Uh oh! Somebody's done gone and said it!
Mark Steyn, in a typically ambiguously phrased article in Tuesday's Telegraph, informs that "Islam does incubate terrorism".
On reading the article, it's clear that he's had difficulty forcing himself to just get out with his point. I don't know what the problem is - they gave him 1000 words (+/-) of space to speak his mind, and he got all tongue-tied. Like this:
Oh, dear. "Britain can take it" (as they said in the Blitz): that's never been in doubt. The question is whether Britain can still dish it out. When events such as last Thursday's occur, two things happen, usually within hours if not minutes: first, spokespersons for Islamic lobby groups issue warnings about an imminent backlash against Muslims.In fairness to British organisations, I believe they were beaten to the punch by the head of the Canadian Islamic Congress whose instant response to the London bombings was to issue a statement calling for prayers that "Canadian Muslims will not pay a price for being found guilty by association".
In most circumstances it would be regarded as appallingly bad taste to deflect attention from an actual "hate crime" by scaremongering about a non-existent one. But it seems the real tragedy of every act of "intolerance" by Islamist bigots is that it might hypothetically provoke even more intolerance from us irredeemable white imperialist racists. My colleague Peter Simple must surely marvel at how the identity-group grievance industry has effortlessly diversified into pre-emptively complaining about acts of prejudice that have not yet occurred.
If there's a point in there, I wish he could get himself to make it. Damned polite Canadians! He continues:
Most of us instinctively understand that when a senior Metropolitan Police figure says bullishly that "Islam and terrorism don't go together", he's talking drivel.Many of us excuse it on the grounds that, well, golly, it must be a bit embarrassing to be a Muslim on days like last Thursday and it doesn't do any harm to cheer 'em up a bit with some harmless feel-good blather. But is this so?
He wraps up the piece (which I won't continue to quote because, after all, fair use is fair use and you really should just go and read the whole thing), with some veiled thoughts that, to some folks, might be read as his encouragement for Islam to pull its head out of its 1200 year old rectal cavity, before the decision is taken irrevocably from its control, because this P.C. bullshit has gone just about far enough, and the West had best stop allowing its best institutions, intentions, and tools to be used to its detriment.
But only to certain readers, I'm sure. (OK - just one more quote)
Shame on us for championing Islamic thought-police over Western liberty.
Heh. Indeed.
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I haven't commented on this
I haven't commented on this yet because I really, truly, honestly don't know what to say. For maybe the first time in my internets life, I am speechless.
I was just talking to Mrs.
I was just talking to Mrs. Buckethead about this very topic last weekend. We heard the predictable calls to "Be nice to muslims" in the wake of the London bombings. Mrs. Buckethead wondered aloud why there were no calls from Islamic religious and political leaders to "Be nice to infidels."
We are constantly assured that the majority of the followers of Muhammad are peace loving, law abiding decent sorts who anyone would be glad to invite over for beer and barbecue, so long as ther was no beer or barbecue served. What I have seen over the last nearly four years is a stunning and nearly comprehensive absence of any evidence for this supposition whatsoever.
Aside from the occasional fringe dwelling muslim who says that blowing people up is whack, and for which comments they receive death threats and fatwas; and weaselly remarks from some leaders that maybe terrorism is bad, and we're fighting it, and anyway the jews did it; do we have any evidence that a significant percentage of the one billion plus muslims in the world are really against the terrorists even philosophicly? Let alone doing anything to stop them?
Take with however many grains
Take with however many grains of salt you feel necessary:
U.S. Muslims Condemn 'Barbaric' London Terror Attacks
WASHINGTON, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today condemned this morning's bomb attacks in London as "barbaric crimes."
In its statement, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said:
"We join Americans of all faiths, and all people of conscience worldwide, in condemning these barbaric crimes that can never be justified or excused. American Muslims offer their sincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured in today's attacks and call for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators."
The Muslim Council of Britain and other British Islamic groups issued similar condemnations of the attacks and urged Muslims to help in the recovery effort.
In 2004, CAIR launched an online petition drive, called "Not in the Name of Islam," designed to disassociate Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. SEE: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
The "Not in the Name of Islam" petition states: "We, the undersigned Muslims, wish to state clearly that those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the faith they claim to represent. No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent people,
and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam. We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts. We refuse to allow our faith to be held hostage by the criminal actions of a tiny minority acting outside the teachings of both
the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him."
Phil: While I appreciate
Phil: While I appreciate CAIR's having weighed in via the PR Newswire, I don't consider their view representative of Islam.
For the record, I also don't think Mr. Steyn's view is completely correct either. But the truth lies somewhere in between, and Steyn's was better written and more in tune with observed fact.
A good friend of mine from Beirut tells me that he wishes I could read Arabic. If I could, he tells me, I'd know to ignore anyone who says the Quran either praises or condemns the murder of non-Muslims simply because of their, uh, non-Muslimicity. Why? Because apparently it does both, throughout, in alternating chapters.
CAIR's just another lobbying
CAIR's just another lobbying pressure group, not so very different in that regard from a trade union, the ACLU, the NRA, or NASA.
What I've not heard from CAIR is its members efforts to actually, you know, help or anything. We need a lot of Arabic speakers, of high fluency and idiomatic competence.
How about some names, some leads, some freaking help in this fight against Muslims trying to kill all of us? We need a hand here, and you give us a petition? That, and warnings not to look sideways at anyone in a beard cuz you'll sue.
CAIR can piss up a rope.
I'm sure that the high
I'm sure that the high profile attacks on 9/11, in Madrid and now in London get these sorts of pro-forma condemnations because these groups have to say something or lose what little credibility they have.
I don't hear much condemnation for the insurgents in Iraq who just killed seven kids who were getting some candy from American troops, or the Palestinian suicide bombers, or fanatical wackos doing everything from declaring death sentences on writers to exploding themselves amongst the innocent worldwide.
And condemnations are only step one in any reasonable plan for Muslims to convince the world that they really disagree with the islamofascist 'splodeydopes in their midst. Steps two through N might include providing translators like GL suggested, to joining the army, or any number of other things besides listening to hate-spewing imams and saying nothing while their coreligionists blow up us and our allies.