By Matthew Calhoun
Friday’s tragic events in Paris dominated the global media for the entire weekend. Within 24 hours of the attacks ISIS claimed responsibility, setting much of the free world into a nervous panic.
Though the Paris attacks were not the first by ISIS, they are undoubtedly a milestone.
Prior to the Paris massacres, two suicide bombers attacked Beirut, Lebanon’s capital city. The attacks on Paris, however, were the first attacks by ISIS on a scale comparable to what we saw here in America on Sept. 11. Though the Lebanese attacks were a tragedy much like the attacks in Paris, one does not have the same expectation of safety in Lebanon as they would in France.
The same can be said comparing Beirut to just about every city in the United States. In fact, the U.S. State Department has advised its citizens to “avoid all travel to Lebanon because of security and safety concerns” for over a decade.
The decision by ISIS to attack La Stade de France, the largest stadium in France, ramped up security at professional football stadiums across America this past weekend.
What does not make sense, however, is that most of the attention by both the media and law enforcement officials has been focused on the NFL’s 31 professional football stadiums. MetLife Stadium, just outside of New York City, has seen the most attention as it is the largest stadium in the league by seating capacity and also the only stadium in the NYC tri-state area, the nation’s largest population center.
The problem with these collegiate stadiums is the significant lack of security in comparison to their much smaller NFL counterparts. Security at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland includes complete full-body pat-downs, metal detectors and a ban on any bags larger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches, including purses and backpacks. At Ohio Stadium, which can accommodate 40,000 more visitors than FirstEnergy, no such regulations are in place. Like many other college stadiums, metal detectors are not used and the only real security at the gate includes a quick bag check.
Even here in New York, security at college football games is at a disturbing minimum. Fordham’s Jack Coffey Field has virtually no security — all you have to do is flash a Fordham ID card and you are in: no metal detectors, no bag checks, nothing. Though the threat of a tragic event here at Fordham is unlikely, stadiums of all sizes should remain on alert. The same can be said for Columbia University’s Wien Stadium in Manhattan.
Despite what the major media has broadcast, some of the more recent terrorist attempts and arrests have been in the heartland and not along the eastern seaboard where security is higher than anywhere. Several threats by ISIS have been made against the city of Chicago, which has even been referred to as “Obama Town” by the extremist group.
The Midwest has also been a hotbed for recent ISIS activity within U.S. borders.
On Thursday, the day before the attacks in Beirut and Paris, an American believed to be affiliated with ISIS in Akron, Ohio was arrested by the FBI for providing ISIS with the names and addresses of over 100 United States military personnel. He has also been charged with soliciting murder, or soliciting the “final step” of murder to the American service men and women over the internet on Tumblr and Twitter. Three months ago in nearby North Olmsted, Ohio, Rahman Al-Ghazi, who openly admitted to joining ISIS, was arrested when he attempted to buy an AK-47 assault rifle.
After the arrest, the FBI and other authorities raided his home and found firearms as well as drawn-out plans to shoot up a police station and to cause a collision on The Rapid, Cleveland’s subway system. Authorities also reported that Al-Ghazi was actively recruiting American citizens on behalf of ISIS, though they have not said if any recruits have been identified by law enforcement or if his recruiting was related to the ISIS affiliate arrested last week in Akron.
Living in fear would be exactly what the terrorist groups like ISIS want, which is why we cannot give up our ways of life.
There is, and should always be, a distinct line between fear and vigilance.
The attacks in Paris are a warning sign that we should not limit security to professional sporting events and airports, but any public gathering place where thousands can be contained. As we continue to grieve with our brothers and sisters in France and around the globe, we must also remain more alert than ever.
The acts of ISIS are unforgivable, and if this is truly the beginning of what they have planned, our time to stop them is: shorter ethan ever. So go to football games, take the subway, go to concerts, travel the globe and most importantly, do all of that without fear.
We will never forget Paris like we have never forgotten 9/11, but when we call ourselves Americans we also carry a responsibility to be leaders in the free world, which means not only speaking out and condemning terrorists who threaten our way of life, but also living in vigilance to prevent them from succeeding in any malicious attack, whether it be on us or one of our oldest allies.
Matthew Calhoun, FCRH ’17, is a finance major from Springboro, Ohio.
