French defence of western culture not so tough...

Submitted by Paul Rhoads (France), Jul 13, 2005 at 05:28

The French ban on head-scarves is not a defence of western, or French, culture agaist Islamism; it is just another local skirmish in the rationalist war against religion which a certain current in French society has been waging since the 18th century. The issue is France was not quelling Islamism but quelling religion.

France, meanwhile, has tried to establish a French Islam--which it thus hopes to control. There is now an official Islamic organization in France, whose direction is voted by French muslims, and is, unfortunately, controlled by extremists. It is recognized by the government who provides the funds to build the mosques, on the principle that Islam should get equal treatment with Christianity.
It is true that the French police are tough on islamists, but the magistrates, still in the grip of communist ideology, are much less so. The French combat against terrorists may be much more robust than the English (I would not know) but, like the American, it is certainly not all it should be. England may lead in numbers of terrorists spawned on its territory, but France's record in this regard is hardly brilliant. Arab anti-semitism in France, for example, is exasperated and very public.

Paul Rhoads
(American living in France since 1990)

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