West counts on modernisation of Islam yet insulates it from criticism for fear of ‘racism’
Roger Boyes writes an insightful piece in the Times ( November 4) on the response in Paris and Vienna to the recent murders: bafflement that jihadist cells still exist, followed by a tweak in policing and counterterrorism tactics.
“Here’s the paradox that Macron has spotted. The West is counting on the eventual internal reform and modernisation of Islam that will make possible a fruitful integration into European society. Yet it insulates Islamic communities from external criticism for fear that it will be seen as racism.”
The West can’t ignore Macron’s call to action
French president’s defence of European values in the face of extremism must be supported
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/the-west-cant-ignore-macrons-call-to-action-lq6080sr8
Boyes writes that “ The political imperative, though, is to move on as soon as decently possible. Any deeper self-examination could polarise society and spread xenophobia, runs this tired and defeatist logic.
And so the attacks will continue, as inevitable as bad weather. Europe is a soft target for any killer who wants to drum up maximum publicity for the lowest possible cost. That’s why we should be supporting Emmanuel Macron as he gallops into a clash of civilisations, a defence of what used to be viewed as shared western values. ….
Macron is an unlikely Crusader…. Here’s the paradox that Macron has spotted. The West is counting on the eventual internal reform and modernisation of Islam that will make possible a fruitful integration into European society. Yet it insulates Islamic communities from external criticism for fear that it will be seen as racism.
Macron argues that Muslims have created a separate universe for themselves in Europe’s cities. His answer to this is coming in the form of a law that would bring in far more scrutiny to the running of mosques. About 300 foreign-trained imams, 150 of them from Turkey, work in France. They will have to be rigorously certified. Islamic organisations will be bound to a pledge to respect the secular nature of the country. Home schooling will be curtailed and state schools will be open for three-year-olds, ensuring that French civic values are introduced at an early age. The ultimate aim, says Macron, is to fight those who go off the rails and veer towards radical Islam while protecting the ordinary worshipper.
….When he suggests that cultural integration of large minorities should begin at the earliest age, he is warning all those European societies that still believe radical separateness begins only in adolescent gang culture or in prison.
Macron is telling us, his neighbours, not to make timid choices and he is surely right. There has been too much looking away, on honour killings and forced marriages, because of a fear of being considered racist or discriminatory.
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