By Elias Neibart ’16, Staff Writer

Some of you might have seen a group of world leaders “unite” in Paris against terrorism and in support of free speech after the attack on French satirists. However, this event was an empty gesture, at best.  The powerful men and women who were present at this march are deliberately trying to dupe you in two ways. Firstly, they want you to believe that this issue is a new one, and it simply is not. Secondly, they want you to believe that they are genuinely committed to the fight against terror, and they are plainly not.

A new issue? The fact that it took this long for the world’s leaders to unite against terror in a simply symbolic fashion is absurd. This type of terror, known as Islamic-Fascism terror, is not new, nor is it underreported. In this century, although Jihadists have been around for far longer, the most glaring example is the September 11^th attacks. The magnitude of the 9/11 attacks was far greater than that of the Charlie Hebdo massacre; could we not unite against terror then? Even more recently, the insurgence of ISIS in the Middle East and its barbaric, systematic purging of Christians, Jews, and yes, other Muslims, have been relevant in the media for almost a year. Additionally, the gruesome actions of Boko Haram in Nigeria, under whose leadership an Islamic faction murdered thousands of young girls, have also been in the news. The point I’m trying to make in no way diminishes the Paris attack. It was terrible. Period. However, it pains me that it has taken this long for leaders in our world to realize the threat that has been right in front of our faces for decades.

Are they genuinely committed? It is almost laughable to see some of these world leaders present at this march, not because the cause is not worthy, but because the countries they represent encourage and even facilitate terror. The European Union has collectively censured the State of Israel for defending itself against Hamas, another group of Islamic jihadists. The leader of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ridiculed Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, for attending the rally in Paris because he claims, as reported by The Washington Post, that Netanyahu “carries out state terrorism by massacring 2,500 people in Gaza.” The opinion held by Erdogan is not only asinine, but it also, unacceptably, widely accepted as correct. President Obama is also guilty of deriding Netanyahu and Israel, condemning Israel’s “occupation” of Palestinian territories and its rocket attacks against Hamas. Obama chastises Israel for its measures in combating terrorism. In terms of national politics, President Obama seems more interested in castigating local police departments for their supposed “racist” actions than he is in addressing the very real, tangible threat of radical Islam.

In order to truly unite against worldwide terrorism, the powerful men and women in the world must recognize the real aggressor and obstacle in the peace process: Islamic Extremism. They must not cower in the face of terror or shy away with the fear of being “politically incorrect” as they have in the past. The enemy has made itself clear, and the appropriate course must be followed: we must unite to eradicate Islamic extremists.