An Appeal to Reason, and a Challenge to the Twisters of Words

Here are two statements:

1. "Almost all Islamist terrorists in recent atrocities or attempted atrocities in Europe (and in some cases elsewhere) have been found to be users of mind-altering drugs. Here are more examples from among the culprits of last Friday���s mass-murders in Paris. Surely this is interesting, and requires further investigation?"

 2.  "All drugtakers become terrorists."

 

Yesterday, I made the first, giving some supporting evidence. I was immediately attacked as if I had made the second, which of course I did not make, and do not believe.

 

This has happened before:

 

http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2015/02/my-riposte-to-the-twitter-twisters-and-cannabis-comment-warriors.html

 

 

How can we expect to have serious public debate if this is how people behave in response to reasoned, cautious argument and carefully-compiled and authoritatively sourced accurate information?

My response is to list the instances in which Islamist terrorists have beyond question been shown to be drug-abusers.

 

Omar El-Hussein, the Copenhagen killer , twice arrested for cannabis offences.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2963357/PETER-HITCHENS-real-mind-blowing-terror-threat-midst-cannabis.html

 

The Tunisian beach murderer Seifeddine Rezgui was a cannabis user

 

http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2015/06/yes-the-tunisian-killer-was-on-cannabis-too-so-what-.html

 

The killers in the Charlie Hebdo Outrages were cannabis users (the Kouachi brothers, Amedy Coulibaly)

 

http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2015/01/what-do-we-know-about-the-paris-outrages.html

 

The man who attempted an attack on the Amsterdam-Paris train, Ayoub El-Khazzani, was a cannabis user

 

http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2015/08/what-do-we-know-about-the-gunman-on-the-amsterdam-paris-train-.html

 

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau , The killer of Nathan Cirillo in Ottawa, Canada, and Martin Couture-Rouleau, of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada, were both cannabis users.

 

http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2014/10/once-again-nobody-cares-that-a-killer-took-illegal-drugs.html

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/from-typical-teen-to-jihadist-how-martin-couture-rouleau-became-radicalized-after-converting-to-islam

 

When I say that these people were 'cannabis users', in most cases the evidence points towards long-term regular use. Several were also arrested for drug offences, which is actually quite hard to achieve given the relaxed attitude towards cannabis among police in most of the Western world. What's also interesting is that those who describe these people's drug habits think illegal drug use unremarkable, and see no connection between it and the person's later behaviour. The possibility that there might be a correlation only appears when these events are all listed together. 

 

As for Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, killers of Lee Rigby in London, their heavy use of cannabis is well-documented and beyond challenge, as I explain here:

 

http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2014/11/theresas-right-we-do-face-a-dire-new-threat-from-people-like-her-.html

 

and as is confirmed here

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10518784/Adebowale-on-path-to-Islamist-extremism-after-seeing-911.html

 

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/may/26/woolwich-attack-michael-adebolajo

 

 

So, with all that clear, I now repeat what I said yesterday, and appeal for a reasoned response, free of self-interest or special interest pleading.

 

What I seek is an inquiry, one with full powers to investigate all such cases to see if terrorist killers are drug users, and to see what influence, if any, this had on their actions. If you are against such an inquiry, be so good as to explain why. But respond to what I say, not to what you wish I had said, but didn���t say.