People have every right to defend themselves against terrorists

IN REACTION to Prof. Clarita Carlos’ commentary, “Give the Muslim youth a reason to live” (Opinion, 3/29/16), allow us to say this: It is not the non-Muslim world’s fault that Muslim youngsters are poor, have no reason to live for and prefer to become suicide bombers in the stupidest of hopes that they would be taken care of by “72 virgins in paradise” as a reward for their “martyrdom”!

Carlos wrote: “Ratcheting up the budget for intelligence and buying more sophisticated tracking equipment may not prevent… random acts of violence,” alluding to the resources spent (wasted in her view) by non-Muslim countries to protect their citizens from being blown up at random! But all that money could be used, according to her, to provide opportunities for those twisted young minds to dream of nobler and bigger things in life rather than just resigning themselves to getting wrapped with deadly explosives around their bellies.

There are hundreds of millions more of non-Muslim young people around the globe who wallow in abject poverty. Most of them have also nothing to live for; but have they turned to blowing themselves up in malls, hotels, train stations, airports, etc. to bring so many people to their graves with them? Those are innocent people who have absolutely nothing to do with their lives being miserable and hopeless. Well, take it from Carlos: “(W)hoever said life was fair?” So, everyone is fair game for the slaughter?

The point is, the non-Muslim inhabitants on this planet have every right and reason to protect themselves from this ever-growing lunacy. To them wealth is nothing if their own security and safety are under constant threat from Muslim extremists—mostly young men who have “nothing to live for,” vowing to obliterate “infidels” from the face of the earth!

With the kind of motivation that drives those nuts to commit murder and mayhem, how can anyone compete? Thus, calls for educating them about the value of life are as meaningless as Pope Francis’ exhortation to fight violence “with weapons of love”! What was he talking about? Offering the left cheek after getting whacked on the right, instead of taking the whacker down? In the end of days, it is said that the heavens will rain, not with love, but with fire and brimstone upon the evildoers on this earth!

—ROSE ANNE BARTOLOME, [email protected]