On Beslan, updated

Following the reports on the horrible attack, I came across this post Our Unseen Allies, in Jane’s blog, with an article by Abdulrahman al-Rashed, the general manager of Al-Arabiya television who has a daily column in the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. The article is titled, The bitter truth is that all terrorists today are Muslims

We can’t improve our image unless we admit the embarrassing truth which says that most terrorist acts today are done by Muslims. We must recognize that we can’t improve the condition of our youth who carry out these acts unless we cure the mentality of our elders who have turned into revolutionary platforms, sending other sons to fight wars while they send their own sons to [the safety] of European and American schools

May many listen to him.

Update: From Roger L. Simon

Considering that the attacks at the school were long planned and staged by Arab fighters from many countries, we must assume that national identity is only a part (maybe just a small part) of the question here. This is no longer just about Chechen rights, I’m afraid to say, if it ever was. It’s about jihad — a word that infrequently graces the editorial page of The New York Times because a very grim reality would have to be faced that might necessitate the newspaper reevaluating its policy.

. . . Sure, the Russians ought to… and we ought to… look for more sane voices in Chechen and Islamic communities, but to think that that alone will even begin to solve things in the present world is not only absurd, it’s a cruel joke on those children who got shot in the back.