Is it safe to holiday in Muslim countries now?

[SnailyBoy]

It is unfortunate for the Balinese. They are a peaceful Hindu community but tourists there are a target from the Islamist terrorists because Indonesia is principally Muslim and the Islamists have free movement there.

 

Would you go back to Bali?

[foxy lady]

Would you go back to Bali?

 

Probably because the terrorist threat is mainly in the tourist areas and we travel there "off piste". But I wouldn't go to the other Indonesian Islands with the possible exception of Lombok.

[L00b]

Lets face it, the threat in these countries and across mainland Europe is an imported threat that affects a great proportion of the Muslim world. The threat that is being discussed here as reason not to travel to Muslim countries.

Arguably, by the incontrovertible evidence of the identities and background of perpetrators caught and killed, the threat across mainland Europe is home-grown.

 

But I'd argue that it is a significantly smaller threat across mainland Europe than in predominantly Muslim countries, for a variety of objective reasons (fewer extremists and smaller cells/networks in Europe, larger popular support and 'hiding volume' + lesser policing and intelligence capacity in many of the non-European countries discussed).

 

I'm happy with common sense, whether statistically sound or not. Just don't go there. Locals will sort the problem soon enough to get the tourism trade going again. Or they'll eventually learn to do without.

Edited May 16, 2016 by L00b

[Cyclone]

Lets face it, the threat in these countries and across mainland Europe is an imported threat that affects a great proportion of the Muslim world. The threat that is being discussed here as reason not to travel to Muslim countries.

 

The source of the threat is irrelevant, the fact that a threat exists as a reason to no go somewhere is what is being discussed, and as we've just seen, the same level of threat exists across Europe as in many Muslim countries.

Hence no good reason to discount Muslim countries as a whole unless you are going to discount most of Europe as well.

Goes back to what I said right at the start, people aren't very good at assessing risk objectively.

[Berberis]

The source of the threat is irrelevant, the fact that a threat exists as a reason to no go somewhere is what is being discussed, and as we've just seen, the same level of threat exists across Europe as in many Muslim countries.

Hence no good reason to discount Muslim countries as a whole unless you are going to discount most of Europe as well.

Goes back to what I said right at the start, people aren't very good at assessing risk objectively.

 

You're taking a simplistic view here. The reason why people do not want to travel to Muslim countries is also the reason why europe is also threatened. If the terror attacks that means people are afraid to travel to muslim countries had not happened, the threat to Europe as you highlight would also be nonexistent. The two go hand in hand.

 

Then you have the foreign office advice, that clearly advises against travel to many muslim countries, but does not give the same advise on travel in europe, so its clear there is a threat in these countries that is not there in the EU.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Berberis

[Cyclone]

No, I'm taking the view where you're wrong, because that's what the facts show.

You on the other hand are trying to shift the goalposts so that you're not wrong.

 

If you get killed in Europe, blaming a Muslim won't stop you being dead. The source of the risk is irrelevant if it's the level of risk which stops you going somewhere.

[Berberis]

Arguably, by the incontrovertible evidence of the identities and background of perpetrators caught and killed, the threat across mainland Europe is home-grown. .

 

I think if you look into the people who carried out these attacks, you will find they are either immigrants or the 1st generation of immigrant families. Plus their ideology is not homegrown either, that is also an import.

 

For example, the most recent terrorist attack in mainland Europe is the Belgium Airport attack. All of the suspects are either born in Morocco or are the 1st generation of Moroccan/Syrian immigrants.

 

---------- Post added 16-05-2016 at 21:21 ----------

 

No, I'm taking the view where you're wrong, because that's what the facts show.

You on the other hand are trying to shift the goalposts so that you're not wrong.

 

If you get killed in Europe, blaming a Muslim won't stop you being dead. The source of the risk is irrelevant if it's the level of risk which stops you going somewhere.

 

No, you are deliberately narrowing the terms to suit your opinion. The facts are as I have said, the foreign office warns against travel to many Muslim countries. The same cannot be said for European nations, so on the face of it, you are incorrect to state that the EU has just as much threat as Muslim countries. Second the threat we do have is imported from Muslim countries that people are now refusing to travel to. Its simple.

 

You imply that the likes of Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia are as safe as EU nations. The FCO disagrees and I know who the expert on this matter is and it certainly is not you.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Berberis

[Cyclone]

No, these were the terms all along. People wouldn't go somewhere due to the risk of terrorism.

Now you want it to be despite the risk in europe, we'll pretend there isn't a risk, because otherwise the risk is the same as elsewhere. Frankly your current stance makes no sense at all. Read the thread title

 

"Is it safe to holiday in Muslim countries now?"

 

The answer is "just as safe as it is in France, Germany or Belgium". At least if we use the foreign office travel advice as a way of gauging risk, which you were happy to do, until I pointed out that Europe was just as high risk as Turkey and Morocco.

The FCO gives the same level of terrorist risk in all the countries identified earlier in the thread. Somehow you now want to claim that "a high threat of terrorism" means something different in Turkey than it does in France.

[rudds1]

I'm currently in turkey and I feel as safe as I do back in Sheffield

[Ghostrider]

I'm currently in turkey and I feel as safe as I do back in Sheffield

I was there last week, and had no worries at all...

 

---------- Post added 16-05-2016 at 23:08 ----------

 

If you dont think its safe to go on holiday to a muslim country - dont go !