Let’s say hypothetically a terrorist organization, let’s call them Hamas, attacks a community they hate, let’s say the jews, kill civilians indiscriminately, rape women and then kill them, parade them naked where they live and then spit on their dead bodies. They take hostages and force some women among the hostages into sex slavery. Let’s just they follow a extremist version of a repressive 7th century ideology which grants them permission to do all these things during war and let’s just hypothetically assume that I know what I am talking about because I have read the book I am talking about.
Well, how do you deal with this? They think their evil has a stamp of approval of God (the one with a big G). What punishment apart from death penalty would you prescribe to these distinguished gentlemen who kill, rape & kill, torture innocent people in the name of God?
How should a country who was attacked deal with these people? I think they know, but I was wondering if we know.
Now, for those who will try to justify these actions by whataboutery, I just want you to know that I don’t approve of the disgusting Israeli settlements of Jews in Palestine either. I think they should end it “a few decades ago”. But, this was not the reason Hamas attacked Israel. I notice that this isn’t the behavior you engage in if you even want military victories. You don’t rape women and kill them because the country the woman belongs to has occupied your land (Gaza hasn’t been under Israeli control since 2003, btw)
How about we turn this around a bit? Instead of asking, “What should be done with them?”, let’s try it a bit more personal.
Suppose you woke tomorrow and found yourself in a hospital room. A doctor comes in and says, “Ah! You’re awake! And you’ll be pleased to know we’ve cured you.”
Physically and mentally you feel (in this scenario) just as you do now - normal, healthy, but perhaps a bit puzzled.
“What was wrong with me?” you ask.
“Ah, well, you’d gone crazy for a bit there. It was like a virus, lots of people in your town caught it. It… influences its victims. You had it for years. You killed about a dozen people. Rape. Torture. That sort of thing.”
“What?!”
“Don’t worry - you were confused, not yourself. You believed that rape, murder, torture, kidnapping, and all that was acceptable. But now you’re fine. Go in peace.”
Could you simply go back to your life? Would changing your life, dedicating it to serve in the memory of those you killed, be enough for you to live with yourself from then on?
Would everyone around you constantly wonder if you were really cured, and worry that perhaps you’d kill again? Or fear that since you caught this virus, you might be susceptible to others that may come down the road, with the same or worse consequences?
What are the options? Obviously, if you are still dangerous, there are fewer. But what if these people suddenly came to the realization that their actions were as horrible as we find them to be - what are their options?
A. Suicide - can’t live with the memory, or the possibility of relapse;
B. Incarceration - be sequestered from others (either voluntarily or by society) due to possibility of relapse;
C. Execution - it doesn’t bring back the dead, but it assures no new dead from your hand.
D. Brain wipe - but we don’t have that yet.
What’s the answer?