What an idiot.
Even if we grant that that a good portion of the extreme right is, in fact, racist, there is no correlation between it and Islamic fundamentalism. Europe's extreme right arises a desire to be left alone and to preserve their nations. Islamic radicalism is based on holy war, conquest, and sheer destruction.
They're basically just fighting for survival.
Hysteria? Only to those who seek to perpetuate multiculturalism as a blunt instrument against traditional Western secular governance, and as a means to prevent looking at Islam in an objective manner:
Beyond Madrid: Winning Against Terrorism
A RAND report released in March categorized Muslims into fundamentalists, traditionalists, modernists, and secularists. The report recommended that the West support the modernists first; support the traditionalists against the fundamentalists; confront and oppose the fundamentalists, and selectively support the secularists. Such an approach is a start. But I believe that it oversimplifies the problem by failing to recognize what all Muslims share in common. It overstates the differences within the global Muslim community.
It is a fact that there is a living, vibrant Islamic ummah, or global Islamic community, perhaps more so today than in any time in modern world history. The ummah is not monolithic. But the identification that all Muslims feel for events affecting other Muslims has become real and visibly stronger and more widespread since global communications have facilitated the dahwa, or missionary activities of the Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia preaching and spreading Wahhabism with its oil wealth. Denying that there is such a globalized Muslim political and religious consciousness, or trying to argue that a universal ummah is a danger or somehow undesirable, only mobilizes all Muslims to dig in as they feel their religion is under siege.
What we are confronted with is a dynamic spectrum and not static categories within the ummah. When we ask why is it that moderates in such a spectrum do not raise their voices to challenge extremists, we must acknowledge that one reason is that, on many issues, they share much common ground, even when they disagree on particulars.
Do you seek to change the world by prayer and faith? Do you work with an imperfect reality and strive towards its perfection? Do you not reject all that is not Islamic and seek to destroy it by force so as to re-establish the perfect caliphate? These are all questions that vibrate and resonate around a single axis of faith.
We know that we should work with the moderates and isolate the extremists. But as we seek to separate the wheat from the chaff, we need to recognize that both come from the same plant.
And, of course, they'll be the whipping boys of the political and cultural Left, even as Muslim maniacs ("black and brown people, historically discriminated against by European colonial/imperial facists"/lefty agitprop) from Third World cesspools continue to murder innocents to advance their agenda.
The socialist governments are doing little or nothing to remedy the situation, and are actually giving way to the invading hordes.
Since the left-wing secular socialists are failing to confront the threat, the right-wing is taking matters into its own hands. Unfortunately the right is part of those decadent secular/pagan socialist societies and has taken on the secular morality.
Therefore the right takes on some of the secular/pagan characteristics of the Nazis. The secular/pagan right has little resemblance to the political right in this country. It is important to note that it is the failure of the European political left to deal with the social ills that has handed the right-wing groups their power.
It would be very intersting to make a grid of 40 identifiers "supports nationalized healthe care" " supports continuing welfare" "supports current levels of immigration" "supports support for America in Iraq" and see how these parties, the Dems and R's , the traditional left in Europe (Labor, Social Democrats, ) all compare. I bet the Republican party is more different from all of these then most of these are from each other of the socialists. The American Libertarians would really be the most "off the scale" in my estimation.
Therefore he must attack the motives of those whom he disagrees with him calling them (just a few quotes from the article) extremists “white power” music scene, numerous football hooligans or xenophobes and violent racists or affected by fears – some would say hysteria – over immigration, asylum, terrorism and Islam.
I am sure that some are, but perhaps the growing majority are simply aware of what is happening and want something done about it.
“Harking back to mythical better times is commonplace among the people I encountered, whether neo-nazi thugs or educated professionals.”
See wasn’t that an easy way to discredit people to don’t agree with you. Now watch him do it again in case you were not paying attention the first time.
Strange times are forging stranger alliances. I have witnessed gatherings of Islamic radicals with western Holocaust deniers, united in mutual anti-Semitism.
Now he is even having a go at the Jews:
With anti-Semitic feelings surging across Europe, some Jews have even turned to the far Right as a result of their own fears of attack and intimidation from North African or Turkish youths.
Here is what it all comes down to:
There are widely held beliefs – from the bars of Flanders to the alpine chalets of Bavaria – that someone else must to blame for the breakdown of traditional communities.
The writer just can’t comprehend it. He’s looking in the mirror. Fortunately Trevor Phillips, gets it:
Trevor Phillips, leader of the UK’s Commission for Racial Equality, has recently said that multiculturalism is dead and that integration is the way forward. Rather as with US citizenship rights, European states have begun to emulate the USA and focus on a “greater” embracing identity.
But perhaps perceptions are shifting. Mainstream politics and public opinion are affected by fears – some would say hysteria – over immigration, asylum, terrorism and Islam. These phrases are often used interchangeably on the street and in casual conversation.
The rise of the right will continue as the influx of foreigners increases along with the open borders fostered by the EU and the Mastricht Treaty. The countries of Europe are very nationalistic when it comes to preserving their own cultures. Over the centuries it was a matter of survival, which explains why there are so many countries in a relatively small land area.
The declining native populations throughout Europe, especially in Italy, Hungary, Germany, and others will require more foreigners to maintain their economies. Europe is not used to mass immigration and the assimilation of foreigners. Countries like Germany have laws that make it very difficult for a foreigner to become a citizen. There are over 300,000 Turks (guest workers who have been there for generations) in Berlin alone who are not citizens.
What we are witnessing in Europe is the beginning of a growing reaction of the native populations that see their cultures being eroded and a future where they may be the minority in their own countries. Big problems lie ahead for a continent that is declining and slowly dying. Their political leaders have sold them out in the name of a United Europe.
As I wrote following the smear tactics used agains Le Pen and others, two years ago:
For more on where the real Nazis--not fools in costume--actually stood in the political spectrum, see The Lies Of Socialism.
The milk toast "Conservatives," who let themselves be intimidated into not defending the continuity of their respective nations, deserve the future they are acquiesing in. But the rest of us do not deserve to be dragged there with them. It is long past time that we stopped listening to those who are afraid to address the real issues.
William Flax
Fascism is right of Socialism - both of which are just left of Liberalism - which is way left of right wingers like me.
Even on the level of moderate conservatism, the conventional Right, liberalism and its disasters in the 1960s and 1970s helped propel Reagan towards the White House.
As evidenced with this statement. In the twisted belief of the liberals, Jews who just want to survive are the new Nazis.
In the Liberal dictionary, anybody who opposes Liberalism is on the Far Right, no matter how ridiculous it is to group them together