Sunday, December 24, 2006

The West Must Stop Tormenting Itself

Reader JDM has kindly translated parts of an article from last Friday’s Jyllands Posten. The full article requires a subscription; however, with the help of the Danish blog Uriaposten, JDM has been able to supply portions of the piece in English.

First, an explanatory note from the translator:

It seems that France is not the dhimmi monolith that we’ve been led to believe. The interview with Chahdorrt Djavann together with the following interview seem to indicate either a growing or a previously unknown side of French society. I will note for the thin-skinned that this interview displays a typically modern European perspective (i.e., fairly anti-religious). I think this perspective gives some good hints on the direction that Europe will follow in dealing with Islam. In some ways I wonder if our respect for religious feelings in the USA may make our same struggle more difficult.

And now the article itself:

The West Must Stop Tormenting Itself

MasochismRather than accuse itself of all sorts of ills, the French philosopher Pascal Bruckner encourages Europeans to be proud of the values that the rest of the world desires.

In his latest book, Pascal Bruckner accuses Europeans of being a bunch of masochists who, with guilty consciences because of the sins of their forefathers, have taken to self-loathing instead of standing up to our enemies, among them the Islamists.

“It is always the intolerant who demand tolerance. Or people with no respect for others who demand respect. My point is that people have to stop feeling guilty. We have done nothing for which we should be critical and we bear no responsibility for the crimes of our forefathers.

“We must not be ashamed of or values. We need to understand that our values are good and that they have aided in our survival under the worst totalitarian regimes that have ever existed — fascist, communist, and Stalinist. Our values are coveted by millions of people outside of Europe. We must not, therefore, in the name of tolerance back down when confronting enemies of tolerance,” says Pascal Bruckner.

[…]

Nowadays, Pascal Bruckner warns, the world is in the middle of an ideological war which deals with the integration of a great religion like Islam into the modern secular society. In this war, it is important to choose sides. And it is important not to be caught in traps like the word “Islamophobia”, which is used to discourage and silence critics of Islam.

“The word Islamophobia is a lie and a construct. One doesn’t find words like Christianophobia or Buddhophobia. Racism, however, exists against Arabs, blacks, whites, Jews, and Pakistanis. To criticize a religion has nothing to do with racism. Religions are ideas that are shared by millions of people and one has the right to criticize them and discuss them. This is not racist.”
- - - - - - - - - -
[…]

When a certain portion of the left talks about respect, it is in reality showing its contempt. It thinks that Muslims are so inferior that they will never be our equals; consequently, they cannot have the same rights as us. While freedom is good for us, Muslims have chosen the stoning of women, female circumcision, and forced marriages.”

[…]

“Everyone knows that the veil [scarf] is not neutral. It is an instrument used to make women feel shame if they show their hair. It implies that a woman’s face is a sexual organ, that her hair is satanic. The logical conclusion is that every woman who is unveiled is a whore. That was what happened in the [French] schools… until the prohibition of the veil.

It is important to not give even a millimeter of our principles. The law is the same for all, whether one is Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, or atheist. There cannot be special rules for Muslims. Muslim boys and girls must be educated in the same schools and treated in the same hospitals as all others. Public swimming pools must not be divided up for boys and girls. There must be no room for discrimination, neither positive nor negative. It is necessary that Muslims accept that God’s law is inferior to those of society. God does not rule society. This principle is not up for discussion.”

[…]

Western masochism is an overreaction to our spirit of critical inquiry that causes us to punish ourselves so much that the final result is a self-loathing.

“[People in Europe] are tired of being faulted, as well as threatened. They are tired of living in constant anxiety of [terrorist] attacks. Of course, I have been attacked for being a reactionary, but not by many. It is as if I am part of a movement that I am also instigating. People have had enough.

JDM also supplies us with this snippet from Chahdortt Djavann, the author whose interview we featured last week. It is from another Danish newspaper, Weekendavisen, and he apologizes for the lack of a link:

When the Cartoon Crisis was at its worst, she was asked by French TV to comment on the cartoons from Jyllands Posten. It happened on Antenne Plus, a live program so she could not be cut off. What did she think about the cartoons? They were wonderful except that they weren’t caricatures, but realities, updated realities, because obviously Mohammed should have a bomb in his turban instead of carrying a scimitar, that would be too old-fashioned. She stated this without blinking and straight into the living room of millions of French viewers. The show’s host was taken aback, but the show was live. Afterwards, the show’s producers said that further appearances by this shameless women would be perhaps limited.

[…]

Djavann maintains her duty to be blasphemous. Why? Because she has a religious opponent and experienced this opponent’s actions in the ten years she wore the veil. And because she feels that Europeans must wake up while there’s still time: you are not tolerant, you’re ignorant.

[…]

These days, she is a member of a government advisory council. There is also a French mullah on this council. “Why aren’t boys veiled?”, she asked with a smile. The mullah cleared his throat and answered that the truth of the Koran states that because girls are unclean from birth it is only natural that they be veiled. Against this level of stupidity, blasphemy is a duty.

France — the new Denmark?

6 comments:

ziontruth said...

Wow. Just plain wow. "De-equalizing the value system" and "sharpening our narrative" (stages #1 and #2 of my five-point plan back in the "Nuke Mecca" thread) on an astounding scale.

Another French philosopher (Robert Redeker was the first) speaks the unspeakable, sure to bring a fatwa on his head. But these are the good men who do something in order that evil shall not triumph.

Baron, thanks for a message of slight hope in a dark time. Myself, I'm keeping an eye on what's happening in Ethiopia. Merry Christmas to Dymphna and you, and to all Christians who aren't into wearing those dhimmi robes in a hurry.

Jason Pappas said...

Europe has a greater problem than America, or I should say they will face the problem sooner and in their own neighborhood. While many have written off continental Europe I’ve always believed they’ll rise to meet the challenge. I expect the Europeans will attack Islam as part of a general attack on religion. This is their path of least resistance. They may even throw in equal slaps at Christianity to “seem fair.” While our European cousins are irksome they are fighting the same war. I often wondered if we can delay confronting the Islamic threat and let Europe take some of the first shots.

rickl said...

Merry Christmas, Baron, Dymphna, and readers and commenters.

I just finished reading Robert Spencer's "Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam" and I've been feeling down for the last couple of days.

But then I considered that Christmas comes every year, during bad times as well as good. I'm sure Christmas 1941 was a pretty somber occasion.

So, Merry Christmas.

Asger Trier Engberg said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Asger Trier Engberg said...

I think the french comment is basically one of the long term effects of the danish cartoon crisis. Seen from my chair (I live in the fair city of Copenhagen) the cartoon crisis was the beginning of rational discussion about Islam. Somehow the crisis showed to everybody that Islam is dangerous, and thereby cut the multicultural ideology down. Each country has then discussed Islam according to local tradition; France are hardcore republican, Germany are lutherans and catholics, danes are christian philosophical, swedes are socialists - and so on. Some countries I do not really understand, like England, I do not really get it, they quarrel about the muslims, Ken Livingstone (the mayor of London) and BBC is on the retreat, but I cant really see the fronts.The discussion is still very weak, but it will eventually lead to conclusions; either war or expatrication. Some countries will simply cave in to islamization, but neigboring countries will not allow that to happen, so they will step in. It will probably be bloody, all respect for the 4 step plan mentoined earlier. The history of Europe is all about war, and old habits die hard. The muslims wil have absolutely no chance to counter the warriors of europe, we wrecked to world before, and we will wreck it again. Just imagine, Germany, England, France, Denmark, Norway, Spain and so on, all focused on one aim: To fight down Islam, they will not stand a snowballs chance in hell. It will probably change the face of the earth.

The good thing about this devolvement, is the fact that europeans have time to prepare the battle.

This all started with 12 little cartoons in Jyllands Posten, and may end in the salvation of Europe - one may hope.

Merry Christmas
Asger

Asger Trier Engberg said...

Here is a little inspiration for all the Men of North reading and writing at Gate. It is a song composed by Carl Nielsen in 1917. Whereever Denmark is mentioned, I put in Northern Men.

Hymn:
Land of the Northen Men
in thousand years
from before the time of the sagas
the heritage of our tribe
beaten and lush
home and the gate of the world
teach us to care for your legacy

The land of the Northern Men
against you another stormful spring beats
with life and death
fight or work
lift our ancient flag
in life or death

The land of the Northen Men, in thousand years
port and country house
the heritage of free men
use us where you can
take us man for man
rally for the land
the heritage of free men