Posted on 09/25/2005 5:26:58 AM PDT by Happy2BMe
The differences might also be rooted in history, perception and politics.
"It's an interesting phenomenon," said Arsalan Iftikhar, national legal director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "I think a lot of it revolves around immigration laws."
Britain's "more relaxed" immigration laws have led to a greater influx of uneducated, blue-collar workers different from the well-educated, well-established Muslims who immigrated here 30 to 40 years ago, he said. They centered themselves in urban ghettoes, he said, and "that necessarily isolates them." That isolation breeds exclusion, which can be a prelude to violence.
"The kids in Britain who saw things that way were alienated to start with," CAIR Research Director Mohamad Nimer said. "They were not seen as British citizens; they were seen as Muslims although they were British citizens. 'Now, you're a Muslim, and you don't belong here.'"
"Our situation in America is different because of the history of this country," he said. "People in this country are accepting to new populations."
That's not to say that life is perfect for American Muslims. U.S. popular thought often puts entire groups under scrutiny, and Muslims - more specifically, Muslims of Arab descent - are sometimes targeted.
"We blame all Muslims for the bad deeds of any particular Muslim," Nimer said. "We cut up the maps and we distribute blame at will."
The most obvious example of that is Sept. 11, after which Islam became synonymous with terrorism.
"Bizarre policies were implemented by the government post-9/11," Zogby said. "But the pendulum's going back because a whole lot of people are pushing it back."
Nimer noted that the push has been a political one. "When people feel that there is some injustice that is taking place, they channel that feeling into increased political participation," he said. "People were stunned by the PATRIOT Act, but it motivated them to join coalitions to basically repeal it."
"A lack of political guidance, so to speak, in Europe" has exacerbated an already problematic situation there, he said.
Not everyone has maintained optimism, though. Akbar Ahmed, author of "Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society," is wary. He asserted that the U.S. is not immune to radicalism or extremist behavior, and that internal insurgence is possible.
"We live in an environment that is much more dangerous than we assume it is," he said. "If there is something else that happens here, this fragile fabric could unravel."
Still, Zogby is confident that the fibers of America form a stronger vestment.
"Of course there are bad guys," he said. "We'd be foolish to ignore it, but I think the pressures that work in the other direction are too great."
Clueless moron.
He needs to stop by a prison sometime.
They either adhere to it or they fear it. We don't.
Having written the following:
"You can be a third-generation Kurd in Germany and still be a Turk," he said. "After one generation, you become an American, not only in citizenship but in identity."
Would the good Mr. Zogby be so kind as to tell us how many of the Mosques in America stopped Sammi Al Arian during his speechs calling for killing Jews, and refused to allow Al Arian to raise money for the Jihadi-whackos?
While on the subject, Mr. Zogby, just how many of the multiplying mosques in America have not accepted money from the Whabbi whacko Saudis?
Would the good Mr. Zogby be so kind as to inform us as to how many mosques/madrasses in America do not use texts with Whabbi or other Muslim sect calls for Jihad? How many do not justify the Islamic concept of dhimmitude?
Inquiring minds, not to mention American dhimmi, would like specific answers.
Thanks for the ping! He's right about that. Another terror attack in the U.S. and they will all be leaving America. One way or the other! He will learn what happens when Americans are pushed too far.
America cannot stand to take in these terrorists anymore. A simple export will do. Like what the Greeks and the Turks did.
Islam does not breed terrorists on a sliding scale of submission to them, it breeds terrorists because it is a commandment of their scriptures to terrorise all men into submission.
Submission breeds terrorism far more than standing up like a man and fighting. You can see that in Israel and you can see that in the USA.
The twin towers did not fall in London, but in New York City, and now that America is fighing and London is submitting the busses and trains are exploding in London not New York City.
Sometimes simple observation says more than all the speculations in the world.
Southern France is now known as Northern Nigeria. Over five million Muslims own Southern France. They are not French, dont speak French, and dont respect France as French. They bring France new and unwanted problems as to womens rights, aggressive and violent religion and the loss of the French language as the immigrants out-propagate the French. Speculation shows France becoming France-Arabia within this century. They will either lose their country and language, or wall off southern France to the immigrants to save themselves.
Great link, Dark Skies. I usually enjoy reading Pipe's work.
I hate that word - "victimized" - and I can't stand how easily its used by some in Islam to claim the right to attack Western values and cultures. I came across this very entertaining piece written by a blogger on this very subject:
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
"I'm A Victim"
Im a victim, Im told. I dont feel like a victim. At age 50 I live in a wonderful apartment in a great neighborhood of the greatest city of the world. Im fortunate to be married to someone special and I have a decent job working with reasonable people. But, Ive discovered that Im a victim. Its not that something has happened to me. Its something Ive been all along or so I was recently informed. More precisely, Im part of a victim group: Greek-Americans. You didnt know we were victims, either? Let me explain.
Our history goes back to
well, the invention of history itself by the Greek historian Herodotus and even before. Only back then we didnt call ourselves Greek thats our Roman slave-name but Hellenic. Greece (i.e. Hellas) consisted of city-states on both shores of the Aegean Sea and the Aegean islands. Greek philosophy and high culture first flourished on the eastern shore (i.e. Asia Minor) in the city of Miletus starting with the philosopher-scientist Thales. And being of the Aegean, it is not surprising that water is the essence of Thales hydro-centric cosmology.
The eastern shore of the Aegean was a part of Greece for over 2000 years during periods of Greek independence and as part of the Roman Empire. Turks are not indigenous to Asia Minor; theyre Steppe people savage invaders from the east that converted to Islam. In Acts 19:10 it says that Paul preached until all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. No Turks! And the word Asia, which Plato also uses in two dialogues, refers to the land of my ancestors. Apparently even our label has been usurped by those influenced by the Palestinian terrorist and Columbia University Professor, Edward Said, who has convinced people that oriental is a bad bad word. Victimized again!
After centuries of fighting the barbarians at the gates, Greeks, running low on Greek Fire, lost the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, Constantinople, in 1453 bringing to an end two millennia of Greek dominance. For the next 400 years Greeks lived in oppression and servitude. Indeed, this period of Greek servitude is roughly the same time period as black slavery in America. Should I be asking for reparations from the Turks? And after all that time, can anyone expect us, with our shackles newly removed, to compete in a level playing field?
Of course, Greek-Americans like Italian-Americans (actually Sicilians are really Greeks, right Chris?) are too proud to ask for affirmative action. For example, twenty years ago, the City University of New York deciding that Italian-Americans were underrepresented, contemplated a policy of affirmative action. When I told this to a tenured left-leaning Italian-American, he was insulted and outraged. But, what then does it mean when he vociferously advocates and defends affirmative action for blacks?
Besides, it is blatantly absurd to treat individuals on the basis of demographic similarities to people dead for hundreds of years. After all, today Turkey is the poster child of a modern and secular Islamic democracy that fully respects the rights of minorities. Wait a second! Where are the minorities? Fifty years ago Constantinople was 25% Greek and one hundred years ago both Greeks and Armenians were major sub-populations of Asia Minor.
The Greeks of Asia Minor suffered the same fate as the Jews in Arab countries. In the 1950s Muslims ethnically cleansed Jews from Arab lands and Greeks from Asia Minor. While Israel has consistently maintained a population of 20% Arabs, no Arab country could tolerate the existence of Jews and Turkey could no longer tolerate the presence of Greeks in what was for 2500 years Asian Greece.
Should we ask for the right of return to occupied Greece? After all, it was less than fifty years since Greeks were driven from their land. And what should Greeks do about the continued occupation of the Holiest location in Orthodox Christianity: the Church of Hagia Sofia? This would be the equivalent of our occupation of Mecca. This church is still desecrated with Arabic graffiti from the Koran. This is worse than showing disrespect to a holy book! Time to riot and indiscriminately kill?
Im not the only oppressed Greek whose family hails from occupied Greece. There was the film director and anti-Communist Elia Kazan and the shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Hey, if the Oil Sheiks of Arabia can be oppressed by colonialism and Oprah is oppressed, who says you have to be poor? Victimization can afflict people of all stations in life. Right?
In any case, Ive applied for my federal certificate of victimization as a Native Anatolian. Now I can pack my belongings, setup a refugee camp on the Turkish border, and suffer until the world loves me
or I can live my life well, laugh at the ethnic cheeseburger jokes on SNL and forget this whole victimization nonsense. Greek-Americans prefer the latter and so do most people. Theres an old saying: living well is the best revenge. Yes, you guessed it Im American and we all see ourselves as unique individuals.
http://libertyandculture.blogspot.com/2005/06/im-victim.html
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