sirenianshores

I’m not surprised the Dutch are considering banning the burka. Tolerance in Europe for the more fundamental aspects of Islam has taken a nosedive in the last 2 years. The fact that even the most liberal European countries are now considering actions such as this one just goes to show how serious the situation has become.

The bombings in Madrid and London have changed opinions, plus the disproportionate reaction to the Danish cartoons and the Pope’s recent remarks regarding Islam. But most of all is the fact that the Moslem population in Europe has not integrated well with the native population. There is plenty of blame to go round for this: the Bush administration’s War on Terror (or War on Islam as many Muslims see it) has further polarised people and made the issue even more difficult to resolve. The French tactic of ghettoising their Moslem population in suburbs like Clichy-sous-Bois only breeds harsh resentment and the European ideal of multiculturalism simply has not worked. The European way of handling immigration is well overdue for some serious re-evaluation. The American model of immigration generally works well and I think that is what Europe need to emulate going forward . In the US, immigrants are actively encouraged to assimilate and view themselves primarily as Americans. In European countries, immigrants have often been allowed to exist as a distinct group, separated from mainstream society, with no connection or sense of loyalty to their host countries. Excessively regulated employment markets have increased unemployment by making it difficult for firms to hire immigrants. The result of these policies is the creation of a breeding ground for terrorism, crime and endless social problems.

On the part of the Muslim population, the main problem is there exists a hard core element (anything from 10 to 30 percent going by the polls), which does not want to integrate under any circumstances. To put it bluntly: fundamentalist religion of any sort is completely incompatible with modern liberal democracy, yet many Muslims are oblivious to this when it comes to their religion. That goes for even some of the moderate ones as well. Many Europeans don’t want to acknowledge it because it’s a difficult problem to deal with and the issue is complicated by political correctness and the fallout from the Bush administration’s botched handling of the War on Terror. A few weeks ago, Jack Straw in Britain ignited a major controversy for publicly suggesting the Burka may be inappropriate to wear in certain circumstances. Somehow I can’t see the problem being solved any time soon.