When will we learn about terrorism?

When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. 

(Proverbs 21:15)

On November 13th, 2015 France was once again targeted by terrorists.  

Three separate-but-coordinated attacks left 130 people dead.  Americans overlaid their Facebook avatars with the French tri-colors out of solidarity.  It was the second terror attack in 11 months.  The French were understandably shaken.

And then we got back to our lives.  And Christmas. And the snowstorm.

The French have not moved on.

Today the Justice Minister has resigned because of a law that is being debated about the citizenship of terrorists.  Essentially if you are a dual citizen (French and Jordanian, let's say) and you have been convicted of terrorist activity then you can be stripped of your French citizenship.

Duh.

Seems so common-sense.  Um, if you hurt people in the name of terrorism then you can't benefit from the country that you hate and want to blow up.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira disagrees.  She feels that it unfairly targets those holding dual-citizenship.  

Yes - it targets terrorists who hold dual citizenship.  Perhaps it is ok to be unfair to the people that want to kill you.  If someone is kicking his way in my house at night I am going to look for any way possible to stop this person - even unfairly using my baseball bat to realign his skull bones.

I admire Mme Taubira's quest for justice, but justice has to have a common denominator.  You cannot respect Sharia justice and Western justice.  One has to prevail in the end.  It is a lesson we must learn before there is another November 13th.  

A lesson for us as well.

God and common sense align nicely here - one man's justice will often be another man's pain.  We must always fight for grace and redemption of people - the miracle of changed lives as a result of compassion and understanding.  However, this almost always comes about as the result of the consequence for one's actions.

People change when they have been called on their evil - seldom when they are indulging in it.