[xJones]

"Weep like a woman for the land he could not defend as a man." This was before dynamite and bomb vests, of course.

[xJones]

I'm just trying to get some traffic for a European-Muslim thread.

[Qwinn]

"Were it only true that those in harm's way in Europe are solely the friends of the Americans."

Gee, nice sentiment, thanks.

Qwinn

[McGavin999]

Very interesting. I think europe is in terrible trouble and they are going to have to do something about this immediately.....before it's too late.

[witnesstothefall]

I'm just trying to get some traffic for a European-Muslim thread

Well you asked for it.

The writer is mangling his own cultural history. Boadbil's mother's reproach not to "weep like a woman for the land he could not defend as a man" was not made in reference to the ongoing war against the infidel Christians. She was scorning him for not fighting to regain the throne in Grenada in a concurrent civil war among the Muslims.

If Grenada had not been a kingdom divided against itself, it is very doubtful whether the Christians would have vanquished the Muslims so decisively in the 15th century. The dual monarchy deserves great credit for shrewdly playing the Muslims off against each other.....

[Darheel]

"The Moor's Last Laugh... and, hopefully, it's last breath along with it."

[Fledermaus]

Geez, once they fight 1492 all over again, what are they going to do for the next 512 years of history?

[lainde]

bttt

[prognostigaator]

As if written by a muslim .

[maica]

You can't agitate against Mubarak in Cairo, but you can do it from the safety of Finsbury Park in London. The ferocity of the debate in the Arab world about France's decision to limit Islamic headgear in public schools is a measure of this displaced rage. Spain may attribute the cruelty visited on it to its association with America's expedition into Iraq. But the truth is darker. Jacques Chirac may believe that he has spared France Spain's terror by sitting out the Iraq war. But he is deluded. The Islamists do not make fine distinctions in the bilad al kufr.

This is one of the most profoundly depressing articles I have read - stats on how the future of Europe may play out - and many Very good reasons for USA not to even Try to pretend that we value the 'alliance' with France.

World population has doubled since WWII - largely with the assistance of the USA in technology and financial aid.

Look at the demographics of Europe - suicide of the west by birth control!

[BunnySlippers]

•

[twigs]

Somewhere I read that Boabdil locked a door in the Alhambra with those keys and that it has never been unlocked to this day. That sounds a little too fantastic for me. Does anyone know about it?

[cynicom]

In 711, the Moors and some Arabs took most of Spain, with exception of the Basques. By 1492 the last vestiges of Islam were thrown back south of the Mediterranean.

One thing of note however, during the time that the Moors were there, they were the only bright light of civilization is Europe.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[ZULU]

An excellant and telling artilce and one that give the U.S. reason to seriously rethink its open door policy towards any and every ethnic group which attempts to locate here.
Islam should be banned from western society, all American Madrassehs and Mosques should be closed, all Muslims here given the alternative of converting to ANY other religion, or face deportation. And the west in general, and the U.S. in particular, should cease being an escape valve for extremist lunatics of this extremist religion so that people like the Saud family and Mubarak can survive.

And that story about Boabdil was really very touching, but, you know, ALL of North Africa including Egypt, as well as the entire Palestinian area and all of Anatolia was once Chritian or Jewish and all of Persia was once Zoroastrian - all good, decent, monotheistic faiths with no tenets of hatred in their founding documents towards non-believers, unlike the creed of the mad desert bandit Mohammad.

[Snuffington]

A very insightful article. I had always assumed European anti-Americanism was a strange sort of psychological dodge, which mere envy couldn't explain. This makes more sense than anything else I've read about it:

In ways both intended and subliminal, the escape into anti-Americanism is an attempt at false bonding with the peoples of Islam. Give the Arabs -- and the Muslim communities implanted in Europe -- anti-Americanism, give them an identification with the Palestinians, and you shall be spared their wrath. Beat the drums of opposition to America's war in Iraq, and the furies of this radical Islamism will pass you by. This is seen as a way around the troubles. But there is no exit that way.

[Travis McGee]

Man, this guy can really write!

[Valin]

There is no prospect that the rulers of Arab lands will offer their people a decent social contract, or the opportunities for freedom. It is a sad fact that the Arab peoples no longer make claims on their rulers.

And here is (one) of the "root causes" of the terrorism coming out of the Islamic world.

[Valin]

Bump