Who Cares Who Mohamed Merah Was?

 Publicity is the oxygen that fans the flames of jihadism and terrorism. The French police and countless media have successfully propagated and encouraged further acts of terrorism through their prolonged and detailed coverage of the stand-off leading to the death of this vicious terrorist. Even al Qaeda received lots of great press and coverage that is sure to enhance their image as an organization with international reach. Merah is almost certainly a "lone wolf," grass roots terrorist, associated with al Qaeda only through self proclamation. There must be dozens of young, potential jihadists who were impressed by the way Merah went down; jumping out a window, "guns a'blazing." I'm sure that Merah's family and admirers will have a full scrapbook of media coverage to add to their Merah shrine; the shrine of a martyr. Do you sense that there's something wrong with this picture?

Certainly, the public needs to know about terrorist threats and acts so they can be aware that jihadists are still around. In fact, they're never going to go away, especially as long as their exploits are so skillfully chronicled, complete with names and pictures, by the media and the police. When it comes to terrorism, especially at the hands of the lone wolves, the police can't do it all. They need the eyes, ears and minds of the general public who must exercise "situational awareness." When's the last time you read anything about how to practice situational awareness, if ever? You should know a lot about it so Google it. Your observations could save a life, or many lives. You just have to learn a few simple skills and care. It's the caring part that will make you effective and valuable in the effort to combat terrorism. Give it a try.

A small, but potentially powerful, step in the right direction would be to have the media and police avoid pictures and names of known or suspected terrorists. Why enshrine them as martyrs? Why create the desire in others to step up to the terrorist window? In the business world, a company often pays huge fees to get their name or product mentioned as much times as possible in as many forums as possible. Repetition works and professional advertisers know it. Every mention of al Qaeda in the press or on TV enhances their image and improves their financing. As private citizens, we have to recognize the negatives associated with mentioning terrorists' names and publishing their pictures and stop expecting the media to feed our morbid curiosity. Think about it. Once we know the name of a terrorist and see a picture, we're not any better off. The friends and family of the terrorist, however, will use the publicity to enshrine the terrorist and recruit look-alikes. Let's work to short circuit the flow of terrorism. Every little bit will help.