Edit: To the people who are downvoting the thread, Please downvote and then tell me why you did it. If possible mention how you see these acts. I don't want to assume the worst in people (especially you people) unless I have a goddamn good reason for it. I don't feel like this post deserves your scorn. Please tell me what you don't agree with in the post. I am trying this in a good spirited way, I want to understand, I am pretty sure you have different life experiences. I think nothing justifies the actions of Hamas, if you feel like something does, well, please comment it and don't forget to mention the things you agree or disagree with what Hamas is doing.
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?
I am against the death penalty, and I won't want any of them put to death (I feel like I should make exceptions,but I won't). But, I sure don't want them free ever again unless evidence contradicts/exonerates them.
How should a country who was attacked deal with these people? I think they know, but I was wondering if we know.
[NOTHING IMPORTANT FROM THERE, UNLESS YOU WANT TO JUSTIFY THIS, THEN READ AHEAD]
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. They didn't aim for military aims, no matter what they tell you, their actions betrays what they say their supposed intention is. 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 do you deal with people actually believe 100% in texts that were written centuries ago. These aren't Christians selectively picking and choosing stuff and opposing abortion. These aren't Jewish settlers who are occupying the West Bank for religious reasons, they don't believe completely in the Torah, or at least they don't act that way (or else we would have had another problem coming). So yeah, how do you deal with terrorists who are just plain EVIL?
Well I upvoted because this is an excellent question that has applications and relevance far beyond just the current Hamas atrocities.
Facing up to and dealing with the fact that a small percentage of any population is psychopathic (which is a rough clinical descriptor/ analogue for what the man in the street would call evil -lacking in conscience, empathy or morality) is something we do not do well, at least in the Western world, and it is something which we do need to grapple with. And when evil men gain power and set the social and cultural norms - as in 1930's Germany - the larger population can be persuaded or at least coerced into doing evil. We've seen this before, from the Armenian genocide, the Nazi regime, Rwanda and now this