Posted on 08/10/2004 3:46:25 PM PDT by veronica
Human rights groups warned yesterday that racism was becoming increasingly tolerated in Italy after the country's biggest-selling newspaper published a book by a veteran journalist which warns of an Arab invasion of Europe.
The 126-page tract by Oriana Fallaci appeared on newsstands with the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
In the book Fallaci makes sweeping criticisms of authorities for failing to stop Europe becoming "Eurabia" and "a colony of Islam", in a stealthy process she describes as the "burning of Troy".
Oddly, Fallaci interviews herself in the book, the third volume the New York-based journalist has written against Islam since the September 11 attacks in New York. The first two have been bestsellers in Italy and elsewhere.
"This kind of argument does a lot of damage," said Luciano Scagliotti, head of the Italian branch of the European Network Against Racism.
"We are very worried. Fallaci and others like her are using their popularity to create hatred. She is effectively telling thousands of people they must chase the Arabs out of Europe.
"It's a kind of racism that was unacceptable in Europe until a few years ago. Now, with this kind of publication, it is becoming acceptable. The more these books are published the more people even feel urged, encouraged and justified in wanting to chase the 'enemy' out of Europe.
"It's exactly the same thing we saw in Italy when the laws were brought in against the Jews in 1938."
Human rights groups and immigration experts have warned that Fallaci's message, along with the frequently xenophobic messages from the Northern League, a member of Silvio Berlusconi's government coalition, feeds on fear of foreigners in a country that has only experienced mass immigration in recent decades.
The Muslim community, now the second largest religious group in Italy, is made up of more than 800,000 first or second generation immigrants. Yet they are not formally recognised as a religious group.
The Italian government has signed accords with representatives of most other, much smaller religious groups, but Islam remains on the sidelines. The fragmented Italian Muslim community has failed to identify one official religious representative.
Fallaci's first book written after September 11, The Rage and the Pride, was an international bestseller, selling more than a million copies in Italy alone. Her follow-up, The Force of Reason, published in April this year as a tribute "to the dead of Madrid", has already sold 800,000 copies in Italy.
Her latest book attacks world leaders including George Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Henry Kissinger. But most of her venom is saved for Islamist terrorists, anti-war protesters and anyone leftwing, accusing protesters of "intellectual terrorism" and being "brainwashing", "philo-Islamists" who would happily allow Osama bin Laden to live in Italy.
The veteran war correspondent warns of inertia comparable to that of Europe in 1938 in the face of the Arab threat.
The Corriere della Sera, which belongs to RCS media group, hails Fallaci as "a woman who has the courage to write the truth about others and herself."
If we had a wartime consiglere, a SICILIAN, we wouldn't be in this situation...
Got it, read it, loved it! Like opening someone's guts and watching the truth pour out!
The word "emotional" doesn't do it: scathing, gut-wrenching, heart-felt--that kind of stuff...
I don't see how a person can be considered racist for pointing out a known fact. It's not racist to say that the Arab population is growing in non-Arab countries.
It's the equivalent of calling Freepers racists because we generally loathe and distrust Democrats, Socialists, and Communists.
But, since when do facts or logic ever matter to journalists, anyway?
Bullshit!!! The "Jews" in 1938 were not bombing train stations trying to influence elections by killing people. They were not claiming to want to dominate the world with a religion driven by hate and violence. This fool knows nothing about his own Eurohistory. STFU!!!
how is critism of a religion "rasist"? i think there's another word for it, but religion and "race" are different.
hey I don't loathe them - many of their ideas certainly, but not Dems, Socialists or Commies as people.
Can't comment on the book, but clearly Europe is losing its unique culture. The Netherlands will be the first of many to lose their culture to muslims and there is nothing racist to say that. It is simply a fact given current trends in demographics.
Islamics have known for centuries, that if they will just breed like flies that they can take over the world. And as the populate, just watch the nations of the world move over to accomadate their program.
Is islam a race now?
'"It's a kind of racism that was unacceptable in Europe until a few years ago. Now, with this kind of publication, it is becoming acceptable. The more these books are published the more people even feel urged, encouraged and justified in wanting to chase the 'enemy' out of Europe.'
Well hey, Senor, is it dissimilar to all the madrassas in the Arabian countries teaching people to hate, oppress, attack and drive out non-Arabs? What is about to happen is a repeat of the successes of the 12th Century when the murderous A-rabs were driven out of Europa. This author apparently likes having them in Europa - very bad idea.
I like to think of FR like the X games. This is X-free-rep.
Uh, let me see, I'm trying hard to remember if anything significant could possibly have happened during the past few years that might have contributed to this. Anybody have any idea? I'm drawing a blank...
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