Yet it remains the truth. While Europe remains fixated on counting Jewish houses in Judea and Samaria, their own houses burn to the ground.If you follow the link above you will see that this is a remark in a Y-Net article.
Yishai Kohen, YeShA, Israel (05.28.13)
It couldn't be more concise or more accurate.
For so many years, now, we've been reading about how Europe is losing its culture and how Muslim immigrants from North Africa or Pakistan are creating unassimilated enclaves of no-go zones within European cities.
When I first started hearing these complaints during the Bush II years I assumed that this was just the squawking of privileged white racists.
Now I know different.
I would like to learn more about the history and / or perceived utility of these 'no-go zones' in European cities. If they are truly as described, who let them get to this point and why?
ReplyDeleteI've noted before, numerous times, that there is an extremely large Muslim population here in North Philadelphia. Mostly Black Muslims, but an increasing number of Arabs and others in recent years as well. For example, there's a large Albanian Muslim Center a couple El stops south of me, across the street from my favorite Sixers bar, and down the block from a tattoo shop which seems to double as a community spot for the local gay community - no problems have ever been reported in the area; and having a sandwich at the sidewalk tables at Paesano's across the street is one of my favorite places for lively, wildly-varied people-watching at times.
But anyway. Again, there are no 'honor killings' in Philadelphia, there are no 'no-go zones' here, there are numerous bars, corner sausage stands and such, mingling seamlessly with mosques, Muslim cultural centers and bookstores, halal grocers, daycare centers advertising Islamic education with Nickelodeon-looking cartoon characters on their signs, etc.
So what have they apparently so wrong there, as opposed to what we've done right here? Could it be the 'melting pot' thing embedded in our culture, as opposed to a different tack perhaps preferred by older European societies? Am I on the right track here?
"Could it be the 'melting pot' thing embedded in our culture, as opposed to a different tack perhaps preferred by older European societies?"
DeleteI don't think so, the Melting Pot ideal of America has fallen out of fashion lately, and in America just as in Europe it's the Salad Bowl vision that now reigns.
It doesn't look to me like it's something the U.S. is doing differently than Europe, because the U.S. does have problems in Dearborn, for example. Something's different about Philly, or the Muslims in Philly. It's an interesting question; I ought to research it, though I don't know where to look.
Read Eurabia.
DeleteThanks, I keep remembering (and then forgetting again) to look it up. Will get to it soon, hopefully.
DeleteJay,
Deletethe Arab-Muslim experience in the United States is different from what it is in either the Middle East or Europe, because the cultures are different due to different cultural surroundings.
So, yes, you are onto something.
I have no problem whatsoever with the vast majority of American Muslims. They are my friends and neighbors.
This is what accounts for the disconnect between the way many Israelis talk about Muslims or Arabs versus the way that we understand our Muslim and Arab neighbors.
Our Muslim and Arab neighbors are not pelting us with stones, to start with!
To a large extent it's a numbers game, not to mention that for the most part American Muslims here are free.
DeleteAs for the pelting of others:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnJBW49afzg