Although it responds to an individual action, the murder of Algeciras has once again highlighted the need for a determined policy against jihadist terrorism that combines unity, firmness and serenity. Taking the name of Allah in vain, a young Moroccan recently arrived in Spain dealt a fatal blow with a cutlass to the sacristan of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Paloma and wounded other Andalusian citizens while shouting against the Christians. The shock caused by this abject murder has been accompanied by positions and attitudes that generally show the maturity of a society like the Spanish one that has suffered from jihadist terrorism and has learned to face it with integrity and effectiveness. Despite some unfortunate pronouncements, most of the social and political forces have criticized the attack in energetic but serene terms, distinguishing the murderer’s claim to kill in the name of Islam from the nature of a religion whose commandments do not order or justify events such as those that occurred in Algeciras.
As happened in previous attacks, it is worth noting the Solidarity position of all Islamic communities, beginning with that of Algeciras, which has been integrated into Andalusian society for years. The two main Islamic organizations in Catalonia have also described the attack as “criminal and cowardly” and have called for a united response from all democrats against hatred and violence. These are encouraging statements, to the extent that the fight against fanaticism, radicalization and jihadist terrorism cannot and should not be conceived without the active participation of the more than two million Muslims residing in Spain and the 25 million who live in Europe. In a coincident sense, calling to distinguish between the murderer’s purposes and the nature of Islam, the Spanish Episcopal Conferencebrought serenity.
We also positively value the statements of the majority of political forces that have rejected the crime in Algeciras without overreacting. Above all, as the profile of the murderer became known, an individual who apparently has no connections of any kind. Although the attack has, from the point of view of security, low profile characteristics, the commotion that has caused should have prompted the government to contact the opposition immediately. If this contact did not take place, as the Popular Party has maintained, the criticism of the Minister of the Interior seems fair. On the contrary, it seems to us that the request to urgently convene the anti-terrorist pact that the PP has made is an unnecessary overacting. Reinforcing places of worship to avoid the contagion effect seems sufficient considering that Spain is still at alert level 4. vox It has been the only party that has been out of tune with this climate of unity, firmness and serenity. His attempt to take advantage of the attack to get some electoral gain by criticizing immigration policy and insinuating that Islam is, in itself, a bearer of violence, constitutes not only political nonsense. It is the answer that jihadists dream of to divide our societies, weaken them and make them more vulnerable.