The Muslim Riots in Antwerp

8/9/2019 The Muslim Riots in Antwerp

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The Muslim Riots in Antwerp: Peaceful Integration is

the Only AnswerEuropean fans of tightly shut borders are already gladly pointing to Antwerp as an

example that immigration inevitably leads to civil strife. Hundreds of Muslim residents of

that Belgian port city rioted late last week after a professor of Islamic studies was killed,and the situation was still tense all weekend. But the lessons to be drawn from this mess

may be the opposite: they are that Europe's immigrant communities need more

opportunities to integrate into the host societies, not less.

Certainly, this seems to be the opinion of the family of the murdered teacher, Muhammed

Achrak, a 27-year-old man of Moroccan origin gunned down by an apparently deranged

pensioner. The murder unleashed two days of rioting last week after trouble-makersspread the rumor that it had been a racist act, though there was scant evidence of that.

But on Friday evening, as thousands gathered for the funeral, Achrak's younger brother,

Satif, appealed for calm by telling the crowd: "we're all one people, black and white,

Moroccan and Belgian, Muslims or not."

These noble sentiments from an aggrieved brother are a far cry from the immigrant-baiting tactics of a Lebanese-born Dyab Abou Jahjah, the president of something called

the Arab-European League, who was arrested Thursday night by Antwerp police on

charges of fomenting the riots. An Arab nationalist who fought the Israelis and models

himself on Nasser, he told Britain's Observer newspaper soon before his arrest: "Wereject integration when it leads to assimilation. We are at home here and whatever we

consider our culture to be also belongs to our chosen country."

The AEL's Web site makes its aims clear. Under the picture of a masked Palestinian

terrorist comes the warning: "we shall overcome by any means necessary." Immigrantswho come with conquest in mind should expect no hearty welcome. But fortunately mostnewcomers want only a better life. European nations, where those willing hands are

needed to replace aging populations, should take care to make a distinction between the

two classes and provide the means to assimilate those who come in peace.

During these days of incitement, inflamation and rage, all of us in the international peace

community need to be even more viligant in following the ways of Dr. King and Ghandi.

Global Peace Initiative

December 2, 2002

Down with dictatorships

The recent terrorist attacks in Kenya (and in Bali on October 12) should be a wake-upcall to all those who want to fight terrorism. Islamic terrorism will continue to worsen as

long as there exist dictatorial regimes - Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, etc. - that sponsor

and harbor terrorists.


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The U.S. war on terrorism has so far been a failure because, with the exception of

Afghanistan, the U.S. has been practicing the hopeless policy of appeasement, the same

decades-old policy that allowed terrorists to become powerful enough to murder 3,000people in one day on American soil. Such appeasement has only strengthened the resolve

of Islamic terrorists and their sponsors.

Snuffing out individual terrorists or terrorist cells is not enough, because new terrorists

will be recruited and trained. Building a security wall is not enough because the suicidal

fanatics will always find ways to penetrate. The only solution is to eliminate thedictatorial regimes that sponsor terrorism.

Conservatives Dispute Bush Portrayal of Islam as PeacefulCritics, Include Some Policy Advisers, Call Stance Political

Saturday, November 30, 2002;

President Bush finds himself in a rare disagreement with conservativesin his party over his efforts to portray Islam as a peaceful religion thatis not responsible for anti-American terrorism.

In a score of speeches since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the presidenthas called for tolerance of Muslims, describing Islam as "a faith basedupon peace and love and compassion" and a religion committed to"morality and learning and tolerance."

But a large number of foreign policy hawks -- some of them withadvisory roles in the Bush administration -- have joined religious

conservatives in taking issue with Bush's characterizations. While mostof them understand the political rationale for Bush's statements --there's no benefit in antagonizing Muslim allies such as Pakistan andIndonesia -- they say the claim is dishonest and destined to fail.

For Bush and for the country, the outcome of the argument is crucial.The administration, and moderate governments in Arab and Muslimnations, are struggling to prevent the war on terrorism from becomingwhat Osama bin Laden wants: a war of civilization between the Judeo-Christian West and a resentful and impoverished Muslim world.

Calling Islam a peaceful religion "is an increasingly hard argument tomake," "The more you examine the religion, the more militaristic itseems. After all, its founder, Mohammed, was a warrior, not a peaceadvocate like Jesus."

the enemy of the United States enemy is not terrorism "but militantIslam." "The enemy has an ideology, and an hour spent surfing theWeb will give the average citizen at least the kind of insights that he or


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treasures your friendship; America honors your faith," he said at theIftaar dinner.

Last month, at a White House event promoting U.S. efforts to rebuildAfghanistan, Bush celebrated Islam as "a vibrant faith." "Millions of our

fellow citizens are Muslim. We respect the faith. We honor itstraditions. Our enemy does not. Our enemy doesn't follow the greattraditions of Islam. They've hijacked a great religion."

Bush has delivered such speeches almost monthly since the terroristattacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, beginning with anappearance at the Islamic Center of Washington on Sept. 17, 2001."The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam," he said. "That's notwhat Islam is all about. Islam is peace."

Many understand the political and even moral reasons for such

pronouncements. Tere is no denying that there is a "clash betweenWestern values and the radical Islam we've seen" but said it need notbe "a war of Christianity versus Islam."

"Bush is doing his best to minimize it, and so far has avoided a clash ofcivilizations. Yet, describing Islam as peaceful is the right politicalargument, but it's a harder intellectual argument to make.

That likely won't get any easier with the intellectual ferment amongAmerican conservatives, many of whom are coming to a conclusionthat "Certainly not all Muslims are terrorists," he wrote. "But it would

be dishonest to ignore the plain truth that Islam has become anespecially fertile breeding-ground of terrorism in our time. This canonly mean that there is something in the religion itself that legitimizesthe likes of Osama bin Laden, and indeed there is: the obligationimposed by the Koran to wage holy war, or jihad, against the 'infidels.'"

Documents

The Muslim Riots in Antwerp