http://columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2016/03/23/how-can-we-mourn-brussels

BY BRIAN MIN | MARCH 23, 2016, 1:02 AM

On March 22, terrorists attacked Brussels, injuring around 200 people and killing at least 30. Although all of the terrorist suspects have not been officially identified, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Since these attacks have occurred, people all over the world have shown their solidarity with Belgium through social media posts, public declarations, and simple expressions of grief in conversation. In the wake of this tragedy, Columbia should hold a vigil for the victims of the Brussels attacks, just as it did for last year’s Paris attacks.

Columbia’s vigils and memorial services allow us to mourn victims and condemn terrorism. Moving forward, however, they should condemn not only terrorism, but also the specific Islamophobic attitudes and policies that facilitated the recent attacks.

First of all, it is important to recognize that terrorist attacks are usually not arbitrary events without any justification—they often are responses to institutionalized hate and oppression. Unfortunately, the Brussels attacks are not that surprising because Islamophobia is widespread in Belgium. Belgium remains the only other country in the world besides France to have a national ban of full-face veils.

Employers too often get away with discriminating against Muslim employees. It comes as no surprise that the municipality Molenbeek—the site of one of the explosions—has an unemployment rate of more than 25 percent where the majority of Muslim youths are denied equal access to the labor and housing market. This is just the tip of the iceberg of Belgium’s Islamophobic attitudes and policies. Thus, although Islamophobia is certainly not the only reason the Brussels attacks occurred, it needs to play a critical role in explaining these attacks.

To be clear, I am not condoning terrorism. Hate should never be used to fight against hate. However, only by recognizing the hate that helped facilitate tragic events like the Brussels attacks can we unite to prevent such attacks from happening again and to ensure an inclusive community.

Some might argue that vigils and memorial services should remain solemn spaces for victims and those more directly affected on campus, including Belgian students. They may argue that criticizing Belgium for facilitating such tragedies only serves to create a divided community.

But on the contrary, if we refuse to fight against increasing the chances of future terrorist attacks, divisions in our community will only persist. In the long run, people must be conscious of the reasons why terrorist attacks occur to prevent future terrorist attacks and to save as many lives as possible. This is especially true for vigil and memorial services, which usually emphasize the tragic loss of innocent life.

Moreover, it is not enough for vigils and memorial services to broadly condemn Islamophobia and other forms of hatred that helped breed terrorist attacks. They should also verbally denounce the specific forms of Islamophobia and hatred in relation to targeted nations and their policies of institutionalized discrimination, such as Belgium’s ban on full-face veils. In order to fight against Islamophobia and hate crimes that dramatically increase after major tragedies like the Brussels attacks, we must localize the specific Islamophobic policies and attitudes that helped to facilitate such attacks.

By holding vigils for the victims of the Brussels attacks, Americans may even come to learn that self-criticism and the recognition that our nation—even our campus—often perpetuates hate are necessary to foster an inclusive, loving community.

As we mourn for the lives lost in the Brussels attacks, Columbia and the world should hold vigils and memorial services that do not just commemorate the lives of victims and call for solidarity, but also properly condemn the hatred that may have spawned such violence in the first place. The main purpose of all vigils and memorial services should be to efface hatred, not to promote nationalistic unity around discriminatory policies.

The author is a Columbia College first-year with prospective majors in French and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. He is a former columnist for Spectator and a current columnist for the Columbia Political Review.

To respond to this op-ed, or to submit an op-ed, contact opinion@columbiaspectator.com.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121756)

LOL.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121801)

https://m.facebook.com/min.brian.1?fref=search

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121830)

First of all, it is important to recognize that terrorist attacks are usually not arbitrary events without any justification—they often are responses to institutionalized hate and oppression. Unfortunately, the Brussels attacks are not that surprising because Islamophobia is widespread in Belgium. Belgium remains the only other country in the world besides France to have a national ban of full-face veils.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121780)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121827)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121839)

RAMP UP ISRAEL MONEY

RAMP UP INVOLVEMENT

POSSIBLY INVADE YEMEN?? - kasich

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30123274)

it's bad not just because it's bs, but because instead of using the logical approach to this POV (what you mentioned), he says it's because WAHHH ISLAMOPHOBIA.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30122129)

sickening

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121784)

As a Muslim, I would like you to take your "allyship" and shove it firmly up your ass.

This is not Jacobin, this is not the Muslim community journal that is obligated to remind people of the actual causes of terrorism (which you failed to do) after an appropriate amount of time. This is a college newspaper. How dare you, a day after a bombing of an airport that killed dozens of people, make this so primarily about your personal social justice agenda. You probably have so much pointless concern for every damn victim in the world but all of the Belgian and French students who may have lost someone in this mean so little to you.

Screw you Brian. I mean that personally. You don't understand history, you don't understand politics, and you don't understand the experience of Muslims or the problem of terrorism. Take your fifth grade understanding of international politics and just go home.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121811)

(Birds fly away from butler library steps)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121820)

But those countries do those things because they are pissed at musbros for trying to invade their country and destroy its institutions, culture, and heritage, replacing everything with Sharia law and religious courts and honor killings and throwing acid on blonde chicks.

You can't immigrate to a foreign country, refuse to assimilate, foist your foreign religion on people, and expect them to accept it. I mean, you CAN, but you need to be a dominant fucking conqueror like the Roman Empire. And this is where musbros lose. Musbros think they're still in the Middle Ages fighting in the crusades and pwning Christian countries. In reality they are third world desert dwellers who refuse to accept fundamental western values and are MAF at the modern world, and want to recreate an idyllic past by forcing it on others.

Imagine if the Amish started pitchforking women for wearing jeans or firebombing car dealerships. Would we say "oh those poor oppressed Amish bastards, they don't feel accepted"? Or would we say "get a load of these crazy backwards fuckers riding horses and fucking shit up, we should take care of them"?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121843)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_Saudi_Arabia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_and_terrorism_in_Iran

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30122143)

These seem like the kind of people who are likely to get MAF when their views are not sufficiently accommodated:

In March 2014, the Saudi interior ministry issued a royal decree branding all 'deviants' as terrorists, which defines terrorism as "calling for deviant thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based".

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30122203)

The point is that turning a country into a Muslim theocracy does not eliminate terrorism.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30122272)

You got pwned. It happens to everyone. Your idea--that, while we shouldn't have to, we could avoid Islamic terrorism by capitulating to its tenets--was a reasonable hypothesis, but the facts are in, and as it turns out, embracing Islam dramatically *increases* your odds of being victimized by Islamic terrorism. Just admit it and it'll be nbd.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30123371)

Diversity in governance is shit.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30126485)

Then let those subhuman faggots stay in their piece of shit sand countries and not infect the civilized world with their garbage religion and insane views. FUCK ISLAM. GAS ALL MUSLIMS.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30126169)

Tell me honestly that most libs genuinely care about the groups which they defend. They care far more about parading around their ideas to prove their perceived moral superiority.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121879)

compare that to belarus, where the small number of muslims are harassed and surveilled by the police and where new mosque construction is a fantasy.

how many muslims have gone jihad on belarus for oppressing them?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30121911)

Not that any of this really matters.

Edit: Maybe not. Not likely to model a wax statue off a book-signing scene.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30122093)

kid is completely deranged

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30122100)

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=864017360385727&id=100003324145299&set=a.116861468434657.18906.100003324145299&source=11&refid=13

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30122133)

From your personal statement, resume, and recommendations there must emerge a specific sort of severe mental illness.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30123482)

And why does he get to put his major on their he's probably only taken 4 unrelated classes.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30123136)

The GOP should be doing everything they can to link nutty liberal opinions like this one to the Democratic party.

What better way to push Independents into doing the right thing on election day?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30123437)

College student: "Just as I thought: you're a victim of oppression!"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30123717)

What the fuck?

The comments give me hope, though.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30126209)

terrorist attacks are usually not arbitrary events without any justification

terrorist attacks are usually not arbitrary events without any justification

terrorist attacks are usually not arbitrary events without any justification

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30126491)

As a Muslim, I would like you to take your "allyship" and shove it firmly up your ass.

This is not Jacobin, this is not the Muslim community journal that is obligated to remind people of the actual causes of terrorism (which you failed to do) after an appropriate amount of time. This is a college newspaper. How dare you, a day after a bombing of an airport that killed dozens of people, make this so primarily about your personal social justice agenda. You probably have so much pointless concern for every damn victim in the world but all of the Belgian and French students who may have lost someone in this mean so little to you.

Screw you Brian Min. I mean that personally. You don't understand history, you don't understand politics, and you don't understand the experience of Muslims or the problem of terrorism. Take your fifth grade understanding of international politics and just go home.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3174229&forum_id=2#30135851)