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BreakPoint Cultural commentary with Prison Fellowship's Chuck Colson http://www.breakpoint.org September 13, 2004 Part of a Pattern - Beslan and Beyond Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley. As Russia continues to mourn the loss of more than three hundred men, women, and children in the Beslan school massacre, the world is struggling to make sense of this tragedy. Many members of the media have tiptoed around the role that radical Islam played in the Beslan attack. They�ve preferred to portray it as merely the latest battle in an ongoing regional conflict, just as they�ve done with other terrorist attacks in the past. And that is a large part of what happened. But it�s not the whole story by any means. In a recent briefing, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld pointed out that what happened in Beslan was part of a larger pattern stretching back �to the Marine barracks [attacks] in 1983, and then the embassy bombings in the nineties, and the USS Cole.� It�s a pattern of senseless slaughter triggered, at bottom, by the same motivation: hatred of the West and the values it stands for. Three years ago, in this country, we saw an example of that hatred that will haunt all of us for the rest of our lives. It shouldn�t be too hard to recognize here. * * * * * * * * * * * * ADVERTISEMENT * * * * * * * * * * * EXPAND YOUR CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW BreakPoint WorldView magazine, featuring Chuck Colson�s commentaries and informative articles, equips readers with a biblical perspective on today�s news, societal trends, cultural issues, and more. http://l.salemweb.net/bp081604/091304/ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * But as radio talk show host Laura Ingraham points out, �The �mainstream media� could not get enough of the Abu Ghraib underwear-over-the-head photos.� Yet they�re reluctant to identify the root cause of the terror in Beslan. Ingraham says, �The mass murder and horrific abuse of children should be called what it is�barbarism by radical Islamic terrorists.� And there�s even more to the story than just hatred of the West in general. The Washington Times reported Thursday that North Ossetia, where Beslan is located, is �an Orthodox Christian enclave� and that many in the community believe the massacre was �an extension of long-festering rivalries with hostile Muslim neighbors.� That wasn�t the first time that North Ossetia, which is on the border of Chechnya, has been attacked. In 1999, �religious extremism� played a major role in a market bombing that killed fifty-one people. Of course, for its sheer evil, the Beslan massacre is a unique case. Deliberately attacking children is the worst display of depravity we�ve seen yet. A 10-year-old boy who survived the ordeal, Georgy Farniyev, tells of being seated directly on top of an explosive, of seeing a fellow hostage shot before his eyes, and of not being given anything to drink for days. Other survivors have told similar tales. We�ve seen cruelty from terrorists before, but directed toward children, it reaches a whole new level of barbarism. At the same time, Beslan is just one more example of an evil that�s determined to wipe out anything that stands in its way. The whole world, not just America or Russia, has to be willing to take a stand against it in order to make any headway. And that begins by being willing to see the underlying issues at stake in the fight against terrorism, and to call evil what it is. And Christians around the world must show the survivors of Beslan that we stand with them. The Orthodox Church in America has started a Beslan Relief Fund. You can find out more by calling us here at BreakPoint (1-877-322-5527), and we�ll give you more information. Visit the Breakpoint website at http://www.breakpoint.org ____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________ * This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. To unsubscribe from this newsletter immediately, simply click on the link below. 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