Muslims In The News
Why US Muslims live in peace
By AMNON RUBINSTEIN, JERUSALEM POST
At a time when European countries are debating among themselves about how to deal with the burgeoning extremism among their Muslim immigrant communities and how to contend with the dangers to their national security and culture from those who demand official recognition of their separate culture, there is no sign of similar unrest in the US. Close to a million Muslims live in America in peace.
Whereas in Europe acts of terror are initiated by local Muslims, the perpetrators of the terror attack on the World Trade Center were not aided by a single Muslim-American collaborator.
A PUBLIC-OPINION survey conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in 2006 to gauge the views of Muslim voters showed that 84 percent said Muslims should strongly emphasize shared values with Christians and Jews; 77% said Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews; 89% said they vote regularly; 86% said they celebrate the Fourth of July and 64% said they fly the stars and stripes. Nothing similar can be found in European surveys.
When you consider that this survey was done by CAIR, it’s especially remarkable. The results must have been a great disappointment to this terrorist organization.
THERE ARE five fundamental differences between Europe and the United States.
He does make some good points.
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“A spirit of multiculturalism is fueling the rise of Islam and diluting the influence of Christianity in Britain.”
Besieged by a national identity crisis, Britain has lost confidence in its Christian roots over the past 50 years and embraced the “novel philosophy of multiculturalism,” wrote Michael Nazir-Ali, bishop of Rochester, in the Telegraph Monday. One of the most dangerous consequences has been the dramatic spread of Islamic extremism across Britain.
The radicalization of Muslims has become so bad, says Nazir-Ali, some communities in Britain have turned into “no-go” areas for non-Muslims. According to Nazir-Ali, multiculturalism is not only fueling the rise of radical Islam, but it is also diluting the traditional presence and influence of Christianity across Britain.
Of course, the muslims there have responded as expected. Religious groups have demanded the resignation of the Bishop of Rochester after he claimed that Islamic radicals had turned parts of Britain into “no-go” areas for non-Muslims. Mohammed Shafiq, from the Ramadhan Foundation, said: “Mr Nazir-Ali is promoting hatred towards Muslims and should resign” and Ajmal Masroor, of the Islamic Society of Great Britain, said: “It’s a distortion of reality.”
They’re upset because the lid has finally blown off:
The Telegraph
Multiculturalism is breeding intolerance
By Philip Johnston “It has taken a long time to happen, but at last an authoritative and senior establishment figure has pointed to the elephant in the room. Before the Bishop of Rochester’s article yesterday in The Sunday Telegraph, the debate about immigration focused almost exclusively on who benefits financially. We have tiptoed around its effect on our society and culture. Even the somewhat belated recognition by ministers that newcomers should show a commitment to British values and demonstrate a knowledge of English tends to be couched in economic terms and ones favourable to the immigrants themselves - that they will get a job more easily and their lives will be enhanced if they are more integrated.”
‘Few politicians have been willing to question the impact of a growing Muslim population’
“However, few politicians have been willing to do what Michael Nazir-Ali has done, which is to question the impact of a growing Muslim population upon the very fabric of the nation, turning it within half a century into a multi-faith and multicultural land.”
“We are seeing the great legacies of an enlightened Christian tradition - individual liberty and freedom under the law - squandered because of a need to face down extremists who deride such concepts and who should have been confronted a long time ago.”
And here’s an example of just how touchy it’s gotten in Britain: A senior banking industry figure, Marc Howells, formerly the head of Barclaycard Europe, has been fired over a joke. Howells was discussing quarterly figures with staff when he is reported as saying: “The results were like Muslims – some were good, some were Shi’ite”.
Most of the British are still laughing, regardless. The truth of his joke hit home.
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January 8th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
hiya Rasta!..The funniest and most pathetic thing of all is Jews writing supportive articles about Musssssslims..find me a handful of Musslims saying anything remotely positive about Jews………..what a zany world my friend!
January 8th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I agree. Jews have as varied opinions as anyone else, though. It’s just us thinking that they should all see Islam for what it is, but they don’t anymore than a liberal living in New York City. It always amazes me.
January 9th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Multi culti policies which were implemented off the back of PC (which came out of the US civil rights movement) have been well and truly injected onto our culture ever since we have had to deal with mass immigration. That is has been the subject du jour for about 2 years is great with no signs of relenting. The press, picking up the noise from blogs, sense they can get stories out of this and will keep up the pressure. Labour more or less anounced it was killing off multi culti policies about 6 months ago. But it will take years to undo. The key thing from my pov is that we halt the Commonwealth agreements with Pakistan whereby we allow families to retain cultural links via arranged marriages. We cannot keep inviting more issues into the country and creating ghettoes. Like anywhere and with any cultures that does and will happen and reaches saturation point. But that this is being discussed is all good news. To hell with PC.
January 9th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Thanks for your comment even though I heartily disagree. It’s pretty humorous, I go over to England and get told that everything that’s wrong with the U.S. is because we don’t act just like the British, and how superior the British are in every way, then when things go wrong in Jolly Auld, it’s suddenly because you started acting like us. No matter what, everything you do is right and everything we do is wrong and when your country goes to crap it’s our fault. England has always been politically correct. If anything, we got the infection from you.
I wonder if the English will ever get over losing “the colonies”.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Losing the colonies though means nothing to me really. It’s like asking me if im over the Romans or if you are you over the slave trade. There’s fall out from it all. OK if were going to talk about the colonies and how we have always been PC that’s interesting. Do you mean by the following that colonist General Sir Charles Napier was impeccably multicultural?:
”You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: When men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows.You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”
A lot of good came from our benevolent Empire. Lord William Bentinck abolished sati in British India in 1829. No PCness in that decision - just a huge civilizing influence. India today is better off without suttee. We shouldn’t shrink from that logic but everyone is afraid to tackle culture now on home turf because it’s seen as racist. It’s seen as racist because of the history if immigration. Please dont tell me that you haven’t been through the same and that none of this rings any bells.
In contect of modern immigration though, we seriously never had large scale immigration til the 60s and when we did we looked at the US Melting Pot and civil rights movement for inspiration and *atonement*. You can’t tell me you got PC from us because it doesn’t follow. Besides the civil rights movement and what was born out of it (PC) was seen as a good thing.
You have a pretty nuanced view of the Brits Rasta, I get that. But fact is we get spoon fed American culture and PC policies like there’s no tomorrow and that’s the truth. So I find it strange to read this ’shock’ that comes out of the US blogs regards how that has been handled so far.
“In Europe it’s been translated into group cultural rights” you say. So that never happened for blacks in America? And hasn’t that singular group had more influenece on how modern nations tackle rights and racism than any other racial group? I think so.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:04 am
sp context, sorry
January 10th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Actually no, I DIDN’T say that “In Europe it’s been translated into group cultural rights”. The article I did a copy/paste of says that. I do agree, though.
No one denies the cultural gifts of England to the U.S. but if we want to get sticky about this we can talk about our women being shut up in a church and the church burned down by British soldiers, and stuff like that. Ancient history, however, isn’t you and me, and blaming each others countries for our own problems is pointless.
We’ve been spoon-fed British culture for forever as well, but what we each are is our own responsibility. I’m saying that we are not the source of any of your current problems any more than you are the source of ours. Every time I see a Britisher pushing blame for some national problem off onto the United States, I see a lack of self-determination.
No one is responsible for what I think and do, and neither am I responsible for the behavior of others. Same goes for our nations. We either stand on our hind legs like men and take responsibility for our own countries, or we do nothing and shift the blame onto others.
I’m not against Great Britain. I’m for it, wholeheartedly. This is why I speak out about the appeasement and the takeover of the muslims and the building of all those mosques and the insane immigration and all of it. It saddens hell out of me and my response is to scream at you to rise up and fight back.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
We don’t need you to scream at us Rasta. Honestly we’re all pissed off at the various issues that crop up. But like anywhere else government isn’t what it is supposed to be. We all have the same issues going on.
And as for what the Brits did to you etc, show me any single nation that has the monopoly on historical infallibility, ask the Native Indians. The Romans and Normans screwed us over badly too. Many people will say its ridiculous to bring that up but culturally im not so sure it is. But the best comment i ever read on that? “No mans nation is unnacountable for its errors in the past, but the past is unchangeable. It’s where we go from today that determines where we’ll be tomorrow. As Churchill said: “If we open up a quarrel between the past and the present, we will find that we have lost our future”.
There is no lack of moral fortitude here. What i was pointing to was the small steps that are being taken. This ain’t going to happen overnight, the move away from PC. I’m sure i read here that the latter is down to the EU which i find bizarre. The EU is modelling itself on the US and what it sees as its positives.
But regards the bullet points.
Point 1 and 5 we covered.
The issue of seperation of religion and state makes no sense at all. Europe very much is for seperation and secularism and many people are arguing it is the lack of christianity that causes its problems. I disagree. As you know im based half here half in France - you read my post on the Eurabia Myth which touches on that.
3 I agree with. I like American individualism.
4 Sort of. But I know many immigrants who come here because they can get an education, work and experience because the UK and a lot of Europe is successful and a wonderful place to come to on many levels. None of those guys get benefits. Europe affords many more opportunities than just welfare. But my point above was that we have reciprical Commonwealth agreements that need to stop now.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
No doubt my comments on Brit blogs to stand up and fight are seen as self-righteousness. But it’s not. It’s genuine concern. The problem is that when I speak up, the first, knee-jerk reaction is to treat me as an outsider instead of a fellow concerned citizen. Brits are exclusionary and hold themselves aloof to their own detriment. Being an American does not make me stupid or less able to discern the nature of a problem, or it’s solution, and breaking through this wall of stand-offishness has proven impossible.
You read the comments on Pub Philosopher and I know you know what I’m talking about. If I were a native-born Brit, everyone would be patting me on the back and offering to buy me a pint, instead of constantly trying to “take the piss” of the outsider American. (God that’s an ugly expression. I’ll never get used to the mental picture that arises. It’s the equivalent of the equally ugly “break someones balls”.)
Separation of church and state has its down side. Not imposing a religion on the people gives them the freedom to choose. The problem is when Islam comes barging in. Then, imposing Christianity is vastly better than allowing Islam a foothold. Look at the Islamic states where you can be killed for not being a muslim. If nothing else, Islam should at least be outlawed for being the attempt at overthrow that it is.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I like your comments Rasta. Noone views you as an outsider. And everyone would buy you a drink if you were in London. We’re not aloof, we don’t think Americans are stupid. You should know this and if not I hope that puts that much straight.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Well, in that case, allow me to buy you a pint.
January 13th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Thanks, if im ever in the US you’re on!