A Respectful Men’s Experiences of Terrorism
In the office of my fomer professor, he looked comfortable and set to answer all my questions. He sounds quite exhausted as he enters his memory. He seems to recall all his past and envy the moments he would stand in front of the classroom to dictate, lecture and give us stories. These were the times when Mr. Alexandre taught philosophy back in my first semester in college. He was the favorite in the subject having experienced the war, rights movements of the 70s and lived through a couple of governments to date. As his mind wandered off into the past world, he slowly recollects these moments when the world has changed from bad to worse. To him, the world is bleeding of immorality and terrorism. The current life is a “run for the police, running for a tomorrow.”
“When I was young, we could walk freely around the pastures, wonder into the night to watch the moons and stars. It was normal to get late outside while playing in the dark. The country was safe, and everyone was free. The only concern was the uproars from the Afro-natives who were considered as the primary source of terrorism then. In their movements, they fought for equal rights—recognition as American citizens. However, this majorly occurred in Southern America. But this peace did not stand for long as we started experiencing attacks in the early 70s. Then everything has changed to date.” In 1975, he was in Costa Rica. The famous Frauces Tavern was bombed leaving four people dead and many injured. It was then that a nationalist group from Puerto Rica assumed responsibility. This was an extension of other previous bombings including that of the temple in Atlanta, hate instigated attacks in Florida, attacks on the synagogues and Catholic churches in Miami. “Tavern’s bombing was an indication that the state could no longer protect its history as the restaurant housed some of the historical documents and objects” Mr. Alexandre asserted.
According to him, America was relatively safer. Reports indicated that countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and Russia were experiencing total mayhem at the time. Insurgent groups could shoot, bomb or viciously kill in public. He recalls the 1999 bombings in France that left more than 300 people dead. Eventually, war broke out in the country where multiple explosions ensued in Moscow. “It felt unsafe to walk in the town at night following the increased terrorist attacks in the US especially from the rounds in 1970. The perpetrators had moved from attacking the governmental holdings to schools, churches, and open-air killings,” he recalled with a distant look. “What was even worrying was the involvement of Al Qaeda terrorist group especially in the 2001 attacks. This is a global terrorist group based in Iraq and has saboteurs all over the world.” Having Muslims and blacks around them felt like being at the center of a war zone (Mahathir 16-18). He remembered his parents warning him of making friends with them as that could be considered as cooperation with the terrorists.
Alexandre explained that the current situation of terrorism around the world is demanding. Over the past fifty years, there has been a total radicalization in the methods of attacks (Goldfrank 4). “Terrorists are all over the world currently. People have easier access to bombs, guns and are using all forms of technology to make their missions successful. The modern terrorists are ahead of the intelligence service officers.” One example he gave is that only in America, the number of people incarcerated due to connection with terrorist groups or out of violent misconduct are more than half the entire population in the prisons. This makes it the primary threat in the US and across the world. According to him, it is almost impossible to apprehend the criminals as they keep such a simple profile that not even the intelligent groups can single them out. However, some countries have been regarded as the breeding grounds for these people. These are majorly the Middle East countries that are dominated by Muslims. "The US, England, and China's greatest enemies are the Islamic terrorists. Their notion is that every other person must follow their religion against which they ought to die." Alexandre asserted that there is currently a confrontation between America and Pakistan. The later claims that the American drones are targeting the al Qaeda extremists but instead end up killing innocent citizens. Both countries have been fighting a common enemy, the ISIS which is the most dangerous terrorist group globally (Shultz 431-447). Other nations like France, China, Somali, and Germany are facing similar terrorism challenges. This makes the world entirely perilous.
According to Alexandre, “everyone is running for the police cover. We must strive today so as to live tomorrow.” He asserts that every day is a contest where one must be alert and watch out over every neighbor. Alexandre reiterated that the world had not been any safer. Rather, terrorism has taken a new course and the police force ought to step up their operations to curb the increasing insurgency.
In the office of my fomer professor, he looked comfortable and set to answer all my questions. He sounds quite exhausted as he enters his memory. He seems to recall all his past and envy the moments he would stand in front of the classroom to dictate, lecture and give us stories. These were the times when Mr. Alexandre taught philosophy back in my first semester in college. He was the favorite in the subject having experienced the war, rights movements of the 70s and lived through a couple of governments to date. As his mind wandered off into the past world, he slowly recollects these moments when the world has changed from bad to worse. To him, the world is bleeding of immorality and terrorism. The current life is a “run for the police, running for a tomorrow.”
“When I was young, we could walk freely around the pastures, wonder into the night to watch the moons and stars. It was normal to get late outside while playing in the dark. The country was safe, and everyone was free. The only concern was the uproars from the Afro-natives who were considered as the primary source of terrorism then. In their movements, they fought for equal rights—recognition as American citizens. However, this majorly occurred in Southern America. But this peace did not stand for long as we started experiencing attacks in the early 70s. Then everything has changed to date.” In 1975, he was in Costa Rica. The famous Frauces Tavern was bombed leaving four people dead and many injured. It was then that a nationalist group from Puerto Rica assumed responsibility. This was an extension of other previous bombings including that of the temple in Atlanta, hate instigated attacks in Florida, attacks on the synagogues and Catholic churches in Miami. “Tavern’s bombing was an indication that the state could no longer protect its history as the restaurant housed some of the historical documents and objects” Mr. Alexandre asserted.
According to him, America was relatively safer. Reports indicated that countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and Russia were experiencing total mayhem at the time. Insurgent groups could shoot, bomb or viciously kill in public. He recalls the 1999 bombings in France that left more than 300 people dead. Eventually, war broke out in the country where multiple explosions ensued in Moscow. “It felt unsafe to walk in the town at night following the increased terrorist attacks in the US especially from the rounds in 1970. The perpetrators had moved from attacking the governmental holdings to schools, churches, and open-air killings,” he recalled with a distant look. “What was even worrying was the involvement of Al Qaeda terrorist group especially in the 2001 attacks. This is a global terrorist group based in Iraq and has saboteurs all over the world.” Having Muslims and blacks around them felt like being at the center of a war zone (Mahathir 16-18). He remembered his parents warning him of making friends with them as that could be considered as cooperation with the terrorists.
Alexandre explained that the current situation of terrorism around the world is demanding. Over the past fifty years, there has been a total radicalization in the methods of attacks (Goldfrank 4). “Terrorists are all over the world currently. People have easier access to bombs, guns and are using all forms of technology to make their missions successful. The modern terrorists are ahead of the intelligence service officers.” One example he gave is that only in America, the number of people incarcerated due to connection with terrorist groups or out of violent misconduct are more than half the entire population in the prisons. This makes it the primary threat in the US and across the world. According to him, it is almost impossible to apprehend the criminals as they keep such a simple profile that not even the intelligent groups can single them out. However, some countries have been regarded as the breeding grounds for these people. These are majorly the Middle East countries that are dominated by Muslims. "The US, England, and China's greatest enemies are the Islamic terrorists. Their notion is that every other person must follow their religion against which they ought to die." Alexandre asserted that there is currently a confrontation between America and Pakistan. The later claims that the American drones are targeting the al Qaeda extremists but instead end up killing innocent citizens. Both countries have been fighting a common enemy, the ISIS which is the most dangerous terrorist group globally (Shultz 431-447). Other nations like France, China, Somali, and Germany are facing similar terrorism challenges. This makes the world entirely perilous.
According to Alexandre, “everyone is running for the police cover. We must strive today so as to live tomorrow.” He asserts that every day is a contest where one must be alert and watch out over every neighbor. Alexandre reiterated that the world had not been any safer. Rather, terrorism has taken a new course and the police force ought to step up their operations to curb the increasing insurgency.
Works Cited
Shultz, George P. "Terrorism and the Modern World." Terrorism 7.4 (1985): 431-447.
Mahathir, Mohamad. "Terrorism and the Muslim World." New Perspectives Quarterly 19.1 (2008): 16-18.
Goldfrank, Lewis R. "Terrorism in America." Emergency Medicine News 25.4 (2003): 4.
Shultz, George P. "Terrorism and the Modern World." Terrorism 7.4 (1985): 431-447.
Mahathir, Mohamad. "Terrorism and the Muslim World." New Perspectives Quarterly 19.1 (2008): 16-18.
Goldfrank, Lewis R. "Terrorism in America." Emergency Medicine News 25.4 (2003): 4.