The Enemy in Our Midst

From the desk of Paul Belien on Sat, 2006-08-12 12:37

Suppose the foiled terror plot in the UK had not been foiled and thousands of innocents had perished aboard planes heading for the United States. I fear that one of the scenes we would have witnessed would have been one we witnessed following 9/11: scenes of celebration and jubilation in certain boroughs and banlieus of major European cities.

Never before has the West faced an enemy like this. It is an enemy who is prepared to blow up thousands of innocent people in suicide actions, but it is also one who lives in our midst. As in the 1930s the Europeans prefer to appease the enemy. Drawing people’s attention to the fact that he is living in our midst is regarded as hate-mongering. Thou shalt not hate the enemy, let alone fight him, thou shalt appease him.

In a National Review Online comment on the foiled terror plot Frank Gaffney writes that “the terrorists we face are increasingly likely to be citizens of the countries they are attacking, rather than relatively easily identified aliens.” They are, however, relatively easily identified by their names, which are hardly ever traditional European names such as Tony, Jan-Peter, Jacques, Angela or Romano, but have the exotic flavour of a thousand and one nights.

Following the foiled plot European governments seem to be as worried about rising islamophobia as about terrorist attacks. If islamophobia is on the rise, however, one should decide who is primarily to blame. As long as our governments refuse to do this, and blame their own people first, the chances of saving Europe from islamo-fascism are bleak.

In Turkey last May it struck me that the Turks have far more realistic views on the danger of islamism than the European political and media establishment. At least they do not equate criticism of islamism with criticism of religious Muslims. A Turkish friend told me that I would always be welcome in her country if the Belgian authorities should prosecute me for alleged “racism” or “islamophobia.” She was a Muslim herself but said that she did not understand why the West European countries tolerate islamist extremism to a degree that is not tolerated in her country. She explained that it was easy to recognize who the fanatics are. “Just watch the way people dress,” she said.

“I have seen you wear a headscarf myself,” I said.

“I am not talking about headscarves, which are the traditional women’s wear of the Turkish countryside, but about hijabs and burqas,” she said.

“Are you saying that all the women wearing those are terrorists?” I asked.

“No, but you can be fairly sure that families where the women dress like that sympathize with the terrorists.”

We see growing numbers of these women in our European cities. If my Turkish friend is right it is relatively easy for the police to establish where to find potential terrorists. I am opposed to thought crimes, but I wonder why European governments that introduce such crimes for so-called “racists” and “islamophobes” do not make it a thought crime to sympathize with terrorists. If one can be arrested for carrying a swastika flag, why is one allowed to demonstrate in front of Westminster with the Hezbollah flag (which depicts a machine gun)?

European governments dare not speak out against criminals intent on blowing up planes in flight without simultaneously threatening “islamophobes.” They tend to blame their own people for fear of antagonizing the immigrant population. This attitude is dead wrong. Islamophobia is the result of islamism. The latter is a phenomenon within Muslim immigrant communities, which consequently can only be eradicated if the moderates in these communities refuse to tolerate it. “Youths” who rejoice when terrorists commit successful attacks or who demonstrate in the streets with Hezbollah flags should be clearly reprimanded by their own community and taught that such behaviour will not be tolerated. If their community fails to do so it is only natural – indeed sensible – that people begin to distrust the entire Muslim community.

Sensing the unwillingness of their governments to fight the enemy in our midst, a growing number of Europeans no longer feel they have a secure future in their own countries. The number of emigrants in the Netherlands and Germany has surpassed the number of immigrants. In Belgium the emigration figure has risen by 15 per cent in the past four years. “Elderly people leave to go and live abroad permanently,” Prof Etienne Van Hecke of Leuven University says, “while young people emigrate for economic reasons.” In the Netherlands, the rise in emigration figures was most marked after the assassinations of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh, which indicates that something more fundamental is going on than the desire of the elderly for the sunbelt and of the young for a job. The flight from Europe is more likely related to a loss of confidence in the future of nations that have taken in the trojan horse of islamism and that, unlike the Trojans, lack the guts to fight.

Esther, ScottSA,

Submitted by Nansi on Sat, 2006-08-19 09:06.

Esther, ScottSA, marcfrans;
We address everyone because we are not like the cowboy who does not speak to those of opposite views.

Yes indeed the blowing up is actually done by the Muslims, but the incitements are done by someone else. Maybe you people should read more about the history of the Iraq Iran war and find out who fueled this ugly war.
As for the current situation in Iraq, you should think with a little independent common sense away from your brainwashing media why all this blowing up of Sunni and Shiite happened just in the last few months and not when the occupation of Iraq started. The American proposed democracy in Iraq which was supposed to serve as the model example for the rest of the Middle East failed miserably. More and more soldiers continue to fall and a civil war would certainly serve the interest of the Americans benefiting from the old British rule “Divide and conquer”

The west messing with the Muslim goes deep into history. Planting of Israel in Palestine by the West and the greed by the so called “Free World” to control and manipulate the resources of the region are some of the reasons behind all this.

But to the West’s disadvantage the Iranians knew how to play their cards and managed to get more from Iraq through the Americans what they could not get with Saddam in power. The administration is set for more and more failure projects like the most recent proposed “New Middle East”

@Nansi

Submitted by traveller on Sat, 2006-08-19 12:12.

With or without the war in Iraq, as soon as Saddam disappeared the Shia would take over. Iraq is an artificial country with 3 different ethnic people (Persian, Arabic, Kurd) and a large Shia-Persian majority. Actually it is again one of the irrefutable proofs that multiculture is doomed.
The bombing of innocents cannot have a valid reason. The word terrorists seems to have gained some form of leftist acceptance, for me terrorists are gangsters and nothing else.
The U.S. has a strategic thinking, based on the results of studies developped by think-tanks with which I don't agree in 90 % of the cases because they don't believe in people on the ground anymore. The only 2 presidents who cut through the theoretical crap were Nixon and Reagan. Nixon was the experienced thinker who STOPPED the war in Vietnam, opened China and warmed the relations with the Soviets. Reagan finalised the job and received most of the congratulations. But one thing the U.S. never does is kill civilians on purpose and that's why the terrorists gain ground in Iraq. The population is more afraid of the terrorists than of the U.S. army. Of course, like in every army there are gangsters amongst the good soldiers, but the U?S. punishes those bad apples, while the terrorists are not even blamed by their fellow muslims except in a private conversation.

Evil ideology and its sponsors

Submitted by Miriam on Sun, 2006-08-13 14:43.

Mr Tony Blair has repeatedly exposed the indecent evil ideology of hate in the text-books of 'fakistan' and 'sooti arabia'. The leftists and other proxy agents like commies, maoists, 'secular' Hindus, or 'secular' Europeans get foolishly subverted to this ideology wittingly or otherwise. The shoe bomber, Christopher Reid, the three *new converts* in the latest airline threat are but examples of the wider conspiracy that seeks to undermine democratic, peace-loving citizens with liberal and cosmopolitan world view.

Even Pope's call for "reciprocity" from the islamofascists have gone unheeded. Hence, I strongly endorse these comments:
"I do not consider these people British, they are merely 'UK nationals of Pakistani descent.'..."
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Muslim groups and individuals which are currently in the minority in Western countries are already making demands and ***veiled threats** to their host governments, their respective native populations, and peaceful integrated immigrants.
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"...criticism of Islam is characterized as smear campaigns and hatred, natural defenses are called “discriminatory”..."
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Right in these comments column, there is one such man who is ready to silence any dissident voice with words like "smear campaigns and hatred"...etc. If you go along and obey your fascist masters, they'd be smiling friends and may even give you a free cup of Lahore/Karachi tea! Or else, they'd behead you like they did to Daniel Pearl.

Should you sell your soul and conscience to such evil devils?

Political Ideology Clothed in a Religious Mantle

Submitted by truth serum on Sun, 2006-08-13 12:40.

Mr Belien, it seems you have an ally in Denmark.

Are We Ready for Confrontation?

By Ole Hasselbalch, professor, Doctor of Laws — Jyllands-Posten, August 7, 2006

This conflict is fundamentally about whether a political ideology clothed in a religious mantle will be allowed to force its dogma upon others, and even dictate that this must replace empirical knowledge. If this succeeds, we’re back to the times when Copernicus and Galileo were facing the Inquisition. On such a foundation no decent society can be built.
....

Therefore criticism of Islam is characterized as smear campaigns and hatred, natural defenses are called “discriminatory”, and those who for 25 years have warned about what is going on, are being labelled and stigmatized with the aid of Danish collaborators as “rightwing extremists”.
....

The status today is that Europe is about to be lost because of European leaders who lack the ability to identify the character of the threat, or at least are looking the other way, who are fickle, reluctant to say things clearly, and dislike taking the unpleasant steps now that will prevent something even worse later on.

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2006/08/are-we-ready-for-confrontation.html

Our future

Submitted by truth serum on Sun, 2006-08-13 11:42.

Hezbollah and Hamas has shown us our future.

Muslim groups and individuals which are currently in the minority in Western countries are already making demands and veiled threats to their host governments, their respective native populations, and peaceful integrated immigrants.

"Change your foreign policy or we'll blow you up"

http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/012653.php#comments

Does anyone really think that Europe or America's fate will be any better than Lebanon's or Israel's if we continue on our present course?

Apologies for posting twice

Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Sun, 2006-08-13 11:41.

Apologies for posting twice but the edit function is not working.

Anyway, I challenge ANYONE to prove that Islam or Judaism or Christianity is a race and not merely a religion. Religions do not deserve to be to be except from criticism. Arabs and jews are both semites so the term anti-semite as it is normally used is moronic. All three religions above are from Abraham and use the Old Testament (or whatever they call it in Islam).

@Asterdamsky

Submitted by Esther on Sun, 2006-08-13 14:45.

I do not understand what you're trying to say.. of course Judaism, Christianity and Islam are not "races". As an example, you can see that some of those arrested in the UK were converts. That is, they used to be normal British people who loved their country and after converting to Islam turned into people who were willing to blow up others in the name of their religion. The question is "why?"

Regarding the word "anti-Semitism". On the basic level you are right.. Jews and Arabs are both Semites (sorta). But, regardless of what the parts of the word mean, the word anti-Semitism means "hatred of Jews", not "hatred of Semites". This was the meaning of the word when it was coined and it is the meaning today as well. There are quite a few other words which are rather "stupid", what can you do.

As for your last sentence. The "Old Testament" is not called that by Jews, either. In any case, I do not think that Muslims "use" the "Old Testament".

Islam In Europe

Apologies for posting twice

Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Sun, 2006-08-13 11:40.

Apologies for posting twice but the edit function is not working.

"Never before has the West

Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Sun, 2006-08-13 11:28.

"Never before has the West faced an enemy like this" I always like to take the negative so my brain started racing to refute this. Communism had a very fanatical following as did Catholics fighting against the new freedoms brought by the reformation. Suicide bombings are not that new either although I can't think of any previous examples where they were used pretty much only against civilian targets.

Freedom of Speech

Submitted by Jude on Sat, 2006-08-12 19:27.

I cannot understand how it can be racist to display the facts relating to a religion. The useful idiots in your government who serve Islam first and the native populations only second, and who are undermining the democratic basis of society with foolish legislation, need to be identified. Such quislings have a habit of dropping out of sight when trouble starts only to pop up later on whatever side is in power. Perhaps all buraeucrats need to take an oath to preserve freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech #2

Submitted by marcfrans on Sat, 2006-08-12 23:21.

@ Jude

It is not the task of "bureaucrats" to preserve freedom of speech.

That is first and foremost the task of the judiciary. The highest court of the land should have invalidated those 'normal' laws in Belgium that violate the constitutional right to free speech. The current undemocratic predicament in Belgium is the direct result of the moral and political failure of the courts.

Secondly, it is of course incumbent on the legislature NOT to make such laws in the first place. But politicians will always be tempted to seek unfair advantage (and outlaw 'opposition' if they can). In a proper system of 'checks and balances' the judiciary would have acted to prevent this. Not in Belgium, at least not today any more. Forty years ago they would have, because fascism was still fresher in the mind and the (intolerant and ideological) naive-left had not yet conquered academia and the media.

It is ultimately the responsibility of the voters to punish all those politicians who have violated their constitutional rights with such 'normal' legislation. If they don't, those voters and all Belgians will gradually loose their freedoms, and society will not be able to adjust to changing circumstances. History teaches that this is the way that ultimately leads to (unpleasant) 'revolutions'.

Hear Hear!

Submitted by Kapitein Andre on Sun, 2006-08-13 09:04.

Yet another reason why racial profiling works...

I do not consider these people British, they are merely 'UK nationals of Pakistani descent.'

I am against the Coalition invasion and occupation of Iraq*, and I sympathize with the Lebanese and Palestinian plight.** However, the West is no place for Muslims. Period. There are too many other peoples in the world who are educated, hard-working, etc., who want to emigrate; "collectively," Muslims make bad immigrants. And I am most concerned with Europe, as it is not a melting pot but an ancestral homeland and source of some of the most intelligent, industrious, warmest, and most beautiful people on Earth. It would break my heart to see European cities look like Los Angeles or Detroit, or see minarrets added to its ancient cathedrals.

*The invasion of Afghanistan was justified as the country was under the dominion of Pakistani Islamists, fought against by the Northern Alliance.

**I believe that Israel has not conducted itself "better" than its enemies, it simply won. If every European country maintained hard-line policies over disputes 50 years old, we would still be at war, no?

Rude Awakening

Submitted by jwlillyw on Sat, 2006-08-12 19:18.

Unfortunately, even a "rude awakening" such as another major terrorist attack (i.e. the mulit plane blow up) would only drive the wingnuts and useful idiots to blame everything on Bush, Iraq and Israel. Nothing would change. Today the UN with US complicity and leadership is allowing a propraganda victory to Hizbollah, Iran and Syria. Does the world really think that 10 years after a similar resolution to disarm Hizbollah that somehow the UN will succeed this time? This is the 1930's all over again. The age of appeasment. God help us all. Interestingly, Belgium is setting itself up to the battleground of Europe one more time.

Jack Lillywhite

Tipping Point

Submitted by Mission Impossible on Sat, 2006-08-12 14:09.

Yes, I second USAntigoon's comments. The conservative backlash against the red tide is still in its embryonic stage. We have yet to mature, but that will happen fast. The current political impasse will reach a tipping point eventually. Then we will coast on the momentum we are building now. But, there is still much work to do. Those in the West who are determined to enforce undemocratic, even totalitarian policies in the meantime, and brutally, will eventually be charged with treason, and justice will be served.

@Paul Belien

Submitted by traveller on Sat, 2006-08-12 15:22.

Your article about the enemy in our midst should be widely distributed.
If you read my previous comments you have noticed that I have a more than passing aquaintance with Islam in all its many facets. I am also against generalisations and name calling in all directions. When I was confronted in 1981 with terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan I had only my muslim friends to turn to for understanding the problem. At that point it was clear that the combination of russian agression, Saudi money and U.S. naive short-sighted policies were to blame. But the interesting point was the one my educated muslim friends made: gangsters are gangsters and it doesn't matter which religion they follow, if they break the law PUNISH them to the same extent as the crime, don't cuddle them because that's a clear sign of weakness to people who only understand the law of the strongest. Their internal punishments are either atrocious mutilations or death, so our legal system cannot impress them as a serious threath. I am mortally afraid of a civil war in Europe in a not too far off future and the only serious advisors to whom we can turn are the people with real experience with those extremist gangsters: the open minded modern muslims, except that their methods will probably be to harsh for our political nitwits. Don't forget that the real information about the present english crisis came from Pakistan.

@Paul Belien2

Submitted by traveller on Sat, 2006-08-12 15:37.

The biggest political problem in Belgium is of course the muslim electorate for which the walloon socialists, the flemish socialists and the greens are flat on their bellies. The awakening will be rude when the political tipping point will be reached and the mayors and parlementarians will be muslim extremists, financed by the saudis. Than it will be to late.

The Enemy in Our Midst

Submitted by USAntigoon on Sat, 2006-08-12 13:52.

Very clear and well written article Paul.. The rude awakening will come soon, this cannot continue.. I hope that the people will stand up and vote in new political figures. Belgium voters cannot seem to change the political horizon because of the "Cordon Sanitaire". May be this will collapse soon.. (Let's hope)