The European Dilemma

[Ms DD]

The European Dilemma

 

The creation of the Islamic danger

By Eva Vergaelen

 

Does hate belong to the soul of Europe?

 

Europe is struggling with a dilemma. It claims it is open and human, but can no longer hide its racist and imperialist character. After the appeal to censure the Qur'an and after comparing the holy book with Hitler's Mein Kampf, the announcement of the anti-Islam demonstration on 9/11 proves this once more.

 

 

Despite the many warnings against this extreme right wave, it seems hard to stop the train, one that is leading to an "enlightened" Kristallnacht (the night on which the German parliament was put on fire and the beginning of the Holocaust). After the so-called Jewish danger, it now is the Islamic danger that is being created as to neglect the real problems that the European society faces. A society that survives on racism, exploitation, and blaming the other — these days, the Muslims.

 

The mayor of Brussels, the de facto capital of the European Union, Freddy Thielemans, did not give his permission to the anti-Islam demonstration, for the sake of public safety. Immediately many politicians and intellectuals stood up against the banning of the demonstration, saying that it is a violation of the right of expression; one of which is Marc De Vos, professor at the University of Ghent and member of the Independent Thinking Tank 'Itinera Institute'. In an article published on August 12, 2007, by Belgian newspaper De Standaard, he wonders "Why to ban a demonstration that wants to protect the soul of the European identity?”

 

Does hate belong to the soul of Europe? And what about the freedom of expression? The Danish organizer of the demonstration calls to censure parts of the Qur'an. Isn't this somehow hypocritical?

 

Is Europe Secular?

 

Hypocrisy is central to the whole debate on the anti-"Islamization" demonstration. Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE), the organizer of the demonstration, is not reacting against certain Islamic movements, but against Islam as a whole. On SIOE's website, it is clearly written that Islam is the enemy of Europe:

 

Islam and democracy are incompatible due to teachings within the Koran itself and some of the hadiths which comprise sharia law.

 

According to SIOE, there are no moderate Muslims and Islamophobia is not a result of racism, but of "the height of common sense." Also, in the texts published on the website "Muslims" are synonymous for "Islamists." The anti-Islamization demonstration is thus an anti-Islam demonstration.

 

In an imperialistic manner, the organizers define what is Islam — which makes us wonder: Where is the freedom of opinion of the 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide? — and that Islam is not compatible with Western secular values. Again Professor De Vos states, "Europe — does it need to be mentioned? — knows a disestablishment between religion and state."

 

But that secular Europe is not to be taken for granted. For instance, the Queen of the UK is also head of the Anglican Church; also, in Scandinavian countries, state religion plays an important role.

 

Moreover, within Islam itself some are familiar with the separation of state and religion. Ali Abd Al-Raziq (1888-1966) says that Islam is a message of God and not a system to govern a worldly state. According to this interpretation, Islam can fit in whatever political system that its citizens choose — a nice example of democracy.

 

Also, Islamism or political Islam is familiar with democracy. It is important to distinguish between different movements within political Islam. Its founders, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in the 1930s, represented the voice of the people against a dictatorial and colonial regime. While in many countries in Europe the emancipation of the working people was inspired by Marxism, in Egypt Islam was a binding factor. This first wave of Islamism was based on knowledge, not on social class. Now, this would be called modernity.

 

Anti-Judaism Demonstration

 

Thus, the European monopoly over democracy, modernity, and freedom are a myth. Those values are, even within Europe, applicable only to a certain group: Those who do not challenge the imperialist status quo and do not question Europe's "character."

 

What was the demonstration on 9/11 about? Was it about the Islamic danger? Which Islam? Is it the "petrol-Islam" that is fully supported by the West? Is the demonstration about the danger that faces European values? Which values and for whom? Was it about the "danger" of Shari`ah? What is Shari`ah? There is not one clear answer to that, because Shari`ah is not a static law book as it is known in Europe. Shari`ah is a complex set of rules that is applied according to the context. And those countries that apply it in a suppressing, non-Islamic way are supported by the West.

 

The culmination of hypocrisy is that Muslims are now being expected to support the anti-Islamization demonstration as a proof that they agree with the freedom of expression and that the demonstration is about European values, not about creating hate against Muslims. European Muslims are asked to legitimize a fascist-inspired demonstration. As if a demonstration for the colonization of Africa would be legitimate if some African people participate in it. Whoever speaks out against a ban of the anti-Islam demonstration should also agree in principle to, for example, an anti-Judaism demonstration — something that will not be easily accepted in Europe. Otherwise, Europe's hypocrisy and racism will be exposed, if it is not already clear.

 

 

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Eva Vergaelenlives in both Egypt and Belgium and works as a freelance journalist, with special interests in gender politics and identity. She wrote a book on female immigrants in Belgium. Eva studied African Culture and did a Masters in Governance and Development. She embraced Islam in 2004.

 

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[5]

Ms Vegaelenlives should not be wasting her time worrying over a group of retards, whom no human being with a fully functioning brain takes seriously.

 

This is what the Mayor said:

 

"Such incitement to discrimination and hatred, which we usually call racism and xenophobia, is forbidden by a considerable number of international treaties and is punished by our penal laws and by the European legislation. The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly pronounced judgements condemning this type of acts. […]"

 

"my mind is made up. And my decision is final: it will not take place."

 

Worth noting: he didn't ban the demonstration because of 'public safety' but because it's a criminal act and punishable by law.

 

There are many small groups opposing whatnot, some more outrageous than others, but all very small and very insignificant.