Follow-up Comment on The Demographic Jihad

Submitted by Aidan Maconachy (Canada), Sep 22, 2005 at 16:13

I would like to add a few points to go along with my earlier post on this topic, and also to answer a few comments made by other posters on this thread.

In referring to the social revolution of the 60's I'm not implying that it was all bad by any means. Many social injustices and economic/class barriers were challenged and a new order came about that has brought many positives in its wake. However the wholesale trashing of historical periods described loosely as "western imperialism" and the tendency to view history through the lense of various sub-texts i.e. the oppression of minorites, has led to a version of history that serves the interests of people with an ideological agenda. I see this view as being too narrow and exclusionary, and it has led to widespread alienation from a sense of tradition and identity that derives from the historical record.

A sense of history and identity does not necessarily imply an exclusionary and elitist stance. I certainly don't think that it should be used as a pretext to oppress Muslims or to promote any form of contemporary jingoism. In fact within the context of this debate, I think it is very important to strenuously avoid discriminating against Islam in a knee jerk fashion and to focus the debate on aspects of Islamic fundamentalism that actively oppose the values of a free and democratic society.

Generalized attacks on Muslims in general diminish the arguments of people who may have certain legitimate concerns.

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