Terrorism as a Banality of Radical Evil

The banality of evil, initially used by Hannah Arendt to describe Nazism and Fascism seems to fit well for the present crisis inflicted by Hamas terrorists on 7 October 2023 against the state of Israel and its people. The characteristics she brought out fits so well for Jihadi terror. The inhumanity is glaring, and the silent majority for whom they claim to fight for don’t have any say, as they don’t live in a democracy in Gaza ruled by Hamas. Those far away, culturally identify with the Hamas. The enemy then and now, is the Jews. Truth is to be found in killing and dying for a fairy tale that claims to replace history. We need to see the terrifying similarities between Nazism and Jihadi terrorism. Hence all people need to wake up and support those fighting against this terrorist peril and not be apologetic for it. If we don’t learn from history, we are condemned to repeat it. One needs to remember the words of Martin Niemöller (1892 to 1984) a prominent Lutheran pastor in Germany, “Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”