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Al Qaeda Pays a Visit to Madrid
By Mike Bayham
March 16, 2004

It appears that the militant wing of that "religion of peace" struck again, this time murdering 200 civilians and wounding over 1,000 in Spain. After being driven out of Afghanistan, the Islamist front regrouped to inflict its most significant attack since 9-11 in a country that has been one of the United States' most steadfast allies in the war on terror.

Initially, the blasts were attributed by the Spanish government to the Basque separatist terror group, the ETA, but recent arrests and the discovery of evidence linking the bombers with Islam has led many to believe that this was the work of Al Qaeda.

Since the current administration in Madrid has made aggressively suppressing the ETA one of its top domestic priorities, it is unlikely that the Basque militants were going to give the electorate additional motivation to keep the center-right government in power.

The attack comes not long before Spanish voters will indirectly decide the fate of their country's foreign policy with the US aligned Popular Party facing off with the "anti-Iraqi war" Socialists.

For Al Qaeda, the timing and location of their latest operation made perfect sense. Despite Prime Minister Jose Maria Anzar's willingness to back the Bush Administration's invasion of Iraq, the soon to be retiring Spanish politician has felt more appreciation from Washington than in his own country, where polls show strong opposition to the Iraqi war.

Al Qaeda, looking to create cracks in Bush's international "Coalition of the Willing", claims that the attack on Spain was to make an example out of them for going along with the invasion. Like dogs that have heard their Pavlovian bell, Spanish opposition groups have reacted to the tragedy by blaming Anzar's closeness to Bush rather than the terrorists for the loss of life. Both the international Islamic terror network and the Socialists hope that the bombing will mark the end of the reign of the Popular Party.

Historically, Spain played an important role in the history of Islam, as it was the faith's most western foothold on Europe, until driven out of Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century. Perhaps the actions of King Ferdinand of Christopher Columbus' time was what Al Qaeda meant when settling an old score. Keep in mind that Al Qaeda propaganda sometimes contains rants about the Christian Crusades of the Middle Ages and their admiration of the Ottoman Empire.

I would not be surprised to learn that a favorite pastime of Al Qaeda's higher ups is mentally refighting the battle of Tours, which checked the expansion of Islam in France. These deluded, hate-filled warriors of Mohammed hold more than western conservatives in contempt, but all of Christendom and Judaism. Their hatred of western civilization is not an anomaly, but the perpetuation of an over a millennium old tradition against those who refuse to convert, by choice or by scimitar.

Since Al Qaeda lacks the capacity to engage in direct battle with a military force, as was proven in the relatively quick toppling of the Taliban, they have tried to break the morale of civilians by broadcasting a message that puts the responsibility for the attacks on their own civilian government's foreign policy.

However, Al Qaeda might have just done the opposite through their latest barbaric act. Regrettably, people have short memories and those outside of America have seemed to have retired their outrage towards the perpetrators of the suicide bombings on the WTC and the Pentagon. The recent attack on the commuter trains might have served as a wakeup call to remind the world public exactly what the US-led coalition is fighting.

It is possible in the aftermath of it, even the most committed Spanish pacifists might wake up from their slumber in fantasyland and embrace drastic measures, such as the invasion and occupation of countries that bankroll and encourage terrorist syndicates.

Only the most deluded anti-military type will heed the counsel of those who speak through the incineration of children on railways. Hopefully those who have condemned the war on terror as unnecessary will come to the realization that there is no appeasing and negotiating with these practitioners of evil.

The lesson to be discovered when sifting through the smoke, death and destruction in Spain is that Al Qaeda will disappear only when it is crushed by military force. There is no easy way to accomplish this end except by taking the fight to them. While the war in Iraq has resulted in allied casualties, a painful part of any military campaign, it has also claimed the lives of untold thousands of Al Qaeda members and their sympathizers.

Domestic and international critics of the war in Iraq must ask themselves this question: would they prefer to have the war on terror be fought in the deserts of the Middle East or on the streets and transportation linkages of western urban areas?

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.