Houston Mosque Fire Serves As Reminder That The Terrorism Market Isn’t Cornered

The Houston mosque fire that happened on Christmas day — reported here by the Inquisitr — is said to have had multiple ignition points.

This is usually a dead giveaway of suspicious activity, but even if it is an arson disconnected with any specific terrorist group, it should serve as a reminder that no specific faith or ideology has the market cornered on terrorist activities.

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By trying to confine the actions to “radical Islam” or a high-profile ideology with a sect that engages in terrorist activities, we, as a people, cut ourselves off to the warning signs that are all around us.

After reading about the disheartening Houston mosque fire story this morning, then putting in a half-day of work, I walked downstairs to the shopping mall underneath my office.

It’s a convenient location for a person in a sedentary profession to get some much-needed exercise, and as I walk the “course” I’ve created for myself, I am constantly aware that any moment someone could start firing.

It reminds me of what a topsy-turvy world we live in today, where any nut with a gun can be a nobody to start the day and be on the national news by the end of it.

And it’s not an Islamic thing or a Christian thing or an [insert group name here] thing. It’s mental illness. It’s narcissism to the extreme. It’s a lack of decency. It’s evil.

Yes, some groups, like ISIS, are more organized than others, but it all starts with the basic germ of an idea — what Rod Serling, the creator of the Twilight Zone, called man’s basic need to hate someone not like himself, via Mental Floss.

On today’s walk — or more specifically, the food court lunch afterward — I was reminded of this fact.

My own political preferences tend to be economically based. If I vote for you, it’s because I think you will do the best job with the economy.

It’s not about how “nice” or “politically correct” you are. It’s about, will you give me the best chance to feed my family and live comfortably? Will you create a safe environment where I can grow old and my kids can go to the mall without worrying about getting shot?

It makes no difference to me what your religious views or beliefs system dictate. I have my own that I try to abide by, but I also know that in a country of 320 million people, it’s ridiculous to try and force those views on another person and expect it to work.

Unfortunately, the food court today was packed, and I ended up having to share a table with a man, who on the surface aligned with most of my beliefs in the sense that we were voting for the same guy.

But as he continued, I was alarmed by the amount of hate that came from his mouth for Muslim people. It was decidedly not what I’m about, and our conversation started to take on a disturbing tone with him dominating the conversation and ranting about how he was a “concealed carry” holder and ready to fire at a moment’s notice.

In my view, it’s usually the people who are eager to do it that are the ones most likely to initiate the act rather than act in self-defense.

I could have easily seen this man start the Houston mosque fire if he’d been given the opportunity, and we are voting for the same person.

Sobering reminder.

Yes, ISIS is decidedly Islamic, and refusing to call them that is the epitome of dangerous PC, but as Salon pointed out in an April, 2015, story, there are at least six deadly Christian terrorist groups currently at work in the world today, not to mention the loose cannons like the individual behind November’s Planned Parenthood shooting.

Hopefully the individuals behind the Houston mosque fire will be brought to justice. In the meantime, try to open your eyes and see the dangers hiding on your own side of the fence.

[Image via ShutterStock]