Thoughts on the European Muslim riots

Although the news coverage of the Paris riots took about a week to hit critical mass, the similar Muslim-fuelded riots in Denmark have yet to hit the major media outlets.

Is there a connection between the Moslem-led youth riots in France, and the ones taking place at the same time in Denmark?

The week of riots in poor neighbourhoods outside Paris, which has spread to 20 towns, has been well covered by the international media.

Not so for Århus, Denmark.

“Nothing of it has penetrated to the English-language sections of Danish media,” laments the Viking Observer.

The Observer took the trouble to translate into English the following from Danish Jyllands-Posten:“Rosenhoj Mall has several nights in a row been the scene of the worst riots in Århus for years. “This area belongs to us,” the youths proclaim. Sunday evening saw a new arson attack.

“Their words sound like a clear declaration of war on the Danish society. Police must stay out. The area belongs to immigrants.

“Four youths sit on a wall in Rosenhoj Mall Sunday afternoon, calling themselves spokesmen for the groups, that three nights in a row have ravaged and tried to burn down the restaurant and other stores.

“Around the parking lot, cars with youngsters from the immigrant community are swarming, and many are walking around, greeting each other with a sense of victory after the worst riots in Århus for years.

“Every night 30-40 youths took part, especially immigrants.

“Only two were arrested, “That was a victory.”"

Like the French riots (and the Palestinian intifada before that), the riots in Denmark started ostensibly from a trigger event that was proportionately much smaller than the resulting unrest. In this case, it was sparked by this incident:

ISLAM is no laughing matter. Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten is being protected by security guards and several cartoonists have gone into hiding after the newspaper published a series of 12 cartoons about the prophet Mohammed.

According to Islam, it is blasphemous to make images of the prophet. Muslim fundamentalists have threatened to bomb the paper's offices and kill the cartoonists.

The newspaper published the cartoons when a Danish author complained that he could find no one to illustrate his book about Mohammed. Jyllands-Posten wondered whether there were more cases of self-censorship regarding Islam in Denmark and asked 12 illustrators to draw the prophet for [it]. Carsten Juste, the paper's editor, said the cartoons were a test of whether the threat of Islamic terrorism had limited the freedom of expression in Denmark.

The publication led to outrage among Muslim immigrants living in Denmark. Five thousand of them took to the streets to protest. Muslim organisations have demanded an apology, but Juste rejects this idea: "We live in a democracy. That's why we can use all the journalistic methods we want to. Satire is accepted in this country and you can make caricatures." Danish imam Raed Hlayhel [says]: "This type of democracy is worthless for Muslims. Muslims will never accept this kind of humiliation. The article has insulted every Muslim in the world."

Flemming Rose, cultural editor at the newspaper, denied that the purpose had been to provoke Muslims. It was simply a reaction to the rising number of situations where artists and writers censored themselves out of fear of radical Islamists, he said. "Religious feelings cannot demand special treatment in a secular society," he added. "In a democracy one must from time to time accept criticism or [become] a laughing-stock." The affair, however, has also led to a diplomatic incident. The ambassadors of 11 Muslim countries complained about the cartoons in a letter to Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. They say the cartoons' publication is a provocation and demand apologies from the newspaper.

Jyllands-Posten was also included on an al-Qa'ida website listing possible terrorist targets. An organisation [that] calls itself the Glorious Brigades in Northern Europe is circulating pictures on the internet which show bombs exploding over pictures of the newspaper and blood flowing over the national flag of Denmark. "The mujaheddin have numerous targets in Denmark -- very soon you all will regret this," the website says.

There have also been similar incidents in Brussels.
How much of the unrest is a result of radical Islam and how much is just criminal behavior? It really is hard to separate the two. In the early days of the French intifada, the rioters were heard to shout out "Allahu Akbar" and "Jihad." (credit Iris Blog.) However, the activities seem to be more criminal, more reminiscent of LA riots than Al Qaeda.

The Muslim communities in Europe have not assimilated into European culture, but it appears that this is at least as much the fault of the Muslim leaders as the Europeans. Islamic leaders are always is suspicious of assimilation and nervous about the West influencing its youth. Combine this with the mindset that the world owes them something and they have no personal responsibility for the actions of their own people, and a smattering of the obsession that Muslims (and Arabs especially) have about controlling land (which effectively made the status quo of Muslim ghettoes acceptable both the the Europeans and to the immigrants) and you have the ingredients for a non-religious, but very Muslim, uprising.

Another factor, highlighted by the cartoon incident, is how much the liberal mindset of fake multiculturalism has instilled itself in world Islam. Since the privileged classes offending minorities is considered a major crime by the Left, but minorities that are deemed to be disadvantaged by the Left have no similar rule, we consistently see cases where Muslims cannot be offended and yet are allowed, and sometimes encouraged, to be offensive. (No similar consideration is given to Hindus or Jews.)

A generation growing up with these rules ingrained - no personal responsibility, no consequences for acting immorally, and a dash of Islamic supremacy - will inevitably turn out to be criminal. And while this is not terrorism, the types of people who participate are prime targets for terrorist networks.