Difficult to tell.

It’s hard to imagine that young Muslim men are going to Syria and Iraq for the right reasons. In England they see poverty and finance taking great wealth for itself, mealy-mouthed politicians and an aggressive foreign policy in the Middle East. They feel unheard and powerless to create a more caring and fare society. Their religion says they must fight for what’s right, so they go. It’s a malignant fairy tale that’s been told to our own young lads in 1914, to German lads in the 30’s, American boys since the 70’s. Many when they get there find a different truth, brutality and depravation. Not the opportunity to care and heal divisions but the necessity to hate and kill. What was offered in the friendly sanctuary of a UK mosque becomes a grotesque dream, a brotherhood of death and devastation. Obama may deplore the brutal killing of two journalists but the US’s ‘shock and awe’ tactics in Iraq, Israel’s bombing of Gaza only prove our brutality can be greater and deserving of a response. Yesterday a video of a grey bedraggled traumatised puppy that snapped and growled at every offered hand. With much patience and gentle kindness it allowed itself to be held and stroked. With more it was bathed and became a beautiful white fluffy puppy full of such excitement in its new life it could barely contain itself. It encapsulated our true desire and the way to achieve it. In its brutal fight to create a Sonni Islamic state ISIS is creating enemies faster than it can reload its weapons. Even moderate Sonnis are now against it. So should Cameron stop ‘radicalised’ Muslims from coming back or might they be traumatised, disillusioned assets in our struggle against snappy growling hatred? Difficult to tell.