Posted on 02/06/2006 10:28:26 PM PST by odds
Attitudes towards Muslims are hardening even in Europe's most liberal, multicultural societies, writes James Button.
WE ALL know September 11, 2001, transformed the US. But will historians say that in the long run it transformed Europe just as much, even more? It is a question worth asking as the fire lit by the publication of 12 cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad continues to burn. Because a straight line runs from September 11 to here.
September 11 enraged Pim Fortuyn and drove him into politics. Fortuyn was the maverick Dutch politician who called Islam a "backward" religion. He might have rocketed to the prime ministership had he not been murdered (by an animal rights activist) in May 2002.
Fortuyn broke the consensual, multicultural mould of Dutch society. He inspired the filmmaker Theo van Gogh, also incensed by September 11, to make his film Submission, which overlaid verses of the Koran onto a naked female body as it explored the alleged oppression of women in Islam.
(Excerpt) Read more at smh.com.au ...
It makes a few interesting points.
Ping
Islam is the means to slavery!
"Macho" Muslim men are insecure and need mob assurance to renew their faith.
Want to see the ultimate religious hypocrisy by Muslims? How about the destruction of the Bamiyan of Buddha statue in Afghanistan? Check out the video.
http://kokonutpundits.blogspot.com/2006/02/when-muslim-extremists-destroy-buddha.html
We need more pens! More cartoonists!
Heck of a lot cheaper than bombs....
I really think the events of the last couple of days are going to weirdly escalate all because of some cartoons, islam will fall...because of cartoons.
islam preaching will be banned in many countries due to cartoons.
Its a weird world indeed.
I hate to say it, but what do you expect from the "religion of peace"? Radicial Islam expects 'tolerace' from the West yet refuses to offer it in return. 'Moderate' Islam seems powerless to stop the violance, or perhaps unwilling to stop it... or worse yet moderate Islam is nothing more than a fantasy. I'm afraid that worse is yet to come for the Jewish-Christian-secular West.
Amen kublia ... Amen
"It is impossible to see how the cartoon wars have nudged the larger struggle in the right direction."
That's just plain wrong.
It has forced people that have hidden their heads for so long to actually see the truth of what these people are and what they believe.
Finally it is out in the open for even those who refuse to look.
"worse yet moderate Islam is nothing more than a fantasy."
_________________________
Was (is) there such a thing as a moderate Nazi?
I remember that. Nothing is sacred, except Islam. We cannot let these creeps get their hands on Israel!
I'd settle for a re-vamping of the one showing Mohammad saying stop the bombings...we're running out of virgins...BUT, it be a bunch of camels, goats, and sheep behind him...
Yes... I'm in a bad mood today
;]
"Yes, the editors were free to run the cartoons. But what greater good was served in doing so? As Khader and others have said, a struggle for the soul of Islam is under way in Europe. Victory could mean a new form of Islam, comfortable with secularism, pluralism, dissent and women's rights. Defeat is too awful to contemplate. It is impossible to see how the cartoon wars have nudged the larger struggle in the right direction."
We don't know the answer yet. But I don't think it's "impossible to see how the cartoon wars have nudged the larger struggle in the right direction."
I'm seeing clerics and groups of moderate muslims condemn the violent protests. That's good. Hopefully more who don't want to be associated with the radical elements will speak out.
This article seems to make more appeasement arguments than anything else. What greater good was served by publishing the cartoons, it asks? The implication is that this was a needless provocation.
The truth is, this has been the wakeup call that the Europeans desperately needed. That such a small thing could cause such mayhem has made clear that the muslim sword is at the throat of Europe.
Europeans are aligning themselves to fight back. It may have come in time to prevent a complete muslim takeover. Except for France, of course.
"What greater good was served by publishing the cartoons, it asks?….impossible to see how the cartoon wars have nudged the larger struggle in the right direction."
I don’t necessarily agree with the above statement and broad conclusion in James Button’s article.
But, I do think he made a few other points in the article, which may well be valid. For example, how ordinary Moslems see themselves versus how the Europeans perceive them (all Moslems, not just those who burn embassies, and even mosques, etc.). How there are extremist Moslems who subjugate other Moslems and how these extremist elements will and have used these cartoons as an excuse to entice young muslims into becoming fanatics due to a sense of their ‘victimhood’, etc. Some of the points he made are similar to the ones in this thread that nuconvert posted:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1573807/posts
James Button also mentions that the wake up call in Europe came about when September 11 happened. Since then, there have been other events such as Madrid and London bombings. Even in Australia, Bali attacks affected Australian (88 Australians dead and many crippled or seriously injured) long before these cartoons.
I also agree that it is great for other non-extremist Moslems and their leaders to stand up to these extremist elements and make their views very clear. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen much of that. If these cartoons are an incentive, then more power to Cartoons!
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