Wake up, world! Put terrorists in perspective

There seems to be no end in sight to the international attention being given alleged incidents involving desecration of the Quran in detention centers holding Iraqi insurgents.

One report — later proven untrue — that a U.S. interrogator flushed one down a commode triggered violent, deadly demonstrations.

Also, at home and abroad, our military is under relentless attack for the way detainees are being treated. Unfortunately, there have been a few — very few — incidents in which detainees were not treated properly. These have been quickly and appropriately handled by our military.

But all of this has been happening before a backdrop of daily terrorist murders that have killed and wounded thousands of innocent men, women and children — along with hundreds of U.S. men and women in uniform.

Mistreatment of “detainees”? Consider the murders of civilian men and women who have been kidnapped and then beheaded — the brutality filmed, with all the screaming and gurgling sound effects —and then televised around the world.

There are other less publicized incidents of inhumanity. In Baghdad, many doctors and other medical personnel have been forced to stay away from hospitals, leave their practices and in some cases their country because of threats of assassination.

Where have been the cries of outrage against perpetrators of these atrocities? What international groups of bleeding hearts have railed against those who believe terrorism is some sort of God-given right of expressing their religious beliefs, who believe all they regard as “infidels” should be killed?

Has the world become muzzled by some warped sense of political correctness?

The silence is deafening. The people of the world — including those who embrace the religions the terrorists use as their excuse for relentless murder — should lift their voices in unison and in outrage.

The fanatics should be loudly and roundly denounced for what they are in the world court of public opinion. And our country deserves full and proud support of its efforts to restore sanity and order in Iraq and Afghanistan, and assure safety at home.

Published in Editorials on June 14, 2005 10:42 AM