Nidra Poller writes in Tech Central Station about things you just can't say about Islam, no matter how true and essential they are:
PARIS -- Add one more casualty to the victims of the November incidents in France: Alain Finkielkraut, 56-year-old professor, philosopher, author, and subtle commentator on current events. This humane intellectual has been dragged into something like a cross between a medieval disputation, the Moscow Trials, and an al Qaeda beheading scene, simply because he deviated from the accepted interpretation of the violence then raging in France…and said it in an Israeli newspaper.Finkielkraut was interviewed in the thick of the fighting by two journalists from the Israeli daily Haaretz, Dror Mishani and Aurélia Samothraiz. Thinking himself in friendly territory, the philosopher spoke freely about the origins and implications of the violence that was shaking France on its foundations.
Haaretz published an awkward English translation of the interview/profile, originally conducted in French on November 17; the Hebrew version was the cover story of the November 18 weekend supplement. In the course of the interview Finkielkraut remarked that it was not possible to say "these things" in France.
How right he is.
A slapdash French (re-)translation by notorious Israel-bashers Michel Warshavski and Michèle Sibony was rapidly posted by the French Jewish Union for Peace (UJFP) under the title, "They're not miserable they're Muslim." Once the sharks had drawn blood a motley crew of French journalists, scholars, and all-purpose intellectuals rushed to devour the man who dared to speak his mind, inadvertently exposing their own mental and ethical poverty in the process.
Here in France, where no accusation against America or Israel is too scurrilous for official dissemination and mass consumption, Finkielkraut was beaten almost senseless for developing, with utmost precaution, a thoughtful analysis of the riots. Going beyond the simplistic sociological description of ghettoized youths bursting out in frustration against discrimination and unemployment, Finkielkraut analyzes the violence as a nihilistic attack against the French Republic. He points out the dangers inherent in romanticizing the riots as the justified revolt of the wretched of the earth. And he has the courage to mention that the perpetrators of the street violence are, for the most part, black and/or Muslim…born in France but anchored to an ethno-religious identity that makes their integration well nigh impossible. He cautions against a misguided anti-racism that may become the totalitarian menace of the 21st century, as was Communism in the latter half of the 20th.
Every detail of the extensive Haaretz interview merits debate and reflection. But the prevailing dhimmitude climate leaves no room for debate: It is forbidden to criticize Islam.
Read it all.
UPDATE: Fausta at the Bad Hair Blog has evidence that "Mr. Finkielkraut did not recant his opinions — on the contrary, he made it clear that he stood behind what he had said in Haaretz."
Finkielkraut, author of, inter alia, "La Defaite de la pensee," should never have given an inch in his interview. He should have briskly dismissed the business of a poor translation, and repeated, even more strongly, the points for which he is being attacked: to wit, the suggestion that Islam, the tenets of Islam, the attitudes engendered by Islam, the atmospherics in which Muslims or those who call themselves Muslims (it hardly matters how much they actually know of the details, as long as their hostility or murderous hatred toward the Infidel nation-state and the Infidels, is felt and expressed), are largely responsible for explainiong the intensity, the duration, the real nature, and many of the targets (those twelve churches attacked and burned, those synagogues and Jewish schools and schoolbusses attacked in the past).
He must have been tired and worn down. He does not sound like Alain Finkielkraut. He shouyld not have given an inch. Not he, not Houellebecqu, not Jean Raspail, not Chagnon, not Anne-Marie Delcambre, not Yvan Rioufol, not Alexandre del Valle, not Philippe Villiers, not Sarkozy (when he is being sensible), not any of them. They are right. The appeasers, the Elbachwhatshisnames, are wrong and dangerous and should be forced out of positions of power. And eventually they will be -- after, one suspects, the next election, when the necessary epuration of the French official media must take place, and a new crew -- la France libre -- can come in.
To which I shall add:
Belgian Waffle:
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/chuckcolson/2005/12/06/177920.html
We have a very similar situation here in the U.S. Political correctness is the de facto standard in the media, in politics, and on campus. But the average man and woman know better, and the conversations carried at home or among friends are very different.
Western leaders' and academics' obsession about political correctness and cultural diversity is much like the U.S.S.R.'s leaders' obsession about communism, glorified in the news and taught at universities---everybody knew it was BS, but pretended otherwise, so as not to be fired from work or jailed.
Finkielkraut apparently is a broken man. He has received death threats and worries for the safety of his family. It's a tough call.
Perhaps he should move to the United States. What American university will have the good sense to offer him a position, or are all the spaces reserved for Rashid, Khaled, and assorted espositos? If he were to make such a move, he could continue to write in French, and attempt to persuade, and alert, his countrymen. His self-exile would itself be telling.
This outrageous denial of the Islamic menace faced by the West is exemplified in a somewhat less dramatic way by the large poster prominently displayed at a local New York State government building, which I visited yesterday. The poster boldly states "9/11 - We will never forget" or something very similar, with crude renderings of the World Trade Towers, doves, and other symbols I cannot even recall. Nowhere on this poster is there any indication as to what it is we are being enjoined not to forget - nothing about the fact that we were attacked by Muslims acting on the Islamic call to Jihad, resulting in the deaths of thousands. There is a fear of identifying the enemy, those who killed so many, perhaps because it may give offense to those Muslims who are resident in the area in small but steadily increasing numbers. The same situation prevails at the local shopping mall, where a wall hanging declares that We Will Never Forget 9-11, but nowhere identifies what happened on that day that makes it so putatively memorable. An enemy attack? When? By whom?
Alain Finkielkraut is another victim of Jihadi terror and intolerance. People keep saying, including Posters on JW - why don't moderate Muslims come out against the Islamic Fundamentalists?? REASON IS THEY ARE TOO DAMN AFRAID.
Muslims know only too well what will happen to them & their families if they dare to 'snitch' on
Radicals. Eyes gouged out, noses and limbs cut off, throats slit or turned into human fireballs after being doused with petrol & set alight.
Just a few of the punishments for collaboraters and their families which will be 'videoed' to terrify any others who think of stepping out of line. 'The Religion of Peace' tolerates only its
evil ideology.
HAH! ANOTHER conservative on the Saudi payroll... what was that about the "liberal" media, asshats? And the MSM being sooooo PC? What a bunch of loosers. Idiots like (names not mentioned) are going to be the FIRST in line when Islam invades to convert. I really expect this to be my last post. Bunch of goddam morons.
One of Laurence Auster's blog readers posted an English translation of Europe 1's interview (by Jean-Pierre Elkabach) of Finkielkraut. It really is a must-read - utterly chilling:
PC inquisition
Holy crap. Talk about Eurabia and dhimmitude on your doorstep.
My colleague had a 'fun' comment: where do you think us Dutchies would be welcome should shit hit the fan so hard we're forced to evacuate?
Hugh:
What do you really think the chances are of any American or Canadian university finding a place for Finkielkraut? Israeli, maybe, but even that's not a certainty.
As far as I can tell the Groves of Academe could be renamed the grovellers before Islam. The last thing they'd be interested in is a professor who publicly acknowledged the obvious about the ethno-religious backgroud of the vast majority of the rioters. Why, someone like that might actually be inclined to say dangerous things about some of his colleagues and the various student organizations.
Commonsense:
I wouldn't worry so much. I think every real American knows exactly what we will never forget.
By Jove,
I've just been reading that URL posted by Caroline and then followed it to http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2005/11/what_sort_of_frenchmen_are_the.php
That Elkabach is publically lynching the guy and putting words in his mouth, talk about dirty journalism. The guy already had a preconceived mind that he wanted Finkielkraut to adhere to.
If you read Finkielkraut's interview it is not hard to see why he was called one of the greatest thinkers of France in the last 30+ years. He really dissects everything and points out the hurting spots accurately.
Europe is slowly smothering itself in its political correctness. I am glad I broke that yoke many years ago.
From above: "I think every real American knows exactly what we will never forget."
I concur. Etched in my mind permanently.
From the article
Que interesante. Pretty much the same story with the ACLU and SPLC. Originally founded to combat racism and anti-Semitism.
Here's the solution, revoke all Civil Rights legislation and laws, stop this PC nonsense and make it politically OK to start talking about niggers and kikes, bashing and hanging blacks, Jews, queers and Muslims.
So long as we get the Muslims. I wonder where ACLU hating Aryan Nations and Atzlan stand on the matter, pretty much shoulder to shoulder with FREEPERS.
And forcibly convert everyone to Christianity, make it the official religion of the land,and non Christians must wear identifying clothes and insignia and pay a double income tax..
Restrict employment, occupations and living quarters for non Christians..that should take care of the Muslim problem.
There goes Nariz on one of his straw man boondoggles yet again... Yep -- The the pinko knucklehead has it right... everyone here is pretty much proposing the kinds of draconian stuff he's paraphrasing. It's the kind of thing we could all get behind! Nariz = refreshing. (The same way a blast from the rear end of an ostrich with bird flu would be...)