The fear of extremist terrorism

(Baonghean) - Extremist terrorism is being pushed back on many fronts, but its specter still haunts and has a significant impact on the decisions of many countries, especially in the current sensitive world context.

People protest against the immigration ban in New York on February 2. Photo: AP

America “shrinks” with immigration ban

On February 3, US Judge James Robart of Washington state temporarily blocked the immigration ban that President Donald Trump signed on January 27, which prohibits people from seven Muslim countries from coming to the US.

The order aims to temporarily block immigration to the US for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and permanently for Syrians – countries considered to have many dangerous extremists.

Trump’s decision has sparked protests in the US, with protests and chaos as arrests were made at airports across the country. Most recently, the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) showed its disapproval by displaying works by Sudanese, Iranian and Iraqi artists.

Not only domestically, the international community also condemned this decree and said that these were discriminatory measures against Muslims while the White House firmly denied it.

Judge James Robart believes that the executive order specifically targeting Muslim citizens violates the US Constitution's prohibition on discrimination. The White House immediately expressed its frustration with the judge's decision.

In its initial statement, the White House said the ruling was “scandalous” before removing the word about seven minutes later, while assuring the Justice Department would act quickly to defend a “correct and appropriate” decision.

The White House explained that the order was issued to ensure the safety of American citizens from the extremist threat posed by terrorists who arrive under the guise of immigrants. However, this argument seems to be unconvincing when the latest attacks in the US were carried out by people not related to the countries on the banned list. Some analysts believe that the White House's decision will only further fuel extremist groups' narrative that the US is waging a war against Islam.

And hours before Judge James Robart's decision, CNN released a poll in which the majority of respondents (53%) opposed the immigration ban, with 55% of people saying such a ban would be tantamount to a Muslim ban.

At present, it is impossible to predict the fate of the immigration ban that Mr. Trump issued when Judge James Robart's ruling is only temporary. However, it is easy to predict that this decree will face a lot of opposition from both inside and outside the country, as it will not only affect American society but also increase chaos globally.

And perhaps it is also true as French Foreign Minister Jean Marc Ayrault expressed his opinion on President Trump's immigration ban that: "When faced with an unstable and uncertain world, trying to shrink back is a futile reaction."

Two soldiers guard a man lying on the ground after a knife attack in the Carroussel shopping center at the Louvre Museum on February 3. Photo: AP

France is worried about terrorism

France has not yet escaped the "ghost" of recent terrorist attacks, but on the morning of February 3, a knife attack occurred at the Carroussel shopping center at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

At around 10am, an unidentified man approached four soldiers at the entrance to the shopping centre. He was wearing a black T-shirt with a skull on it, carrying a backpack and attacked a French soldier with a knife. He shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) before attacking the soldiers and was shot dead.

According to initial information from the investigation, the perpetrator is a 29-year-old Egyptian resident of Dubai. Anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation into “attempted murder in connection with a terrorist organization” for the incident.

Security forces searched the suspect but found no guns, explosives or identification documents. Notably, he was not on the French intelligence watch list. According to what investigators found on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, the suspect had a work permit in Dubai, was a football fan and was married.

He arrived in France on January 26 after applying for a visa from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and planned to leave France on February 5. He rented an apartment in the 8th arrondissement for 1,700 euros for a week and bought two knives in a shop in the 11th arrondissement for 680 euros on January 28, just two days after arriving in Paris.

His Twitter activity spiked in the 24 hours before the attack. About an hour before the attack, he posted messages like “Why are they afraid of the emergence of the Islamic State (IS)?”, “IS protects the territory and honor of Muslims,” “They fight in the name of God and are not afraid” at least 10 times.

As for the last Twitter line in Arabia, if he is the author of it, it seems to be an announcement of the upcoming plan with the messages "No compromise", "No going back", "No peace in war" and a status line in confusing English "You are not Donald Trump and more... from now on your official name is: Donald Duck".

French investigators and prosecutors are clarifying the suspect's motive for the crime and are being very cautious in drawing conclusions because in less than 3 months France will officially hold the 2017 presidential election.

Many do not rule out the possibility that the attack was carried out by lone extremists in order to weaken and attack the economy and punish their actions against the Islamic state. Regardless of the final results of the investigation, security remains the biggest challenge facing France at the moment, especially ahead of the presidential election.

Chu Thanh