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More dhimmitude from one of the world's chief dhimmis, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. All this sounds great and high-minded until one actually studies the statements of radical Muslims and realizes that they are people who will accept negotiation only as an interim step to gather strength to fight again. From the BBC, with thanks to Ali Dashti:
The Spanish prime minister has called for an international effort to resolve cultural and religious differences between the Western and Muslim world.Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said "an alliance of cultures" was necessary in a world facing conflict because of poverty and Islamic radicalisation.
Mr Zapatero, at the UN General Assembly meeting, said the alliance could deepen political and cultural relations.
He also defended his decision to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq.
Dialogue
Mr Zapatero said he had asked the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to set up a high level group to study the creation of an alliance of civilisations.
Speaking on the fringes of the UN meeting in New York, Mr Zapatero said: "This alliance would have as its fundamental objective to deepen political, cultural and education relations between those who represent the so-called Western world and, in this historic moment, the area of Arab and Muslim countries."
The BBC's Michael Buchanan says the Spanish prime minister is trying to position his country as a bridge between Europe and north Africa.
Mr Zapatero said the world could become a clash of civilisations, with poverty and Islamic radicalisation tearing Western and Muslim countries apart.
The alliance he envisages could therefore prevent hate and misunderstanding from developing by looking at political and cultural issues - everything from joint peace keeping missions to interfaith dialogue.
Posted by Robert at September 23, 2004 6:55 AM
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President Zapatero is so obviously an appeaser! He is weak and ineffectual. He has withdrawn his country's troops from Iraq, and now proposes a 'cultural alliance' with Islam. For 'cultural alliance' read 'appeasing the Muslim world'! Does Mr. Zapatero, a man whose country was once overrun by Muslims, not understand that the phenomenon we see today with Islamic terrorism is a manifestation of Islam on the move? The warning signs are on the wall. We shall ignore them at our peril! There is no compromise with the Islamic world to be: we either value our democracy and freedom in the West, and we 'fight' (whatever that will entail) for them; or we don't. In the latter case, they win and we loose our freedoms. The Muslim world concedes nothing. It doesn't give an inch. With Zapatero's 'cultural alliance' all the West will do is give away and concede and appease. It is a recipe for disaster!
Posted by: Mark![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 23, 2004 7:05 AM
India's richest man Azim premji (Unfortunately India's richest man is a Muslim) has same views. He says that the Global supply chain of industries and multinational companies should involve the Arab nations, so that once they are involved in business, the'll stop terrorist attempts as the arab youth will be engaged in global business. As money will flow through these nations they'll become more responsible...and stuff likw that. Heck ! This will only feed oil to the fire, which will blow up the world.
One more attack like 9-11(or Beslan) on Spain by the Islamo-terrorists is needed, to enlighten Zapatero.
igotit
Posted by: igotit at September 23, 2004 9:31 AM
I have another idea that will go down well in Spain. Why don't they give all the islamist terrorists a medal and a parade them down the streets of Madrid. The absurdities in response to atrocities abound in that nutty country. Do they translate the book 1984 into Spanish at all? I am beginning to wonder. They should read it since it could be a Spanish story soon at the rate they are going.
Posted by: obl r us at September 23, 2004 9:34 AM
P.S. Mr Zapatero. The Islamists don't want to hold your hand, they want to cut off your head.
Posted by: obl r us at September 23, 2004 9:38 AM
You can read the entire speech in English here. In it, he also compared the US' pre-emptive war doctrine with Spain's Socialist death squads from the eighties. The plan itself is a copy from Khatami of Iran, from the late ninetees.
And look for an approach to ETA, with this new 'understanding' for root causes in hand.
Posted by: V-Man at September 23, 2004 10:09 AM
Spain is welcome to try this dangerous plan. While it is likely true that poverty in the muslim world has an effect on fanaticism it is not likely to be the prime cause. Proof of this assertion is the fact that most of the 9-11 murderers were well-off by muslim standards. The casue of the problem is in fact rooted in culture bt we cannot solve this problem by opening a "dialogue" with the islamic world in the hpes that "understanding" will lead to peacful outcomes. Clearly fear is motivating this move because such pains are taken to mention that a clash of civilizations must be avoided at all costs. To the contrary, we must be prepared to fight and win a clash of civilizations if we are to prevail.
Posted by: Buck at September 23, 2004 10:45 AM
A cultural union with these people? Sure.
In Denmark, a mufti called Shahid Mehdi, one of the leading Muslim leaders in Copenhagen, yesterday caused outrage when he said, on national Danish TV, that "Women do not deserve respect when they are not veiled, and thus have themselves to blame, if they are assaulted. Women themselves are partly to blame for rape, and society is partly to blame. It is society's fault that they dress the way they do."
He also said that he believed rapes would stop if women start wearing the veil. "Otherwise, they look like cheap goods sold in the streets. It is immoral to move around without veil."
A comment in Danish to the statements:
http://www.bt.dk/leder:aid=308896/
Posted by: Ali Dashti at September 23, 2004 11:13 AM
I get it now...anyone who doesn't advocate the killing of all Muslims everywhere is guilty of dhimmitude. Glad I got that straight.
Posted by: The Truth at September 23, 2004 11:27 AM
To The Truth
You said "I get it now...anyone who doesn't advocate the killing of all Muslims everywhere is guilty of dhimmitude. Glad I got that straight."
I am confused. I have read this whole web-blog page and no-one here has said that. I don't advocate killing muslims (as in atrocities) and I am not a dhimmini. No-one here would accuse me of being one. So you don't have to think what you said is true here. I know some people say extreme things here though, on both sides.
Posted by: obl r us at September 23, 2004 11:47 AM
How does one go about forming a 'cultural alliance' with something that has a mandate 'to dominate, and not be dominated'? This is plain stupid, and Spain should be ashamed of Zapatero.
Muslims don't form alliances with infidels, except as a means to further their expansionist ends. A 'Islam-Western cultural alliance' is akin to the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact between the nazis and the communists...
Shortsighted and wholly self-destructive on the part of Spain.
Posted by: Belisarius at September 23, 2004 12:32 PM
Take two nagnets, turn them around, and they repel each other. That's the same result of the West and Islamic cultures trying to have a "partnership"
Posted by: DCWatson at September 23, 2004 12:49 PM
Magnets.....
Posted by: DCWatson at September 23, 2004 12:51 PM
I am shamed for being represented for this man, I didn´t vote him and I won´t vote him, americans, please, try to understand that all spanish aren´t the same and don´t think the same that this bastard. I sent e-mails to americans that el País the most important newspaper who is pro-Zapatero and pro-leftist and pro-islamic made a publicity against USA, thanks to several like you, they have asked for apologies, the photo is this:
http://www.escolar.net/MT/archives/elpais2.jpg
Un día da para mucho
A day gives for much
Well, this enterprise directed by Jesus de Polanco is a bastard that is leftist and he is rich for the dictatorship like Franco or Pinochet, namely he is very hipocrytical, well this man has entreprises in USA, can you help me for doing boycott here in USA, and making damage in his money. It would be very grateful for the spanish who want a friendship relations between Spain and USA, greetings
at September 23, 2004 2:02 PM
This is actually a great idea. We could begin with an exchange of history scholars. Arab historians can come to Spain to remind the Spanish of their humiliating subjugation as dhimmis under the Moors, and the Spanish historians can remind the Arabs of their crushing defeat and expulsion from Western Europe during the reconquista.
Posted by: Hulegu Khan at September 23, 2004 2:04 PM
The only permissible cultural exchange between Europe and dar-ul-islam is this:
Your christians for our moslems! Wholesale population exchange. Am sure any referendum amongst Europe's native born will support the idea wholesale.
at September 23, 2004 2:52 PM
Making a "cultural alliance" with Islamia pre-supposes that there is some sort of culture there with which to make an alliance in the first place.
A BIG presupposition, I think.
Posted by: Suzan at September 23, 2004 3:12 PM
"Whereof we do not know, thereof we should not speak."
But who needs Wittgenstein when folk-wisdom is available:
Shoemaker, stick to your last.
Or spanished:
Zapatero -- a tus zapatos!
Posted by: Hugh at September 23, 2004 3:27 PM
Hugh, I know this is off-topic but having read your comments on the BBc's John Simpson and his anti-Israel agenda I wonder if you knew anything about who is behind the Channel 4 News here in the UK. Their reporting is consistently anti-American and anti-Western in general. The presenter of the programme, Jon Snow, grovells like an urbane Uriah Heep whenever he's interviewing muslims or leftists but sneers whenever he has to say the words America or Israel. Their female ME correspondent reminds me of the pro-Arab Ola Guerin from the BBC and Snow never misses the chance to add a dig at Bush or the Us Military. Tonight's C4 news was another classic in dhimmitude. The blame for the hostage crisis in Iraq was laid completely at America's door with no mention of the Jihadist nature of the kidnappers. Some "doctor" from an Iraq hospital was given carte blanche to accuse the US of holding Iraq women hostage without presenting a shred of evidence. Yusef Islam was then presented as a complete innocent being victimised by the US without mentioning any of his terror links or his comments on the fatwa on Salman Rushdie. Then there was a piece on how poor muslims in the UK are frightened of Islamophonia (how about an interview with Britons fearful of Islam for a change ?) AND to cap it all off old Gorbachov was wheeled in to slam the Iraq war. Snow did a great job of feeding Gorby leading questions and then nodding enthusiasticaly as the Russian condemed the US. But this is just one example of C4's bias which is often wrse that the BBc's. Does any one (especially Hugh) know anything about the producers of C4News or is it the smirking Jon Snow who controls the agenda ?
Posted by: Son Of Albion at September 23, 2004 4:02 PM
I see that Spain is a country that actually negotiates with terrorists. First- E.T.A. and then muslims.
Posted by: Ummagumma at September 23, 2004 5:42 PM
Don't the Spaniards study their own history?! Spain became a superpower in the 16th century AFTER it booted the foreign Arab muslim occupiers back to where they came from. Where are the Ferdinands and Isabels when you need them?
Posted by: 3812Michelle at September 23, 2004 5:50 PM
If another major terrorist attack occurs in Spain,the prime minister will probably make the announcement,the very next day,that Spain`s official religion has become islam and the official language,the arabic.
Spaniards should prepare themselves for sharia law,amputations,decapitations and a whole new wardrobe,consisting of burqas,turbans and the works.
at September 23, 2004 7:31 PM
And wherein we have stepped, therein we should look...
Zapatero has got it all over him and is gonna drag that stinky crap all over the country, Islamo-pie.
Anybody got some hot water, disinfectant, a wash rag, and a dose of common sense?
Posted by: JTF at September 23, 2004 8:34 PM
I'm really losing my tolerance for this infidelophobia by Muslims that everyone esle must learn about Islam so they won't stay racist bigots.
Muslims are just another group in America that should agree to the rules of the land,with all these demands on infidels to learn how to treat Muslims it's looking more like a manual to care for a "Chia-pet" plant.
When to feed it,what it can eat,which way to face it for sunlight,how to display it,and on and on.
maybe an Osama "Chia-pet" will be sold with a pack of the seeds of Islam you smear on and his brain and
up comes "hemlock" or a poison ivy growth that's
eventially kills you when it distroys your freedom
liberties.
Hey, here's an idea,let Spain take in all these misunderstood peaceful follower of Muham"MAD" .
NO ISLAM - KNOW PEACE
Posted by: ala-sux
at September 23, 2004 8:40 PM
"....an alliance of cultures."
Right, but which cultures do you want to have an alliance with?
Which culture is closest to you in values?
Make your choice, and receive the consequences.
Posted by: Mike H at September 23, 2004 9:49 PM
In a few months "Eurabia" will be out. Buy it, read it. Tell others to buy it and read it. And then, please, go back to this particular speech by this particular Zapatero (or print it out now, and put it on your refrigerator, under that magnet -- yes, if you don't have any left, then remove that cartoon by Roz Chwast, or that funny headline from last year's paper -- and print it out, and compare every single word of Zapatero offered here, with what you will read in the brilliant analysis of the creation of Eurabia offered by Bat Ye'or.
Then rub your eyes -- but not in disbelief. In horror.
Posted by: Hugh at September 23, 2004 10:50 PM
Your right Hugh!!!!
We need to support the writers who write to enlighten us against the islamist threat. Support these people..buy and read their books. Recommend them to friends and place supportive reviews of these books (if they are good) on sites like amazon.com. This is one way of being pro-active..of making a differnce. The more anti-islamist books out there for people to read the better for the west. Maybe if we all do this there will be more anti-islamist books than pro-islamist politically correct revisionist garbage tomes on the booksehelves of libraries and bookstores. Then maybe the majority of westerners will become enlightened about islmasism's threat to us.
Posted by: obl r us at September 23, 2004 11:32 PM
Also I would recomend the newest (in spanish) book of Oriana Fallaci - she is anticipating a lot of facts from Bath Ye´or "Eurabia".
Have a look also at her interview on FrontPage Magazine - it gives you a lot of hints about the backgrounds of Mr. Rodriguez Z. speach at the UNO.
at September 24, 2004 5:54 PM
The Truth and guys like him are coming from talkleft, the America haters...
Posted by: Bar at September 24, 2004 11:00 PM
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