Kerfuffles

Is Islamism causing a loss of faith in liberalism amongst Europeans?

Holland, the most progressive nation in the world, is a demonstration of the result of Europe’s experiment with multiculturalism. Through official policies, the government created its idea of Utopia; a multicultural society in which cultural and ethnic differences would be celebrated. Immigrants were encouraged with generous social programs, to bring their extended families into the Netherlands. The Dutch people supplied funding for mosques, religious schools, language courses and housing for the new immigrants. Although people at the street level knew of the problems being caused by these government policies, political correctness, enforced by the liberal elite who lived and worked far from the Muslim streets, forbade any discussion of immigration, crime, culture, or national identity. Better to stay silent than risk being labeled as “racist” and/or “Nazi”. Today, native Dutch are are a minority in Rotterdam. When the September 11th attacks shocked the world in 2001, the streets of that famous Dutch city broke out in jubilant cheers. A large number of the residents of Rotterdam believed the murderous attacks were justified. The indigenous Dutch were shocked! Today, some outspoken members of the Netherland’s Parliament live on military bases and are surrounded by guards to prevent their beheadings, as have been threatened. Is this the future of western liberal democracies?

Visit the ancient cathedrals while there still be time. View the Christian icons of bygone days; the religious paintings by the masters, that have been tucked into every nook and corner of Europe. These may never been seen again. So much that we descendants of Europe admire as our cultural heritage, is despised by Allah. So much of what we love is now endangered.

“Is Europe Losing Faith in Liberalism?” is from TheTimesOnLine of December 04, 2004:

From Norway to Sicily, governments, politicians and the media are laying aside their doctrines of diversity and insisting that “Islamism”, as the French call the fundamentalist form that pervades the housing estates, is incompatible with Europe’s liberal values.

In Germany, with its three million — mainly Turkish — Muslims, and France, with its five million of mainly North African descent, television viewers were shocked when local young Muslims approved of Van Gogh’s murder. “If you insult Islam, you have to pay,” was a typical response.

“The notion of multiculturalism has fallen apart,” said Angela Merkel, leader of Germany’s Christian Democrat opposition. “Anyone coming here must respect our constitution and tolerate our Western and Christian roots.” Italy’s traditional tolerance towards immigrants has been eroded by fear of Islamism. An Ipsos poll in September showed that 48 per cent of Italians believed that a “clash of civilisations” between Islam and the West was under way and that Islam was “a religion more fanatical than any other”.

This post was originally published by Kerfuffles on 2 March 2005 at kerfuffles.blogspot.com.