Azure Winter Issue, 5769 /2009, No. 35
The West today is involved in a protracted and violent struggle with the forces of radical Islam. This conflict is intensely difficult, both because of our enemy’s dedication to his cause, and also, perhaps most of all, because of the enormous cultural shift that has occurred in Europe and America since the end of the Vietnam War. Put simply, the citizens of Western states have lost their appetite for foreign wars; they have lost the hope of scoring any but temporary victories; and they have lost confidence in their way of life. Indeed, they are no longer sure what that way of life requires of them.
At the same time, they have been confronted with a new opponent, one who believes that the Western way of life is profoundly flawed, and perhaps even an offense against God. In a “fit of absence of mind,” Western societies have allowed this opponent to gather in their midst; sometimes, as in France, Britain, and the Netherlands, in ghettos which bear only tenuous and largely antagonistic relations to the surrounding political order. And in both America and Europe there has been a growing desire for appeasement: a habit of public contrition; an acceptance, though with heavy heart, of the censorious edicts of the mullahs; and a further escalation in the official repudiation of our cultural and religious inheritance. Twenty years ago, it would have been inconceivable that the archbishop of Canterbury would give a public lecture advocating the incorporation of Islamic religious law (shari’ah) into the English legal system. Today, however, many people consider this to be an arguable point, and perhaps the next step on the way to peaceful compromise.
All this suggests that we in the West stand on the edge of a dangerous period of concession, in which the legitimate claims of our own culture and inheritance will be ignored or downplayed in an attempt to prove our peaceful intentions. It will be some time before the truth will be allowed to play its all-important role of rectifying our current mistakes and preparing the way for the next ones. This means that it is more necessary than ever for us to rehearse the truth and come to a clear and objective understanding of what is at stake.
Brilliant post! It has the feel of a great book openning.
I just purchased your book, Gentle Regrets.
I look forward to following your blog posts.
In your article about your parents and humanism, you referred to signs on buses degrading religion. You said that even muslims did not object to it.
That is because they know it does not apply to them. They are in no danger of their adherents being influenced by such statements. If there were any references or hints concerning islam, they would react.
Western liberals are not destroying all religions, just christianity or perhaps what is called judeo-christianity.
This may sound strange to you, but I am a black american, originally from Africa, and I am curious and dismayed by the inability of westerners (but let us just say white people) to defend their own culture. It is very very strange. No other human beings feel like that.
I think the cornerstone is the conflict between jewish and christian religion.Even though christianity is of jewish origin and essence the jews would like to eradicate this religion.
On the other side the christians regarded throughout history the jews as their implacable enemies.I, as a cristian cannot understand it: my saints,apostles and saviour are all jews,even the old testament is a holy book for us,the christians. I feel that the jews are ready to accept more the moslems rather than the christians. The offensive today is against the christianity, the western
civilization and the white man and his culture. This offensive will continue untill the christianity will be extict,and so will be the western values.There is no doubt in my mind.The white man lost the stamina,the faith and the motivation to fight for survival.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
Roger, it’s difficult for a culture which has focused on becoming more tolerant to the point of losing itself to cope with one which is focused on reviving the spirit of swash-buckling seventh century Arabia. Perhaps the evolvement of radical islam is just one indication that the progressive Western culture is promising more to people than it can deliver these days. Who knows, but now the mullas began ranting against the West from within the city walls, it’s time to rethink the whole shooting match.
Roger’s article is a statement of demonsrable fact.
But in accepting the seriousness of the status quo;a plan of action has to be effected.
The sedition preached by Muslims has to be curtailed in such a way that it does not transgress the concept of freedom of speech.
Is for example praise for the Taliban when the death of our soldiers takes place reason for censure?
(even though it likely falls within the “praise for terrorism”legislation.)
Should the brake on free speech ridiculing Islam be released?
Would lampooning Islam as a backward un British culture ;
through the entertainment media be acceptable?
Marginalisation of an unpopular minority who identify themselves as opposed to our democratic system and values should;in my view go full steam ahead.
Now will someone post a script for the “life of Mohammed”
in the same vein as the life of Brian?
Or am I just a curmudgeonly trouble maker?
Interesting post. I’m glad you actually wrote something nice about us muslims… …I’ve been around the net for a pretty long time now, and the only thing I can read about muslims is bad things… getting pretty annoyed! I’ve also started to write a bit about Ramadan. I started out my own Ramadan blog over here: http://www.ramadanonline.com Oh, and whatever you do – don’t you dare stop blogging. You’re insane when it comes to writing!
The day the UK accepts the Muslim law as a part of Common law, Britain as we know it will be lost forever.
The values of fairness, rigour, questioning, accountability, gentle conduct, equality before law, the rule of law, equity in society, all come from Christianity . These are cherished values across the wolrd, but the world is unable to achieve them except in the liberal West.
I’m a Hindu, but I still believe it would be a grave mistake to do what the archbishop of Canterbury is advocating.
Dear Nabil,
I don’t know if you were addressing me in particular or Roger Scruton?
I tried to join your blog without success(comments closed)
I note that you find comments on Islam to be of a negative nature(can you really be surprised?)
Perhaps you might tell us why this should not be so?
What I want to know is when is Roger going to post some new material – 7 months is a looong wait.
The reason why European hold on to there high level of tolerance and racial fairness is because when these values are no longer treasured, the only logical action would be to invade, colonise or exterminate the Muslim world.
There is simply no alternative: Islam is a threat to the world, therefor we must end this threat and the only way we can end Islam is by A: converting all Muslim, or B: Ending there ability to breed, or C: Outright killing them.
Since the Muslim word is not cooperating by either letting go of there violent religious believes, or respecting the sovereignty of other nations and by endangering the local environment and economy by breeding like rabbits, options B and C will happen in the future if violence and racial attack on whites by Muslims increases.
The organ that will attack, will most likely be the EU. The moment one state exists in Europe, isolated incidents with Muslim in different countries have to be dealt with unanimously and on the same level.
Another possibility is that Europe isolates itself from the Muslim world and watches the region slowly die from overpopulation, pollution and warfare.
Some corrections seem in place.
In the Netherlands muslems do NOT live in ghettos. They populate the quarters in big cities which offer the lowest housing rents, since many muslems are poor, and have greater difficulty finding work than non-muslems. And if they find/have work, it often is the lowest-paid kind and the dirty jobs which Dutch people don’t want. Apart from a very small group of Moroccan youngsters who, frustrated with the culture gap between their parental home and Dutch public space, make trouble, a serious problem which has much attention nowadays. The majority of muslems living in Holland are a normal part of society, are fully Europeanized, and many younger muslems find their way up in the world in spite of some discrimination. In the course of time muslems secularize and consider their religion no longer as the most determining factor in their life, just like most christians in the course of the last 50 years. The problem of muslems in Europe is not that they are here, but that they need to be Europeanized. Also, muslems come to Europe NOT to Islamise it, but in search of a better life than they have ‘at home’, and many are prepared to do ANY work whatsoever as long as it pays ANYTHING. This results often in a miserable life, which is then supported by the only thing they carry with them from the better part of their culture: a simple interpretation of religion which keeps them morally ‘on the rails’: praying, be civilised and respectful, and so on. Extremism is only attractive for paranoid youngsters falling in the culture gap without perspective and they often are born in Europe. The paranoia which focusses upon muslems being a threat in general, is not realistic.