Helping the Terrorists
Reader comment on item: Stupid Terrorists

Submitted by J. de C (Australia), Oct 8, 2005 at 05:31

I am an admirer of Daniel Pipes's work. I must however strongly disagree with the main thrust of his article "Stupid terrorists" for the simple reason that, ultimately, it cannot fail to help them.
It is not in our interest to help the terrorists fine-tune their operations, thus becoming more effective mass-murders. Even the ridicule heaped on them cannot fail to motivate them in their murderous ventures, and to stimulate their psychopathic hatred of the Western World: both of which circumstances can only render them less "stupid" in the future.

The author defended his stance , stating that he had given "no tactical advice an enemy [could] profit from". That is indeed correct
in the strictest sense, which does not subsume the factors alluded to in the previous paragraph.

It is bad enough that much of our media (and many of our politicians and academics) routinely give comfort and sustenace to
our dangerous and determined enemy. ...

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Daniel Pipes replies:

I reply to this criticism at "Am I Helping the Enemy?" http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/516