Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade

Deaths of Irish Citizens in Tunisia: Expressions of Sympathy.

10:00 am

Photo of Olivia MitchellOlivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to be associated with the expressions of sympathy. There are no words to describe the atrocity and the hurt to the families of the bereaved on their holidays. As was said, they are people of an age with which I can identify. I do not know how their families must feel now. In some cases the families bought them the holiday and sent them off for a well-earned rest and that is what happened to them.

As Deputy Quinn said, this is not a case of an isolated one-off madman running amok; this is the new form of terrorism. It is as effective as 9/11. It has pretty much destroyed the Tunisian economy. It is not an accident that Tunisia was targeted. Tunisia is one of the countries that was involved in the Arab spring and it was a success. The government there was building a secular economy, country and society. The country was targeted precisely because of its success. I do not know how we fight such terrorism, apart from vigilance, but the solution will have to come from within Islam, notwithstanding our own responsibility for what happened in Iraq and Syria. The solution to the problem is to be found within Islam if it is to be found in our time, and to be honest, I have my doubts about that.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.