--- Dwayne Monroe <dwayne.monroe at gmail.com> wrote:
> Chris Doss:
>
> In what place in the world is racism not a problem?
> Europe's probably
> on the low end of the scale by global standards, as
> compared to say
> Africa or India (maybe).
>
> .................
>
>
> Of course you're right.
>
> But! Sadly, that's completely irrelevant to the
> point being made.
>
>
>
> Younge isn't surprised there's racism in Europe and,
> I don't think
> he's claiming the Euro-zone is more racist than
> other regions. The
> point is that Euro boosters are marketing a story.
> The story is that
> a near flawlessly tolerant and open-minded EU is
> under siege from
> Muslim outsiders who bring, we're told, their
> medieval ways to a
> thoroughly modern party. 'If only they could be
> more like us:
> tolerant and calm', the Euro-boosters cry.
>
> Younge argues that this is shit, through and
> through. The Europeans
> are contributing their own set of prejudices which
> act as a feedback
> loop, reinforcing whatever bigotries vex Muslim
> communities in Europe.
>
> Wait...Instead of circle jerking amongst ourselves,
> let's consider a
> quote from the source:
>
>
>
> <snip>
>
> With few governments collecting data on racial crime
> victims, it has
> been left to NGOs to record the sharp rise in
> attacks on Muslims,
> those believed to be Muslims and Muslim targets.
>
> None of this means anti-Semitism and jihadism don't
> exist among Muslim
> communities in Europe. But it does provide a context
> for both. Muslims
> are a relatively tiny percentage of European
> citizens--there is a
> higher proportion of Asians in Utah than Muslims in
> Italy--and are
> overwhelmingly concentrated among the poor. More
> than 40 percent of
> Bangladeshi men in Britain under the age of 25 are
> unemployed. All of
> this excuses nothing but explains a great deal.
> According to a Pew
> Research Center survey, the principal concerns of
> Muslims in France,
> Germany and Spain are unemployment and Islamic
> extremism. Integrating
> into a society that won't employ you, educate you or
> house you
> adequately is no easy feat. Participating in a
> political culture that
> scapegoats you is also tough. Attacked as Muslims at
> home and abroad,
> they defend themselves as Muslims. Every respected
> report in Britain
> has shown a direct link between the war in Iraq and
> recruitment to
> Islamist movements. And so the symbiosis of
> Islamophobes and Islamists
> is complete, with each thriving on polarization and
> prejudice: picking
> at scabs that might have healed, until the blood
> runs freely.
>
> [...]
>
>
>
> Sounds like good old fashioned, hard headed sense to
> me.
>
>
> <http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080107/younge>
>
>
>
> .d.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> "Your mistletoe is no match for my TOW missile!"
>
>
> Robot Santa
> ......................
> http://monroelab.net/blog/
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>
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