Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Left Breaks Its Silence on Islam

The wind has shifted.

Since the historic occasion of Geert Wilders’ speech in Berlin, I have felt the wind at our backs, particularly in Europe. New signs of change appear every day in the news, especially in Germany and the Netherlands.

This latest story from NIS News — about a Dutch leftist who has suddenly found her tongue concerning the dangers of Islam — is a case in point:

Groenlinks Calls on Left to Criticise Islam

THE HAGUE, 12/10/10 - Leftwing Green (GroenLinks) leader Femke Halsema believes that progressive politicians and thinkers should dare to make more criticisms of Islam. They are too often accepting the pressure that radical Muslims put on the Islamic community, in her view. Halesema says it is high time that leftwing politicians view the position of women and homosexuals within Islamic communities just as critically as they do when it comes to Christianity. This does not happen at present because there is too much black-and-white thinking, in her view. “There are two flavours: you are either a multiculturalist or an Islam haters,” she said in a lecture on freedom of religion in Utrecht’s Jacobi church.

Halsema condemns this view. As far as she is concerned, everyone can believe how and what they wish, as long as it is a free choice. “Many Salafist, orthodox views have broad support within the Dutch Islamic community. […] These views are forcefully imposed from above and have great consequences for the freedom of women and homosexuals in particular.” “The passion that we exercise to this day to give practising homosexuals access to Reformed Christian schools […] we should also display to ensure Islamic gays and women are allowed to make their free choice,” said Halsema. Halsema considers that leftwing politicians should support the board of a Belgian school which wants to introduce a ban on headscarves to prevent their forcible imposition. On the other hand, everyone who wants to wear a headscarf of their own free will should be able to do so, including police officers, according to Halsema.

“I am convinced that there are thousands of Muslim women in the Netherlands who - due to prescriptions enforced by Islamic authority and complied with faithfully by fathers, uncles and sons - have too little freedom of movement. […] In my own neighbourhood, I see too often that girls are abused if they do not wear a headscarf,” said Halsema afterwards. “That I call coercion. Just like suggesting that it is your own fault that you are raped if you do not wear a headscarf.”


Hat tip: Fjordman.

13 comments:

In Hoc Signo Vinces† said...

In hoc signo vinces

Looks like the same old mind games of islam and the multi cults. There can be no concession, submission or quarter given to islam.

Caroline Macafee said...

It's not exactly a defence of the Enlightenment or of western civilisation, but at least if the lefties care enough about gays and women it might carry some of them over the lip of the septic tank they're in at present.

Elan-tima said...

Its obvious that this persons statements are selfserving lip service pandering for the high percentage of voters she sees turning away from her corner of politics. Anyone who follows hitorical political and ideological shifts knows that oportunists eagerly offer tepid parallel views hoping to redirect the plebs support. If The PVV collapsed Groenlinks would be chaseing the tale of the SP or PVDA in a heartbeat. Its Pathetic.

Profitsbeard said...

Femke is also a babe!

As well as a traditional multiculti leftoid who has started to wake up to the reality that Islam hates multiculturalism, and freedom, and women and tolerance.

Mohammadism is a monoculture and a theocratic tyranny, and eventually even the aggressively-delusional-cum-white-guilt-riddled types will come to this grim realization.

Ferdy said...

Better don't get too excited about 'babe' Halsema. Memory is short with most people, but she has voiced these kinds of statements before and not just once. It never meant her, or her party, took a new direction on policies relating Islam. Watch out of the fata morgana, they look very, very attractive in the dry dessert. But they aren’t, want they seem to be!

The Observer said...

I don’t think that the average person on the left has had a sudden aha experience about the inherent dangers of Islam, I think it’s more a case of the political landscape changing and that it has become less political incorrect to criticize Islam. This is of course a result of people on the right having led the way in that regard. There are also other things to consider when one is to find the reasons behind the silence from the left.

For one it would have been political suicide for a rising politician on the left to criticize Islam only a few years ago in Europe, and in certain countries it still is, and politicians care a lot about their political careers. People also have to remember that it’s relatively unproblematic to criticize Islam anonymously online, it is however a different story to do so publicly using your real name, and that goes for politicians too.

Apuleius Platonicus said...

Lets see how she handles the $#%^storm that comes down on her for daring to say even this much.

Unknown said...

As a lefty (which at this point I define as someone who defends Social Security against the predator class), I welcome every such source. I try to wake people up to the reality of Islam, only to be told that my sources are illegitimate (they're right-wing, or Christian, or Jewish; my critics are silent when I point them to websites of ex-Muslims). Every lefty who speaks against Islam is a resource for me.

Anonymous said...

This is great. Although her idea that women could wear the costume voluntarily, even police...she hasn't thought that one through. I don't know about the Euro Greens, but when I was a Green activist in California before 9/11, most of my co-useful idiots worked as schoolteachers, librarians and other government types. So if a prominent Green says these things in public, this will have a huge effect on what is taught in schools. I assume these people are also in the MSM. Regardless of her motives, and who doesn't have motives, this is a giant step.

Steve said...

So they are attacking the Christian schools now, forcing abomination upon them. That is persecution.

Apuleius Platonicus said...

It amazes me, although really it shouldn't, how this story is being completely ignored in the English speaking world, except among a few bloggers who are mostly of the political right.

Something like this is truly explosive. I was expecting Halsema to be viciously attacked, but instead perhaps the Progressive Islamic Apologists will simply try to smother this news.

1389 said...

Here is what the leftists (and too many other people just don't get:

There may be "moderate Muslims" in the sense that they are unobservant Muslims, but there is no, and can never be, a moderate Islam.

Islam is NOT a religion in the normal sense of the word. Islam is an expansionist, totalitarian, enemy political philosophy that seeks to rid the world of everything but Islam. Islam does not deserve the protection of the US Constitution or of any other law. Islam is inherently and irredemably evil, has no legitimacy, and is undeserving of existence.

And that's that.

Henrik R Clausen said...

Great news indeed: Lefties are heard animals. Once one breaks the consensus, there is a great change that more - even many more - will follow. I heard several this week.

Probably they're tired of getting stoned (not the dope kind of way) by the people they have been defending for so many years, and are rising to understand that defending womens' right is a Fundamental Good.

Things are looking up a bit these days :)