I think it takes a leap of imagination to put yourself in the mind of a terrorist and for the purposes of ethical discussion, I think I can see how these men are radicalised.
I think a number of young Muslim men seek a sense of identity and are not finding it in the Western model. They are hungry to prove themselves as men maybe? To experience a sense of purpose, brotherhood, a cause, a belonging a group that makes them feel they belong in a way maybe their families may have failed to, like many Western families do too?
Obviously these Paris terrorists are brainwashed to some great extent.
But my hugely gentle pacifist son thinks that the west has not taken enough responsibility for what we have created in the Middle East in a short period of time. I just with we hadn't gone into Iraq. If we hadn't been Bush's poodle things might be bad but I can't see them being this bad.
this article shows how much you could argue we have created this monster, let alone all the different sides the west has funded and armed in the hope of backing a winner they could work with.
If we just throw up our arms we won't understand this. The recent history of terrorism in and near Ireland shows that it only makes sense in the light of deep and more honest acceptance of all our actions in history, not table thumping blame. Paris is a tragedy but we do have some responsibility for the history that caused it. I just don't feel I hear enough about that.