France's 9/11

The question was not if, the question was when. Islamic terrorists ultimately chose January 7, 2015 as the day they would strike Paris. The offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, a symbol of liberty and freedom of expression in the homeland of human rights, was chosen as the target for a barbaric terrorist act, carried out by three masked, armed and well-trained attackers. This event shocked not just France, but the entire Western world. There is something new in the West and it is called jihad.

It is tragic that the French were unable to prevent something that was quite predictable. And it is frightening that images we are used to seeing in Syria and Iraq were seen on Tuesday in downtown Paris, a city we so much love to love.

Paris has now experienced its own 9/11, like Madrid on March 11, 2004 and London on July 7, 2005. Jihadists have given themselves a license to kill in the heart of the West. Passport control, by the way, is irrelevant. Like a Trojan horse, jihad is already deeply embedded in Europe -- in Paris, Brussels and Madrid.

In the age of political correctness in which we live, woe is to those who dare call a spade a spade. The common denominator in all major terrorist attacks in recent times has been radical Islam. On Wednesday, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, three attackers committed murder in the name of Allah to avenge the Prophet Muhammad. The Charlie Hebdo magazine dared to mock Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, just like it mocked all religions. With their drawings, the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo foresaw the danger. They just did not realize that they would find themselves on the front lines.

Unlike after four terrorist incidents that took place in France before Christmas, the French government understood on Wednesday that what transpired at the Charlie Hebdo offices was a classic terrorist attack, rather than an act of a deranged individual. French President Francois Hollande quickly called a spade a spade, or as the old French saying goes, "He called a cat a cat."

The question now is what will happen next. We can assume France will find it easier to fight against radical Islam in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Mali. But, paradoxically, France will likely avoid the battle that needs to be fought at home, in the name of European humanism, against jihadist terrorism. European humanists prefer to attribute the popularity of radical Islam to socio-economic problems. Against the problems it faces at home, France shoots just words, while the jihadists shoot bullets. This is asymmetric warfare.

And what about Islamic terrorism? During his first months in office, U.S. President Barack Obama sought to erase that term, lest Muslims be offended. European leaders acted similarly. In a bid to lessen fear, decrease tensions, placate migrants and weaken extreme right-wing political parties, the West in general, and France in particular, chose to look the other way. Those who had the gall to mention the threat posed by Islamic terrorism were given prescriptions for medication to treat paranoia.

Following Wednesday's terrorist attack in Paris, has this illusion finally been shattered for good? Despite the great shock caused by the deadliest terrorist attack in France since 1961, it is not clear this is the case.

At the Battle of Poitiers in 732 A.D., Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) succeeded in thwarting a Muslim invasion of Europe. In 2015, Hollande is far from a similar success.

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