© MikeDotta / Shutterstock.com
Muslims pray in Turin, Italy
a piece Thursday, "Can Islamic and European Civilizations Coexist?" and it is incredible (as in beyond belief, hard to believe, far-fetched, implausible).
The headline leads you to believe that, finally, maybe there might be a discussion of this existential question with a (sadly) obvious answer, but that would be delusional. In reality, the
Times is not asking the question. It mocks you into thinking the question is a legitimate one. The real title should be: "Muslim Grievances, Why We Are Right to Whine After Jihadis Attack."
The piece is not written by a legitimate, reasoned, and brilliant scholar of Islam like, say, Ibn Waraq, Bat Ye'or, or Robert Spencer. No, this absurd propaganda is by one of the
Times' resident shills for Islam, Atossa Araxia Abrahmian, coming in form of a review of
Journey Into Europe: Islam, Immigration, and Identity, the latest installment in Islamic studies professor Akbar Ahmed's series on Muslims around the world.
Comment: This is a very complex issue. Can Islamic civilization coexist side by side with European civilization? Probably not on equal terms, depending on whether we are considering a scenario in Europe or in a Middle Eastern country - and which country. If in Europe, it is the Islamic part that needs to change and adapt to local standards; it is after all the 'guest culture', so to speak, and as the minority, it cannot expect the majority to adapt to them. If in the Middle East, it depends on which country. Syria, for example, a country with a secular government, had for many years conditions that allowed different Christian and Muslim sects to coexist in peace - until this order was disrupted by
external groups of mercenaries and fanatics. In constrast, a country like Saudi Arabia is a totalitarian theocratic monarchy that completely cancels the possibility. Furthermore, Islamic culture is not a monolith - sunnis, shias and wahabis are different - and the same can be said of Christianism.
Speaking of Saudi Arabia, and to complicate the matter further, consider the implications of Mohammed Bin Salman's recent revelations to the
Washington Post:
Saudi prince MBS: 'Anglo-Americans asked us to spread Extremist Islam to defeat Russia in Cold War'
Comment: