Posted on 02/09/2006 12:45:00 PM PST by LouAvul
MADRID, Spain - The images have been shocking: a mob pouring over the ruins of a fire-gutted Danish Embassy. Bullets cutting the air as thousands try to storm a U.S. military base in Afghanistan. A British Muslim protester's banner urging "Behead those that insult Islam."
The firestorm that has swept the globe since European newspapers published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad is an alarming demonstration of the growing friction between Islam and the West. Beyond the recent drama is a complex debate that goes to the heart of what a liberal democracy should be.
Can it be so tolerant that it accepts the most provocative speech? Can it survive if it bows to those who reject its liberties on religious or cultural grounds?
With the threat of Islamic terrorism lurking, Europe and the West are grappling with questions such as how to set the limits of freedom, and what cultural values immigrants must adopt as the price of admission.
"It is very difficult for a liberal democracy to deal with those that want to completely undermine the fabric on which liberal democracy is built," said Richard Whitman, an analyst at Chatham House, a London think tank. "This is an absolutely new challenge for liberal democracies."
The controversy erupted after cartoons first published by a Danish newspaper in September were reprinted by a Norwegian paper last month. The drawings have subsequently appeared in other media, mostly in Europe, with some newspapers arguing their publication is a matter of free speech.
Millions of Muslims see the cartoons as a deliberate insult to their religion, which is interpreted to forbid any depiction of Muhammad.
The battle lines between Islam and Europe have been hardening for years, spurred on by global conflicts and local discontent.
From the grim housing projects of Paris to the ethnic Pakistani community of Leeds, England, high unemployment, discrimination and a lack of acceptance have fostered a sense of persecution and exclusion. Anger over the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the tough European stance on Iran's nuclear program and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians have stoked the fire.
Some also see darker forces behind the protests. Lebanon's interior minister — who submitted his resignation after rioters attacked the Danish Embassy there — said Islamic radicals were stirring up the violence, and police said more than half of those arrested in Beirut were from Syria and the Palestinian territories.
The U.S. military in Afghanistan, where 11 people have died in protests, said the United States is examining whether extremist groups may be inciting the unrest.
Security officials in Pakistan told The Associated Press they have noticed members of banned militant groups in some demonstrations.
The cartoons have undoubtedly led to real anger among the masses. Many in the Arab and Muslim world see a double standard when it comes to free speech — since some European states outlaw denying the Holocaust and have cracked down on anti-Semitism.
"If I understand the Western democracy correctly, it allows the publication of cartoons that insult a prophet, religion and the followers of that religion because publication is part of freedom of expression, while it bans anyone to question the number of Jews that died in the Holocaust, because such talk violates freedom of expression," wrote Lebanese columnist Jihad al-Khazen.
One Iranian newspaper has vowed to publish provocative cartoons about the Holocaust to test whether the West extends freedom of expression to the Nazi genocide.
Dyab Abou Jahjah, the Brussels-based head of the Arab European League, said the latest flare-up must be viewed in context.
"The reaction would have been much more restrained" at a "more positive juncture in the Arab and Muslim world," he said. "Muslims do feel attacked."
They are not alone.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, London and Madrid have suffered deadly Islamic bombings, and the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was slain by a Muslim who was offended by a film depicting Islam as cruel to women.
Many European nations have responded with anti-terror legislation that gives police greater latitude in dealing with suspects, outlaws speech that incites or glorifies terror and makes it easier to deport offenders.
Across the continent, extreme nationalist parties like the Flemish Bloc in Belgium and the National Front in France have made gains by exploiting fears of a rising tide of immigrants and refugees.
In the Netherlands, Van Gogh's slaying produced a swing to the right. New laws require mandatory citizenship and language classes for immigrants, restrict the entry of foreign brides and boost work permit fees. The country has also announced it was deporting 26,000 rejected asylum-seekers, and that it would keep new arrivals in detention camps. Immigration has been cut in half since 2001.
Immigration laws were tightened in Denmark in 2002, and that was followed by restrictions on bringing in foreign-born spouses — measures introduced by the government and backed by an anti-immigration party.
Britain, still coming to grips with the fact that homegrown Islamic radicals were behind the July 7 transit attacks, has begun administering a citizenship test to prospective newcomers.
German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told the Focus news weekly that those who want to live in Germany "must meet certain conditions," like eschewing forced marriage.
"Why do we make such a fuss about integration? So that we remain a friendly, open country, also for minorities, not least in the interests of immigrants," he said.
In France, questions of identity and integration have loomed large since passage of a law banning head scarves in schools and last fall's riots in poor neighborhoods. The violence started among alienated youths, many from Muslim immigrant families, and drew attention to the divide between the ruling elite and the increasingly diverse citizenry.
"The messages we are receiving from Europe these days are really ugly," said Mustafa Ceric, head of the Islamic community in Bosnia. "Europe needs to cure itself from this disease — Islamophobia."
Added Magnus Ranstorp, who has been studying al-Qaida recruitment for the Swedish National Defense College: "You have these waves of global conflicts that are unresolved that are fueling this anger, combined with a failure of integration. ... These tensions are bubbling beneath the surface, and sometimes it just takes a very small thing to bring them up."
European nations are finding that their approaches to assimilating immigrants have not worked.
"In France, the idea was that everybody was going to become French. The UK and The Netherlands had more tolerant multicultural approaches. But nobody has found a quick fix," said Whitman, the analyst at Chatham House.
Some advise looking to the past for guidance.
Mansur Escudero, head of the Islamic Commission of Spain, noted that major religions lived in relative harmony during the 700 years Muslims ruled Spain.
"We must search for common values and work together because we don't have any other option," he said. "Globalization means we are all together, even if we are not all the same."
They still don't get it. Immigrants do not assimilate. They isolate. And by trying to placate them, hoping for a pass on violence, it doesn't work.
That's what Rush said on the Fox interview w/Cavuto.
Like the muslims have ever been "soft"
Saudi Arabia - Conversion by a Muslim to another religion is punishable by death. Bibles are illegal. Churches are illegal.
Yemen - Bans proselytizing by non-Muslims and forbids conversions. The Government does not allow the building of new non-Muslim places of worship.
Kuwait - Registration and licensing of religious groups. Members of religions not sanctioned in the Koran may not build places of worship. Prohibits organized religious education for religions other than Islam.
Egypt - Islam is the official state religion and primary source of legislation. Accordingly, religious practices that conflict with Islamic law are prohibited. Muslims may face legal problems if they convert to another faith. Requires non-Muslims to obtain what is now a presidential decree to build a place of worship.
Algeria - The law prohibits public assembly for purposes of practicing a faith other than Islam. Non-Islamic proselytizing is illegal, and the Government restricts the importation of non-Islamic literature for distribution.
Jordan - Has the death penalty for any Muslim selling land to a Jew.
Sudan - Conversion by a Muslim to another religion is punishable by death.
Pakistan - Conversion by a Muslim to another religion is punishable by death. Bans proselytizing by non-Muslims. Christians regularly put in prison for charges of blasphemy.
What's the old saying, "By their fruits (words/actions) you shall know them." Sez it all I kinda guess.
Next time a disgusting image of a Christian icon is printed in a newspaper, or shown in a museum, Christians should riot, destroy the institutions responsible.
Then, will the leftists say we should be more understanding of Christians, should not print things that can incite violence?
This guy is an idiot.
Hey Dick, ya ever hear about Nazism or Communism?
You make an excellent point in your comments. Immigrants quit being assimilated when politicians started losing their spines. Further, they do isolate rather than integrate.
one word--deportation
ok, 2 words ----- or execution
Next time you may want to add Malaysia, where every baby born is automatically Muslim and it is illegal to ever change religions.
So many leftists, when confronted with their double-standard will just rationalize it away; "It's different for them because they've been so "oppressed" throughout the years! We don't care if Christians are offended. They DESERVE it for being the "oppressors"!
Actually I believe the Christian would be arrested for such hooliganisms.
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Perhaps you meant to say "THESE immigrants do not assimilate..". Most immigrants go to great lengths to assimilate, because that's the path to success. Muslims do not intend to assimilate, they intend to destroy the culture they invade by whatever means necessary. The rules change for Muslims, depending on whether they are dealing with a fellow Muslim or with an infidel. A good Muslim can lie, cheat, steal, rape, pillage, plunder, murder, or do anything else that's commonly considered "immoral" from the Western (i.e. Judeo-Christian) world view, as long as the victims are not Muslim.
European Muslims do not intend to assimilate. They'll convert and dominate Europe peacefully at first, and violently when they feel they are strong enough. Right now, bin Laden has led them to overconfidence - they are overplaying their hand. But this is the natural pattern to Islam. It's what the medieval crusades were about (absent historical revisionism). Islam has always been militant, and Islam intends to dominate by guile or force, but it will not allow "agnosticism".
Islam is a historical lie, a fake. Islam is a religion of hate. Its god Allah is a unmerciful god of retribution. Islam requires everyone to submit to this ... crap. I do not hate Muslims, but neither will I ever trust them.
SFS
Next time a disgusting image of a Christian icon is printed in a newspaper, or shown in a museum, Christians should riot, destroy the institutions responsible.
Then, will the leftists say we should be more understanding of Christians, should not print things that can incite violence?
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Christians should continue to preach Christ's Gospel (i.e. "good news") about a God of love, who so loved even the least, most despicable of us enough to sacrifice his own (willing) son in their behalf. Muslims need to know that the idol "Allah" they have been taught to worship is actually Satan. They have a God who loves them; they just don't know Him. If they come to the cross of Christ, they will know love and peace for the first time in their lives.
As far as security and the political side of Islam, Christians should be "soldiers". They should resist, fight, not be beguiled by lies of Muslims, and never, ever trust a person who's ideology is based on the Quran or Islamic traditions. Islam is incompatible with western democracy, because western democracy has a Judeo-Christian origin. The ethics are different.
All religions are not the same. They do not all lead to the same place. All religious people do not pray and worship the same "deity". Christianity is either demonstrably, historically true, or it's a total, unredeemable lie. Islam is without a historical foundation. It's blind faith heaped upon one lie, piled upon many other lies. Christian's can tolerate "apostasy", because the Christian God has taught Christians to love all men for Christ's sake. The Muslim god has taught them to kill or enslave all men who refuse to submit. Islam is a religion of war, not of peace.
SFS
Hello. This has happened before...and it wasn't outsiders. Anybody remember the NAZI's? Or the Communist coup in Russia back in 1917?
It is apparently only news to the 'liberals' in the liberal democracies.
The liberals (and sorry to say this includes GWB) democracies do NOT automatically self-insure their own preservation.
I agree that they have overplayed their hand, and I just hope that every security agency is following up on all of the leads that they have provided this week.
No, it really is not difficult at all. It is only difficult for pansies without any spine, trying as hard as possible to avoid taking a stand on anything. But there is no connection whatever between being a pansy and liberal democracy.
"This is an absolutely new challenge for liberal democracies."
Not remotely. Every liberal democracy on earth was founded against direct opposition, usually willing to use force. It would not exist if it hadn't already, long since, faced and annhiliated this imaginary problem. The only thing new in the piece is the determined pansy-pacifism of a post-60s generation of socialist indocrinated radicals, who were deliberately encouraged to find nothing defensible about liberal democracy, precisely to further its violent overthrow. The enemy benefitting from their idiocy has changed slightly, that is all.
When people do not support freedom you take their freedom away and put them behind bars. If they resist you shoot them. If they resist in organized fashion using entire countries and militaries, then you bomb those countries into rubble and kill every man that takes arms against you. Been there, done that, already conquered. Far tougher versions of it than this pathetic crew.
The author writes as though the Waffen SS hasn't already been blasted to atoms - worse, as though he has never heard of them. Just completely ignorant, self absorbed nonsense.
Mansur Escudero, head of the Islamic Commission of Spain, noted that major religions lived in relative harmony during the 700 years Muslims ruled Spain.
See its so simple, no need for all this trouble, submit to Islam and you will be allowed to live in relative harmony.
Cha! Ya' THINK? Ugly messages, eh? Ya' think the cure is for the Muslims to burn embassies and espouse violence against those who don't take their religion seriously?
Let me tell you something, Mustafa. If I were President of the United States, I would have immediately cut off diplomatic relations and foreign aid to any nation that allowed these demonstrations to continue. I'd have announced my intention to stand by the defenders of freedom and 21st century values. I'd have told Araby that if they want to live in an isolated island of the 7th century, they were welcome to. We won't ship our newspapers to them, we won't broadcast our television to them, we won't let their people visit our heathen nations, and we won't buy their oil.
To those Islamic nations that are not hosting this violence, I would be the best friend they ever had. I'd tell nations like Syria and "Palestine" that they have two choices. Join the 21st century or do without its money and friendship.
How would you like that message, Mustafa?
Shalom.
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