On the returns of jihadi brides...

I have considered myself one of those independent voters who are in general fiscally conservative but socially liberal. But there are times when issues can still irk me immensely, the latest lawsuit to have a jihadi bride returned home is one of those.

With the imminent defeat of ISIS, all its remnants are scattering about like rats rushing to escape a sinking ship. In a natural order of things, these rats should sink (and die) with the sinking ship, and a chapter is rightly closed. In our modern, civilized society, everyone demands their rights, even if they had been brutally suppressing others when they were in power. In times like this, I do wish they all just die and rid this world of extremists that bring so much hatred and destruction.

Just a few years ago when ISIS was all the rage, extremist groups like Talibans and ISIS terrorized large swath in society, destroying cities and villages, imposing their religious and social orders, maiming and killings those who dare to oppose them. Suddenly, women became invisible, hidden behind niqab, banished from daylight, effectively reduced to providing only domestic functions like being a vassel for procreation and domestic chores. It is a radical new world order that Islamic extremists want to impose on the rest of the infidel world. You're either for or against them, in latter case, you die. From my vantage point, it's not unlike the Aryan nation propositioned by the Nazis.

While I understand that every religion harbor extremist views, and there might be a peaceful side of Islam, the fact that the silent majority of Muslims around the world did nothing to counter the extremist views from the likes of ISIS and Talibans feel almost like a tacit endorsement of their way of imposing the Muslim world view to the rest of the world. Would there come a day when Sharia law becomes a reality? I sure hope not. For that alone, I would say, one must close ranks and fight the spread of Islam, lest Sharia law would take hold.

In reality, there is always many shades of grey. Even among all the Muslims in the Middle East, I doubt if they have one true definition of what Muslim should be, hence allowing anyone to claim the mantle, and confusing the rest of the world about what Islam really is. No matter. Prior to the two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and then Syria, accompanied by the collapse of a number of functioning (some barely) governments in countries like Yemen, the rest of the world saw only strongmen in Middle East. There was Saddam Hussein in Iraq, there is Bashar al-Assad, there is the House of Saud, plus the many "royalties" in the region, all of whom are imposing rules not unlike the authoritarian rule in China.

There was never any radicalization of Muslims from these strongmen and rule, which obviously point to the fact that they are not really that appealing. But, they were able to keep peace, which was more than enough for the rest of the world. It also allows the world to continue using Iran as the straw man, the ultimate bad guy. In hindsight, Iran looks almost like an adult in a room full of trigger-happy extremists like ISIS. At least Iran tries to run and govern a nation. ISIS? They just want misery for everybody.

The plight of Palestinians as a result of suppression from Israel has become a rally cry. It was almost fashionable in the academic and bohemian circles to talk against Israel. But that never spreads far beyond the circle to the mainstream and metastasize into radicalization of general public. There used to be gatekeepers in how the news is packaged and presented. News have to be investigated, presented in a measured and even-keel way that reminiscent of Walter Cronkite.

What's changed, is the perfect storm of the rise of social media and the subsequent wars in Iraq (and then Syria). Suddenly, everyone is a citizen reporter, everyone who has access to the web can broadcast what they see. Wars are always brutal, and suddenly everyone can tell the world  that people are dying in Iraq or Syria or wherever. Whether the cause is just or not, has almost become a moot point. No longer is anyone aspired to be calm and measured like Cronkite, you now need to be loud, bold, and your reports need to be extreme in order to get eyeballs. Beheading, stoning, burning a live human, it's all become commonplace.

One has to ask, how could anyone EVER want to aspire to an extremist like that? How could anyone become brainwashed and indoctrinated to consider that kind of extreme measures can EVER be good? How could anyone EVER consider that being condoned by a supposedly peace-loving religion, as some Muslims advocate Islam to be? How could anyone EVER think that such extreme measures is a utopia, particularly those grew up in the western civil society? In one word, idiots.

All of which brings us back to these jihadi brides. Young, impressionable, naive, stupid stupid idiotic teenagers who believe that all those extreme measures can bring about their ideal society. I do not believe for a second that they did not know better, or that they were "blinded" by indoctrination. These are not 5-6yo, these are 15-16yo. They were tech savvy. I have no doubt that they were aware of the news and brutalities of what ISIS did. How could they have ever justified the ISIS brutality against the Yazidis while talking about suppression of Muslims? I'd say, in their half-developed frontal lobe, all they dreamt of, was adventures.

In the cases of the jihadi brides who were from US and Britain, and who now want to come home, I don't have any sympathy to them at all. They left their families and countries behind, burnt their passports, actively advocated violence against their countries. Apparently, all it takes is a few years of hardship, after a few husbands and babies, they are "ready to come home," as if their adventures to Disneyland is done. Where are the consequences? What of the people who died, thanks to their complicity (even if it's hard to get exact proof)? There are things that cannot be undone, particularly those who have died. Actions, have consequences.

For those who want to atone to their sins, I'm at least willing to hear them out (though human emotions are so easily manipulated, and all these women need to do, is to tell a few sob stories, shed a few tears in front of a camera, and all is forgiven). For those who don't even express remorse? I'd say, fuck you very much, you can rot in the place that you chose to go to in the first place, and die like those whose lives have perished as a result of your complicity.

Citizenship comes with rights, as well as responsibility. For this US jihadi bride's family to sue to have her repatriated, it totally rubs me the wrong way. The liberal side of me says, give them a second chance. But the world-wary side of me says, not everyone has a second chance and not everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, there is complication with young children involved, but the issue becomes even  more fraught when the child comes of age, and turns out to be another radicalized or idiotic, like their parents once was. Somehow, I'm not inclined to give them the benefits of the doubts. On rare occasions like this, I do agree with Trump.