The groundwork for isolating European Muslims


The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is an organization that extends its radius of influence, acknowledges no rule or convention and benefits from almost any form of violence. It alsot bases all these actions on Islam without any sense of shame or decency. It virtually seems as if ISIS is almost specially designed to re-trigger post-9/11 Islamophobia. Unfortunately, ISIS is the product of the climate that the modern West bred. It is an omen that forces the modern world to question itself. It is a nightmare that was created by this world. The world should vigilantly and relentlessly fight with this monstrous organization that uses the name of Islam.However, the West is currently enhancing and encouraging the motivations behind the emergence of this organization instead of questioning these motivations and taking precautions against it. The freedom-security balance, in this struggle, has been harboring strange implications that further restrict freedoms. The current situation is terrifying.Muslims have been perceived as potential threats since 9/11. Along with ISIS, now the West is trying to legitimize implications that further isolate Muslims in many respects. Several precautions within the counterterrorism legislation are taken into consideration in the U.K. Removing children from the custody of their parents if they are suspected of being involved in terrorism, placing the children in protective custody and invalidating passports whenever necessary are among these precautions.The U.K. is trying to prevent the return of British citizens who are suspected of being involved in terrorism to their home countries. For example, 50 British citizens who have recently returned from Syria are under investigation. The draft of the upcoming legislation allows the government to invalidate the passports of its citizens who have dual citizenship. These same issues are being discussed in Germany and the Netherlands as well. Germany is even considering invalidating the citizenship of those who have visited "suspected countries" and Turkey is among these suspected countries. Normally the courts are authorized to enforce any ban on leaving the country. France is currently considering giving this authority to the police forces so they can enforce the law without any background investigation.Briefly, certain European countries are considering enforcing laws that could potentially further isolate Muslims on the behalf of fighting ISIS. These kinds of legal implications are totally unacceptable. Turks in Germany and Arabs in France could be deprived of their citizenship and expelled from their country of residence because of being suspects. These legal implications remain vulnerable to any kind of exploitation and misuse.The West and Islam should make peace, the socio-cultural motivations behind the emergence of ISIS should be examined properly and the West should no longer perceive Muslims as others. Without these the world cannot fight ISIS in the true sense.