DescentBB

One of the most significant effects of the emergence of radical Islam in the West is that liberals will not only defend (Islamic) religious extremists, but are increasingly abandoning their own supposed values to conservatives, who now seem to be the main defenders of democracy, freedom of speech, and even human rights for women and homosexuals. Liberals, as Paul Berman seems to imply, are also happy to embrace, or at least overlook, anti-Semitism, which emanates, more often than not, from radical Islam. Conversely, again, conservatives in both Europe and the U.S. tend to oppose anti-Semitism, and may also take a pro-Israel stance.

In 2007 the popular entertainment magazine Time Out (London), published an article entitled, Is London’s Future Islamic?, but which, rather tellingly, argued at the beginning, “that an Islamic would be a better place”. It rejected what it termed, “a hysterical, right-wing, nightmare” in which London is transformed through Islam into “a society where women are second-class citizens, same sex relationships a crime and Sharia law enforces terrible public disfigurement and death.” This would, of course, have been a Left-wing nightmare only a few years ago, but now, apparently, the rights of women and homosexuals are for conservatives to worry about. Rather than telling the reader why women and homosexuals would not be turned into second-class citizens at best, or why Sharia law would not become a part of British society, the author attempts to convince us that Islam would bring better health, better education, and even better cuisine – hardly a fair trade. Again, its defense of Islam as a religion of non-racism was this:

“Under Islam all ethnicities are equal. Once you have submitted to Allah you are a Muslim – it doesn’t matter what color you are. End of story.”

Cold comfort to Afro-Caribbean Christians, Hindus, etc., who have no intention of submitting, I would imagine.

The growing excusing and even cultivation of extremism by professedly liberal governments is not hard to understand. A desire to win votes from Muslims, cowardliness, and a general ignorance of, and antipathy toward, the nation’s own culture, has meant some very unwise decisions have been made by politicians who have recently dabbled in culture (i.e., multiculturalism). Perhaps they have failed to notice that modern history is littered with political ideologies that have embraced culture (religion, art, etc.) only to break it, or to be broken by it – the ideology of multiculturalism is proving no exception.

Despite sounding inclusive and open-minded, multiculturalism tends very quickly to extremism. Make a virtue of celebrating the “differences” of cultures and you render yourself powerless to criticize them. The politician that praises moderates and condemns extremists appears to be against multiculturalism, wanting everyone to be different within narrow, Western confines. He is – as recent history shows – quickly denounced as a “fascist”. Praise the extremist and condemn the moderate, on the other hand, and the politician is considered a true proponent of diversity and multiculturalism. He is also free to criticize anyone – including people of different races and ethnicities who do not share his opinions – and when he spews the occasional bigoted or racist remark it is quickly forgotten. None of this would be possible without “multiculturalism”.