By John Shoemaker/Local Columnist

Around the world, the body count continues to climb.

In the first five months of 2017, Islamic terrorists made over 500 attacks and killed more than 3,500 civilians.

Mass murder of hundreds, thousands and even hundreds of thousands continues.

How can anyone justify or ignore it?

Back in the '60s, during the Vietnam War, a song by Buffalo Springfield had these lyrics: I think its time we stop, children, whats that sound, everybody look whats going down

Over 460,000 - mostly civilians - have died so far in Syria, with many having horrific deaths. Nothing seems to stop the insanity and it gets worse. Sarin gas is only the latest episode. Deliberate bombing of men, women and children not in anyones army are dying hourly.

The atrocities of ISIS are well known and include barbaric practices that go back hundreds of years. Crucifixions, beheadings, mass graves with victims shot, knifed, blown up, burned or buried alive. Lucky ones are raped and sold as slaves. Another tactic: suicide bombers.

Renegade terrorists running rampant around the world include Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, Hamas, Hezbollah, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Taliban, Muslim Brotherhood, Ansar al-Islam, Al-Nusra Front and a dozen others.

Combined, their death toll exceeds well over one million people in the past decade.

A lyric from another song, by Credence Clearwater Survival, said, Dont walk slow, the Devil is on the loose.

The black ISIS flag has a white circle emblazoned with black writing reading Mohammed is the messenger of God.

Incredibly disconcerting is that these religious armies are the ones that have unleashed the Devil as if he was the messenger of God.

After all, religions have a basic belief in love, respect and value for one another under the Lord, God or Supreme Being. Yet, religious extremists show no mercy to gain global control.

Muslim terrorists kill infidels or non-believers. Whether they hijack the religion or not, the result is the same. Death rains down upon those who cannot defend themselves.

In Syria, we have seen over 14 million people flee for their lives. They are slaughtered as they try to escape. The refugee onslaught has caused huge problems across Europe and hundreds are dying trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

In a recent conversation with a Hindu who grew up in Kashmir on the India/Pakistan border, which has a long history of strife, he stated what others say, that violence-oriented Muslims have as many problems getting along with other Muslims as with non-Muslims.

Most know that people killed in the last few years by Muslim terrorists are mostly other Muslims. Even a recent atrocity in Syria involved a Muslim, Abdul-Hamid Alyousef, who suffered his twin babies being gassed along with 26 members of his family.

Pope Francis calls it an endless horror.

Fortunately, the sordid history of Christianity was also the cause of millions of deaths but at least these religious organizations moved to civility and ended that practice centuries ago.

Today, the killing goes on in all the Middle East, much of Africa and the subcontinent. Religion is still embedded in the conflicts that include Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and other sects.

Such carnage recalls the one man who is responsible for killing more people in history than anyone, including Hitler and Chinas Mao-Tse-tung. Historians generally agree Stalin takes the honor with more than 60 million deaths; other estimates go as high as 100 million.

Incredibly, Stalin killed more than a million of his own soldiers returning from German POW camps after WW II. He considered them treasonous.

It was Stalin who said, The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.

We are numbed by such statistics.

Still, many believe the U.S. should stay out of the fight. Let them kill themselves, they say. Others have this self-righteous notion that we should just show love, respect and pray for change.

Fat chance that will do anything to solve the problem.

Look at what a few men can do if left unchecked.

While we cannot be the worlds policeman, we can and must drive the world to enforce international law and to stop use of inhumane weapons like sarin gas or other deadly gases, biological or germ warfare and such.

Worse, there are threatening countries like North Korea and soon, Iran, with nuclear weapons.

It is unfortunate that few countries are willing and able to stand up for justice and for the lives of others.

We cannot allow all of humanity to become a statistic.

John Shoemaker lives in Natick.

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Shoemaker: Seeing a tragedy or a mere statistic? - Opinion ... - MetroWest Daily News