Erich - as usual reasonable and balanced

Submitted by Michel C. Zala (Switzerland), Dec 16, 2010 at 11:24

TX, for your comment, Erich.

>>>Dhimi No More represents to me many people who have inherited the bitterness of being on the bloody losing end of the Jihad, or who have focused thoroughly upon the evil that the Jihad has spread, since the time of Mohammed. That focus needs to be taken seriously.>>>

If you have read my posts, I myself share this concern. I applauded some of the western politicians who dared to go against the mainstream of political correctness, becoming outspoken voices of that wide-spread discomfort in the west, heck, I myself voted for adoptioin of the Minarete initiative here in Switzerland, simply to bring this concern more to the forefront.

There is no doubt in my mind, that radical Islam, as practized in Iran for instance, must be contained, if not eliminated. With that objective in mind however, we must come to the realization, that homegrown islamist terrorists will be the main threat in the foreseeable future. To that end, we can not allow for further unnecessary radicalization in the muslim enclaves in Europe and America. By bundling a so far quite well integrated Turkish minority in with fundamentalists of PAK, LYB, Moroccon, Algerian or Iranian origin, treating them all indiscriminately with the same distrust, disrespect and resentment, as Dhimmi and Co do, all we manage to do is to herd the Turks (the largest minority in central Europe) right in to the welcoming arms of islamistic recruiters. Havas' responses have clearly offered some evidence to that fact, where more and more Turks feel humiliated and rejected, then in typical human response, start to feel resentment themselves. In that sense DnM works right into the hands of those, who still herald Salahaddin's battles against the crusaders.

As opposed to DnM, I make an effort to differentiate, as "Haymakers" are neither warranted (in this specific case of the Turks), nor do they serve any achiveable objective.

>>>One real fact is that however angry an Armenian, or a Greek, or a Serb may be about the past deeds of Turkey, Turkey exists here and now>>>

The past deeds of Turkey are as deplorable as the deeds of the Germans, Russians, Chinese, Japanese etc etc etc. There isn't a nation on earth with no skeletons in their closets. I simply pointed out, that at some point we must make an effort to draw a line and look forward, maybe see the glass half full at at times, instead of ever condemning, what we perceive as foreign. Indiscriminate hatred only bears indiscriminate hatred in return. Why this simple fact of nature and history is not appreciated, is beyond my understanding.

>>>Thankfully some Muslims are more distant from that core than others. We should work with that fact. Ultimately that is Dr. Pipe's point, I think. Firmness and prudence are necessary in the face of a large world religion that is both dangerous and complex, but includes millions who are clueless as to the danger of it.>>>

I could not agree more. While "Moderate Islam" seems to be a silent movement at best, there are undoubtedly muslims more " distant from that core". It is a choice to either blame them for their deficiencies nevertheless, or to acknowledge that distance and support , thus assist in widening that gap. Obviously I chose the latter.

>>>On the other hand it might continue getting closer to Iran, Syria, Hamas, the Islamic Brotherhood and the Saudis. There is some real momentum in that direction now, and it will be hard to reverse it.>>>

I agree again, but am a bit more optimistic. The current trend under Erdogan is disconcerning, albeit Turkey still is a far cry from Iran in that context. Whoever visited istanbul and Tehran recently, will immediately appreciate a day/night difference on all dimensions of society. As hard as it is to reverse entrenched Islamism, as hard it is to reverse, once the virus of liberty and freedom has taken hold and some prosperity has resulted from it.

In that sense I am a much stronger believer in the strength of a fundamentally superior system, than DnM. Especially, if Europe and the EU applies a more evenhanded diplomacy and begins to treat Turkey with more respect and consideration of their sensibilities, I see potential to constructive contributions to helping reverse (correct) the Erdogan direction. If that happens and there is little pressure to drive them further into the arms of the fundamentalist block or the Russians, the Turks are too smart to not appreciate their own history with exactly those "partners", whom they should rightfully mistrust. The logical direction for the Turks is Europe. All we needed to do is not to build artificial barricades and obstacles and make it too difficult for them to do the right thing.

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