British media recently presented two unrelated columns that, each in its own way, raised alarming questions about religious violence and religious politics. Putting the two reports together frames some political dilemmas that are going to be with us for years, possibly decades, into the future.
The first was a Daily Telegraph piece about the various nightmares imagined by French intelligence in the wake of the recent near-massacre on the Amsterdamâ??Paris train. Clearly, this is not just journalistic speculation: the authors are channeling the views of well-informed sources in French domestic intelligence, presumably the DGSI. The point is not just that many younger French Muslims are increasingly radicalized, but that they potentially have increased access to really dangerous heavy weapons, including automatic rifles, missiles, and even anti-tank armaments like Milan missiles. These are flowing into Europe from nearby battlefronts â?? in the Balkans, Libya and elsewhere.
Read Full Article »