There’s a facsinating interview in Der Spiegel with Muslim poltical scientist Bassam Tibi, who says that Europe has stopped defending its values in the face of Muslim terror threats. When asked if backing off of anything that offends Muslims doesn’t help to defuse the conflict, he responded:
No. That is simply giving up. And the weaker the partner is viewed by the Muslims, then the greater the anger which they express. And this anger is often carefully staged. The argument over the cartoons for example was completely orchestrated. Nothing was spontaneous. A lot of people don’t know if Denmark is a country or a cheese. Where did they get the Danish flags? Protests like these are weapons in this war of ideas. Or take another example: The president of the Iranian parliament was visiting Belgium where he had an appointment with a female Belgian colleague. He refused to shake her hand, so she didn’t meet with him. He left Belgium and accused her of racism. The accusation of cultural insensitivity is a weapon. And we have to neutralize it.
As I read this and other parts of the interview I saw eery similarities in what has happened in Durham in the past 25 years in the name of political correctness. PC terror threats may not be on the body and the life, but they are certainly aimed at the career and the reputation. Oppose out-of-control welfare? You’re a racist. Favor creches on public property? You’re a Christian bigot who wants to establish a government religion. Favor concealed carry? You’re a gun nut and possible militia member. Condemn Islamo-fascism? You’re a jingoistic, right-wing, xenophobic anti-multiculturist. Favor private property rights? You’re a stooge of hegemonic capitalism.
Many, like the Spiegel interviewer, think that backing off of anything that offends the PC crowd is the right approach. You can see that at almost any city council or county commissioners meeting, and in nearly every editorial in local papers, and in the hysterical, pot-banging reaction to the Duke lacrosse case. But as Tibi rightly points out, this is not defusing the conflict, it’s just refusing to stand up for your values.
(h/t: The Corner)
UPDATE: Victor Davis Hanson has a similar view in a column titled “Traitors to the Enlightenment: Europe turns its back on Socrates, Locke, et al.”
