The motive of terrorism is always the same

Dear Editor:

By now, everyone has heard the news of the massacre in a gay nightclub in Orlando. The terrorist is a Muslim fanatic who hated homosexuals. Nothing can obscure this fact or show more clearly the madness of extreme Islam. ISIS has spared us all the meaningless controversy of our law enforcement agencies, government and media whether the atrocity was an “act of terrorism” or a “hate crime.” Nevertheless, the madman is still referred to by all dutifully as “the suspect.”

The month my wife and I were in Israel (May) was Gay Pride Month in Israel. All along the Tel Aviv beaches for miles, the city authorities had displayed thousands of gay flags to honor and assure all visitors that Israel does not tolerate discrimination. The gay flags ended abruptly at the border between Tel Aviv and the Arab section of neighboring Jaffa.

For those people who think only Israel or Jews are in danger, this is simple proof that their madness is a danger for all people in the civilized world just as it was for the participants in the Boston Marathon the year before my son ran. 

I am VERY proud of him that he had the courage and determination not to be frightened or prevented from running in the sport he loves in the face of threats. May what happened in Orlando where I live serve as a warning to the entire world. There are really no “lone wolves.” There is only the wolf pack and those wolves who operate to demonstrate their loyalty to the pack.

The “infidel” doesn’t have to be a Jew, an Israeli, an American, a marathon runner, a homosexual, or even “deviant” Muslims of any description. The motive is the same—they defy in some way submission to an extreme form of Islam.

Norman Berdichevsky

Orlando