Missing links
Pope Francis’ insistence that we should not equate Islam with terrorism is in the interest of justice and fairness. The Islamic world is a complex reality, with many different approaches to faith, interwoven with various historical, social and cultural contexts.

But an issue that largely goes unnoticed in the West is that the denial of Europe’s Christian roots has empowered Islamist terrorists to pursue a religious agenda without competition. They offer to fill the spiritual and cultural vacuum in relativist societies with a weakened sense of God.

A nation that desires stability and progress should work towards an equilibrium that values its evolving institutions, retains a sense of its history, and gradually moves in the direction of inclusivity conditioned not merely by economic realities but by spiritual insights. These are the missing links in Europe as it deals with itself, its Muslim communities, its refugees and the scourge of terrorism. Europe must draw from its Christian roots if it is to resolve the complex issues it faces.