Hope?

The following footage is very interesting and somehow proves that there is still some hope, that the promised "clash of civilisation" or rather the global bloodshed may not occur. Wafa Sultan, American psychologist, comes up with strong and convincing arguments, though she diverts relevant question about Israel' occupation of Palestine into a global statement about Jews and does not address the problem of US invasion of Iraq and its catastrophic aftermath.

Since 11/09/2001 Europe in a whole has been affected by islamist terrorist acts:

191 dead and 1500 injured in Madrid bombings (11/03/2004). It was the biggest terrorist attack in Europe since Lockerbie in 1988 and the bloodiest in Spain.

56 dead and 700 injured, in combined bus and metro bombings in London on 7 July 2005

In the case of Bombings/terrorist attacks in Russia, such as Beslan in 2004, it is harder to integrate them completly to the list of "islamist bombings". Though there may exist a strong islamist feeling within Chechen rebellion, the nationalist factor is, i believe, even stronger.

Numerous attempts of bombings have also been deluded in France, Germany and Britain.

Besides the mass murder attacks, islamists target also the freedoms people do enjoy in Europe and in particular the freedom of speech. Here are some examples:

- The murder in Amsterdam of Film Director Theo Van Gogh in 2004 by Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutch Muslim extremist

- The "Jylland Posten cartoon affair" proved to be even more interesting. Denmark, which is involved in the Iraq war became in 2005 and in a few days the incarnation of the most vicious foe for islamists. Not because of a wide scale "collateral damage" in Iraq but because a local newspaper dared to show the prophet Mohamed as a terrorist. Therefore, the confrontation this time was between our constitutional values and the believes of islamists.
But the most interesting is not the unfortunate consequences suffered by Denmark- embassies torched in Beirut and Damascus- but rather the reactions of European political figures:

Some governments supported Denmark without conditions such as Belgium, Czech Republic or Germany. However, some saw this as a provocation that was not necessary in a context already tense. In a word, it's better to shut up rather than to worsen a situation already difficult.

- Recent events show that the fear to be provocative or to hurt Muslims feelings is increasing: In September 2006 Mozart' Idemeneo was cancelled by Berlin Deutsche Oper, the director fearing to experience the same fate of Jylland Posten cartoonists (death threats). Few days later, a french philosophy teacher, Robert Redeker, wrote an article in the newspaper Le Figaro, criticising with virulence Islam. Since then he received serious death threats and had to leave his house and job. He currently lives under permanent police protection in a secret location.


From all this i will draw three conclusions:

- Europeans shall neither give in their rights to politicians nor to islamists. We are not involved in a war against terror as said Mr. Bush. We are at war against obscurantists who wish to rule everybody with middle-age Sharia rule: The European Court of Human Rights even ruled that La charia serait l’antithèse de la démocratie, dans la mesure où elle se fonde sur des valeurs dogmatiques et est le contraire de la suprématie de la raison, des conceptions de la liberté, de l’indépendance, ou de l’idéal de l’humanité développé à la lumière de la science.(31/07/2001,Refah Partisi v. Turquie)

- Europeans shall not adopt a sort of "Munich syndrome", tring to get along with extremists, In a word to buy time. This may work but for a while only! UK press (even The Independent) rail at such people and call them PC (politically correct)... I found it quite funny!

- Those who should wake up and prove their commitment to democratic values and their opposition to islamists are Muslims themselves and especially those living in Europe: because if troubles keep growing, prejudices and discriminations against Muslims will spread even faster.

In France a motto was invented a couple of month ago by a far right politician called Philippe De Villiers: "la France, tu l'aimes ou tu la quitte!", (France: you like it or you leave it!). This motto has been captured lately by mainstream right party leader Nicolas Sarkozy in the prospect of the coming presidential election.
So far, it's only words but if the situation worsen i would not be surprised that it would be translated into painful concrete actions.

I would give the last word to my Grandfather who'd like to state in such cases the physics principle: "any action leads to a reaction".