Some say we are living in the midst of a religious war, but I don't think so. We are living in the midst of a war, alright, but it is not "religious" at base--for that might imply that ideals are at stake and would give the protagonists too much credit.
The war we are living in the midst of is the Five Hundred Years War.
It started when Europeans developed the military capacity to conquer, colonize, and enslave diverse populations around the world (roughly five centuries ago).
Slavery was eventually outlawed (de jure, but it continues by other means, e.g., wage slavery, de facto).
Following the Second European Civil War of the 20th century (in which the victors continued their internecine struggle over the spoils of the 500 Years War to date), there was a move toward something called "de-colonization."
De-colonization turned out to be the first phase of neo-colonialism. It's all a shell game, but no matter how often the "liberated" try to point this out, their observation is simply ignored by the players.
Be that as it may, some of the natives do get restless from time to time. Occasionally, they rise up, Nat Turner fashion, and take a swipe at their overlords. What is amazing to me is how infrequently this happens given the amount of inequality and suffering that has become normalized throughout the world.
The Kouachi brothers decided that they weren't going to take insult with injury any longer. But think about it: there are approximately 4.8 million Muslims in France. The Nat Turners grab the headlines because they expose the worm in the apple--and anyone who does that must be dealt with ruthlessly. But they represent just a fraction of a percent of the population that goes ahead and eats the apple, worm and all. And don't think they eat the worm without knowing it. I'm sure some do, but many more just swallow it as their lot in life and hope for better days.
Hope, it turns out, is the opiate of the masses.
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