The free world continues to weep for Paris this week.
With the jihadist extremist Islamic State group claiming and verifying its responsibility for the attacks that occurred in Paris this past Friday, French President François Hollande has called for a more intense involvement in vanquishing the self proclaimed caliphate. The change in priority means sidelining France’s long advocacy for Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad’s removal in order to focus completely on challenging ISIS. Hollande made good on that promise Sunday as the French Air Force launched its biggest air raids to date on the Islamic State’s capital, Raqqa, and destroyed a command center, munitions depot and recruitment center for jihadists.
In Washington, President Obama took to the White House Briefing Room to condemn the Paris attacks and offer sympathies with perspective, saying "This is a heartbreaking situation, and obviously those of us here in the United States know what it’s like. We’ve gone through these kinds of episodes ourselves." In addition to condemnation and condolences, the Obama administration saw to it that U.S. forces help coordinate the air raids on Raqqa. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and the French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drain discussed plans over the phone Saturday and Sunday for the strikes.
Not wanting to feel left out of proactivity, millions of social networkers took to Facebook and displayed the French flag in their profile pictures as a sign of solidarity with the French people. Others reacted sourly to the outpour of support and bemoaned the ISIS attacks in Beirut the day before and the Al-Shabaab attacks in Kenya this past April received little attention and grief in comparison.
The swift retaliatory action of the U.S. and France in their air campaigns and Facebookers in their denunciation of terrorism (some avoiding the mention of Islam altogether and others demanding in presumed vain the voice of the religiously moderate to be heard) is not surprising.
And it’s not enough.
Concerning foreign policy, an effective approach in combating ISIS cannot end at an increase in air strikes or the deployment of foot soldiers. An effective approach needs to consider how these belligerents receive their funding and support. It requires increased scrutiny of the nations that directly involve themselves in supporting ISIS’ dominion of the Levant. And while it should be made clear that the governments of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have all officially stated they don’t support ISIS, the actions of their government and prominent and powerful citizens say otherwise.
It has been known for more than a year now that the money buying weapons for ISIS has been coming from the Gulf States of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, often under the guise of humanitarian aid. Although the majority of the funds are from private financiers, the governments do nothing to inhibit it. There is an undeniable amount of evidence that supports the claims of Turkey being involved in the support of ISIS. In July, it was revealed the ISIS Chief Financial Officer Abu Sayyaf had direct contact with Turkish officials. Beyond that, Turkey serves as a gateway for those who wish to cross into Syria and join and those who smuggle arms into the war zone for ISIS.
Being that these countries have an interest in seeing a caliphate like the one ISIS fights for, it is not surprising to see financial and material support from them.
What is surprising, however, is that in light of all this, the U.S. continues with status quo diplomatic relations with these countries, relations favorable to them and tacit in their approval of the proxy wars they fund to push a radical Sunni agenda.
Calling oppressive and undemocratic theocracies that back militant jihadists — like ISIS — our allies is too great a hypocrisy to not address. It has gone on for too long.
Concerning the social network, now is the time to be critical of the oppressive regimes of our desperately religious "allies." Allies who deny a vast majority of basic human rights to their people under the guise of culture and religion; allies with abhorrent human rights records who punish their citizens unflinchingly and barbarically if deemed to be in violation of Sharia Law; allies who are greeted with smiles and firm handshakes by the leaders of the free world, only to turn around and stoke the flames of terrorism against them and their people.
It’s time to call a spade a spade. Regardless if that spade digs oil wells for us.
Justin Ford is a Santa Fe College journalism junior. His column appears on Tuesdays.
