Saba E. Demian
The politics of separateness -- whether
churning up racial divisions in America or separating Muslims in Europe from
their non-Muslim neighbors -- is now a big business.
Europe is in the middle if a
civil war, for the grand prize of the dominance of the few over the many. Even
presuming that the majority of Muslims in Europe wish to adapt and blend in
with the "natives," they are hampered by the violent minority.
The militant minority are a
power to be reckoned with, because the prize they offer is so temptingly
salacious to youths with still-confused emotional needs. The guiding and
funding sources are mostly away from the scene of the fray. If these sources
could be dried up, there would be more hope for a peaceful resolution.
Captivating tax incentives for
economic growth and upward mobility might also, in addition to addressing the
economic malaise in disadvantaged areas, begin to revive at least some of the
economies of Europe.
If Europeans practice
delusional denials, they are surely marching toward defeat.
Who captains this continent
nowadays? Is it the richest, Germany, or is it the UK, which only linked itself
geographically, belatedly, by the building a rail route under the English
Channel? France insists on having its own path regardless.
The European countries cannot
be lumped together. The countries of the European Union [EU] are not culturally
homogeneous. The Euro-Zone countries are economically separated from those
outside this zone. Members of NATO -- even the expanded NATO -- are viewed differently
militarily than those outside the organization. There are also, of course,
distinct differences between the Eastern countries of the former USSR and its
satellites, and Western democracies; between monarchies and republics; between
Catholics and Protestants; between Muslim Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, European
side of Turkey) and Christian Europe.
These differences were
resolved partially or totally, permanently or temporarily, to allow
"business to go on."
Then entered another variable:
the Islamization of previously-Christian Europe. Before developing a severe
headache by pondering that, we should be prepared to learn more of the history
of Islam: its previous conquests, the Islamic Empires, its decline -- and more
about these recent inhabitants of the continent to which they immigrated and
which many of them say they hope to Islamize. This is urgent, as many Muslim
countries are stuck in the thought processes of a millennium or so ago. The
hiatus is often so great that it defies rationality. We cannot expect an
instant change just for our convenience. The ingredients of Europe's newest
melting pot either cannot or will not "melt," even for the sake of
living together in peace and working towards prosperity.
Even presuming that the
majority of Muslims in Europe wish to adapt and blend in with the
"natives" and live not only side by side, but totally intermingled in
all aspects of life, they are hampered by the violent minority. Many
immigrants, also, have a hard time moving away from their past. They can feel
lost. They have left behind their origins and heritage but are not in tandem
with their progeny, even though they were the ones who willingly and
deliberately sought this monumental change. Actually, their offspring
frequently reject their values as well as them, mostly because they simply
don't comprehend them. It is equally true of the "natives." The
"generational gap" is not often bridged for the sake of peace and
harmony.
The militant minority, though,
have a totally different agenda. They are hell-bent on the Islamization of
every single person in Europe, which is the same across the globe. They are a
power to be reckoned with because they are recruiting other newcomers from all
corners of the earth, and the prize they offer is so temptingly salacious to
youths with still-confused emotional needs. The guiding and funding sources are
mostly away from the scene of the fray. If these sources could be dried up,
there would be more hope for a peaceful resolution. The politics of
separateness -- whether churning up racial divisions in America or separating
Muslims in Europe from their non-Muslim hosts -- is now a big business and will
not easily be given up.
One unanswered question is
whether Islam is a religion of peace. First, the Arabic word Islamdoes
not mean "peace" but an act of subjugation to God (Allah) and His
will. Second, the basis and teaching of Islam is understood universally to
consider non-Muslims as infidels. Third, infidels have to be wiped out. There
is no gainsaying the word of Allah in the Koran, the hadithof the
Prophet Muhammad and the shari'a. Thus, Muslims by birth or
conversion, regardless of whether they are ultraconservative, moderates or
secularists, are trapped in this vise-grip of enforcing the will of Allah on
everyone, non-Muslim or Muslim, if they veer away from the straight and narrow.
What is poignant to me, an
Egyptian Coptic Christian who has lived and worked as a physician in Muslim and
non-Muslim countries, is the abysmal lack of understanding of Islam by the
Western media, leaders and the man-on-the-street. It is mind-boggling to see
the degree of ignorance of blatant truths and facts in the way many policies
are handled.
Europe is in the middle of a
civil war like no other -- for the grand prize of religious dominance by the
few over the many. Regardless of the denials of many Europeans and observers
from around the world -- who say that the terror acts are not related to Islam,
or if in any way Islamic at all, are merely committed by deviants from the
"true" origins of Islam -- in reality, the mayhem we see currently is
generated by jihadist Islam. This minority is bolstered by others of a similar
conviction, but with even more militant ideas and deeper purses.
The rest of the world is at
risk of the same fate. There is chapter and verse, other than 9/11, 7/7, the
Madrid train bombing and attacks in India, Argentina, Russia, Israel, Canada,
Belgium, Australia, Britain and France, among others. As first steps,
governments in the West need honestly to study Islam; and an ominous force must
confront, contain and cut off the supply of jihadists and their sources of
funding.
If European Islamists wish to
leave the continent to fight in Syria and Iraq, that should be allowed to exit,
but they should not expect to be allowed back. In addition, lawmakers need to
enforce laws prohibiting cooperation with designated terrorist organizations.
They might also remind people that if they cooperate with designated terrorist
groups, they might be subject to arrest upon returning to their home countries,
or possibly barred from entering at all. Captivating tax incentives for
economic growth and upward mobility might also, in addition to addressing the
economic malaise in disadvantaged areas, begin to revive at least some of the
economies of Europe.
If Europeans practice
delusional denials, they are surely marching toward defeat.
Saba E. Demian,
Gatestone Institute, January 25, 2015
Saba E. Demian, M.D., is a
retired Professor of Laboratory Medicine at the Medical Schools of USC and LSU,
and resides in South Carolina.
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