now he aims and finds it imperative to defeat Al Qaeda-linked extremists in North Africa. Many people are appalled as we, the taxpayer, have to fund the war against global jihad.

The PM decided to support the French military intervention in Mali as he wants to defeat Islamic Jihadism. Although I agree that the latter poses a real threat to civilisation and our moral values and something must be done about this, I am very sceptical about any productive outcome emerging from thwarting and ultimately defeating President Assad's regime. The very anti-Assad rebel groups are the Islamists that Cameron has vituperated.

On top of this political debacle, Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg is busy changing monarchical legislation in an attempt to deal with trivial concerns in light of the current situation. Mind you, these concerns shouldn't even exist in this day and age and it is a great shame that they have to ask themselves whether or not gays should have more rights when it comes to marriage, monarchical eligibility, and whether or not a Catholic should head the Church of England. There is much ignorance among us especially in the world of politics.

And what are the reasons for the French President sending troops to Mali? He is not as incensed at Al Qaeda as our prime minister. Apart from wanting to give his people the impression that he is tough and doing his best to divert attention from his own homely mess, he looks forward to gaining gold, oil, uranium and gas for his nation with the incursion abroad.

As for the Mali situation, it is literally hell. The vast majority of the Malian populace is poor and illiterate. So much so that the current military mission is very likely to drive them to the hands of jihadists. There have already been terrorist attacks in North Africa as a result which has claimed the lives of innocent people. The ungoverned space that we will create there will become fertile ground for the Islamists to gain and secure power.

As we've seen in hostage situations, these people will massacre and execute even those whose nations haven't got involved in the war. Women and girls have been raped, the slaughter of ex-slaves is ripe, and a couple was recently stoned to death for having kids out of wedlock. All these crimes against humanity committed by the faithful who hold the Koran as a literal truth. The people, upon being free from a tyrannical regime, are very likely to engage in impractical pious acts rather than rebuilding their own country. Why? Because of their ignorance and faith.

Religion is the root cause of the problem here. Expect to see something like the torpid rebuilding of Iraq, where millions of Iraqi Shiites, upon their liberation, flagellated themselves and endured a harrowing pilgrimage to the holy city of Karbala despite the lack of essentials for a dignified living. Meanwhile, as clever looters raided facilities, the children suffered and poured blood in the name of faith as religious chanting and penitence were a top priority.