I get lots of unsolicited email. Some of it is serious; some is salacious; and some is just plain silly. Lately, though, I’ve received an increasing number of troubling messages advancing a similar argument. Typical was one I got today entitled, “All European Life Died in Auschwitz.” Purportedly written by a Spanish writer, and translated into English, it went like this:
“I walked down the street in Barcelona, and suddenly discovered a terrible truth - Europe died in Auschwitz. We killed six million Jews and replaced them with 20 million Muslims. In Auschwitz we burned a culture, thought, creativity, talent. We destroyed the chosen people, truly chosen, because they produced great and wonderful people who changed the world. The contribution of this people is felt in all areas of life: science, art, international trade, and above all, as the conscience of the world. These are the people we burned.
“And under the pretense of tolerance, and because we wanted to prove to ourselves that we were cured of the disease of racism, we opened our gates to 20 million Muslims, who brought us stupidity and ignorance, religious extremism and lack of tolerance, crime and poverty due to an unwillingness to work and support their families with pride. They have turned our beautiful Spanish cities into the third world, drowning in filth and crime. Shut up in the apartments they receive free from the government, they plan the murder and destruction of their naive hosts.
“And thus, in our misery, we have exchanged culture for fanatical hatred, creative skill for destructive skill, intelligence for backwardness and superstition. We have exchanged the pursuit of peace of the Jews of Europe and their talent for hoping for a better future for their children, their determined clinging to life because life is holy, for those who pursue death, for people consumed by the desire for death for themselves and others, for our children and theirs. What a terrible mistake was made by miserable Europe.”
The first time I received such an email, I had to reread it to assure myself I hasn’t misread its intent. To my dismay, I found I hadn’t.
Let me be clear: I don’t abide sweeping, negative assertions made about any group of people. In a post 9/11 world, especially, it’s become far too easy to blame Europe’s problems on its Muslim population.
That’s not my only problem with the email, alas. As a Jew, I have other concerns:
First, I find the email’s statements disturbingly familiar. All you need to do is replace the word Muslim with Jew, and you could be reading the work product of Joseph Goebbels. The description of the “other” (in this case Muslims) as a host society’s tolerated “guests”, the offending, parasitic, race who now seek the “murder and destruction of their naïve hosts”… It all begins to sound awfully familiar. From such thoughts, it’s not a stretch to start talking about what we need to do with those who threaten our way of life.
Second, I recognize that the piece actually impugns Jews even when it seems to be heaping praise. How so? It describes Jews as the “chosen people” – charged language, to be sure – whose existence and experience in World War II created a sense of guilt so strong that it caused Europeans to need “to prove to ourselves that we were cured of the disease of racism.” In other words, if we hadn’t been feeling so guilty about the fate of the Jews, it never would have occurred to us to be nice to the Muslims… See where trying to be nice gets you?
Last, I probably would have hit “delete” and not wasted my time reading such garbage, but for one fact: the email as sent to me by a Jewish friend. I think I know why; such emails borrow from the “self-congratulatory” genre, e.g. long lists of Nobel laureates we’ve produced, proportionately far in excess of what you might expect given our meager numbers. While there’s nothing wrong is being proud of our people’s accomplishments, such lists rarely circulate without a control group for comparison. Sometimes it’s “your grandparents were living in the caves of Northern Europe while mine were earning Nobel prizes…” but at other times, as here, it’s an even more invidious comparison: “my people are positive, life affirming folk, while yours are destructive, superstitious, death worshippers.” While this article’s authorship by a third party might lend it some kind of perspective, it can’t redeem it from its rightful genre: hate literature.
Rather than lament the Muslim presence in Europe (are we to assume that if we had burned Muslims instead of Jews during World War II, Europe would be better off?), whoever wrote “what a terrible mistake was made by miserable Europe” had best take a less passive role in current affairs. Otherwise, we may well be reading his grandchildren lamenting the odious presence of yet another immigrant group. And for us here on the “home front”, we might well take notice at how easy it is to blame the “other” for one’s problems, to point a finger at the immigrant as the root of all evil. Beginning to sound familiar?
DBC
Saturday, December 15, 2007
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9 comments:
I believe that, the Rabbi’s analysis of “All European Life Died in Auschwitz” makes an important point (tarring all adherents of a religion/race/creed with the same brush constitutes prejudice and often bigotry and is wrong) but misses even more important truths highlighted by the article.
I think that his major theme, that the author’s perspective about Muslims is analogous to that of Nazis about Jews is overblown. By and large the author is correct when describing Jewish society as: “people who changed the world. The contribution of this people is felt in all areas of life: science, art, international trade, and above all, as the conscience of the world.” I would add that the Jews have been a peaceful society throughout their history. There would be no grain of truth in describing Jews, as the author describes Muslims, as being characterized by “religious extremism and lack of tolerance.” Though I would agree with the Rabbi that there are numerous individual Muslims who are both tolerant and Muslim, one would have to bury one’s head in the sand in order to deny that Islam is the inspiration for at least 90% of the terrorist acts in the world today, and that Jihadism is a threat to the free societies of the world, including Europe, as documented by such writers as Bat Ye’or in her book Eurabia and Melanie Phillips in Londonistan.
I would also agree with the article in its analysis that Europe has played a major role in making itself vulnerable to this threat. While reading the article, I was reminded of the theme of a book written by Shelby Steele, White Guilt, which is subtitled, How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era. Steele’s thesis is that in response to the civil rights era, whites in America, to their credit, repudiated racism to the point where it is truly socially unacceptable in our contemporary society. However, because of the guilt they felt (whether personally merited or not), the tendency of the dominant white thought and action went beyond the rejection of racism to support lowered expectations/standards for blacks in order to reclaim their (whites’) own moral authority. In turn, the dominant black ethos (led by individuals such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton) has been to take advantage of this guilt. Steele argues (and I agree), whites have assuaged their guilt and attempted to redeem their moral authority in a way that inadvertently has exacerbated race relations and hindered blacks in their pursuit of economic equality. White guilt based on historical racism has spread to a general disdain for traditional American culture (based on Judeo-Christian values) and spawned the multicultural movement.
This is where I see a parallel with Europe’s current plight involving its threat from totalitarian Islam. There is a widespread disdain for Europeans for their own culture, and it seems likely that the author of the emailed article is on the mark in pointing out that this is probably linked to a great extent to guilt about its (recent) Nazi past. The problem that Europe (and to less of an extent, America) has with immigration today is not so much the fear and hate of immigrants as it is the self-loathing that keeps them from valuing their own culture to the point where they will insist on admitting only immigrants that want to be a part of European culture and not, for instance, those many Muslims who, according to surveys, desire to supplant democracy with Sharia (Islamic law). A historical strength of America is, as many have said, that we are “a nation of immigrants.” It’s not just that we are a nation of immigrants, however. There is an even more important ethic that goes along with that concept which is expressed through our motto, e pluribus unum, which means “Out of many, One.” What has made America a great nation is that not only do we welcome immigrants, but that, historically, immigrant groups have assimilated into our culture; embracing our (Judeo-Christian) values without relinquishing their ethnic identities.
That’s where the Rabbi’s parallels between the contemporary European experience with their Muslim population and their historical oppression of Jews does not ring true to me. Jews have always sought to live peacefully and productively in the societies where they have resided. In contrast to the discriminatory and sometimes evil treatment of Jews, Europe has bent over backwards (to a fault) to welcome its Muslim population, often extending the concept of tolerance to the point where they are only intolerant of their own culture, and tolerant of irresponsible or even truly evil behavior on the part of Muslims.
As I stated at the beginning of this response, I agree with the rabbi that it is wrong to over-generalize characterizations of any religion, population or creed. On the other hand, it can be suicidal and immoral to under-generalize. So the question is, to what extent do Muslims identify with Jihadism? Does it truly, as people like President Bush and Tony Blair have maintained, represent the “hijacking” of a “religion of peace?” Or does it represent mainstream Islam? In responding to this question, I again want to assert my confidence that there are numerous peaceful Muslims. To what extent do they represent “mainstream Islam?” Who can say for sure? But there are some realities that truly trouble me. Let me ask you this? If individuals who are Jewish were currently responsible for 90% of the world’s terrorism, and doing so in the name of the G-d of Abraham, wouldn’t we be taking to the streets in outrage!? I know I would be. So why are we not seeing such outrage from the moderate Muslim world? In America, we are hearing from so called Muslim “civil rights” groups (e.g., CAIR, ISNA) is outrage about so-called “Islamophobia” (though data do not evidence any significant degree of anti-Muslim acts, in America with Muslims targeted less frequently then Jews and Blacks, both of which also are not frequently attacked), some lip service to condemning “terrorism” (while denying the centrality of Islam to contemporary terrorism), attempts to silence critics of Islamic terrorism and opposition to steps to protect Americans from terror, such as legitimate profiling of Muslims. In the end, of course their are individual Muslims who are peaceful, just as their are individual Jews who are evil, but that is irrelevant to the fact that the threat to the world today unarguably comes from Jihadism, not from Jewish terrorists.
It also seems clear that the Jihadists not only commit their atrocities in the name of Islam, their claims are based on interpretations and applications of Quranic scriptures that can be traced back to the time of Mohammed and have characterized Islamic culture throughout its history (e.g., Spencer).
So though I would never argue with the rabbi that bigotry in any form is acceptable, I would argue that this is a truism that misses the main point. Is European Muslim-hating really the problem? Or is the combination of European self-hatred and Muslim European-hatred what is really to be feared?
What did the Spanish writer contribute that can help resolve these conflicts? Rabbi Cohen's point that this kind of targetting and labeling was part of how the Nazis were able to gain power and acceptance should not be overlooked. Where are the solutions? This seems like gasoline thrown on the fire..scary, and even more scary is that we have not been hearing any answers coming from the presidential hopefuls...
I appreciate the thoughtful comments sent by Jim and Audrie. The impetus that drove me to write the piece arose from my sense that it's a world wide phenomenon to blame the "outsiders" for a region's economic problems, etc. I think there's an obvious connection to some of the heated rhetoric emerging from the debate about illegal immigration to the U.S. The topic deserves its own column space at another time, but some presidential hopefuls (thankfully, not many of them) are making comments that target the "outsiders" among us, a designation that Jews and Muslims have been labeled with at various times throughout history.
Jim's comments addressed an aspect of the issue I didn't focus on, i.e. the "self loathing" that has become a prominent feature of post war European self-definition. Thanks Jim for adding some very compelling thoughts.
--David Cohen
Once again I cite the power of words. What is gained by equating Jews to Nazi's ? Who is making this reference? When you read anything you should always ask; who wrote it?, why did they write it?, what is their stake? etc. I support Jim B. in the argument that to even put Jews and Nazi's together in the same framework is only done so with the intent to distort the truth. Step out of the "politically correct box" and see the world as it is. Shelby Steel wrote another book titled "The content of Our Character" which asked blacks to stop painting themselves a "victim" and start working to make their world a better place. Stop blaming others for your own lack of progress and start pulling their own weight. This sounds like it can be applied to many situations. All we need to do is provide a level playing field, provide support and opportunity and then things should work out in the long run. That being said, I hope that the Palistinians (in Gaza) find some incentive to build an electrical power plant and stop blaming Israel for turning off their electricity and making their people suffer from the cold. It is easy to be "victim" and harder to be responsible for ones own fate.
Once again I cite the power of words. What is gained by equating Jews to Nazi's ? Who is making this reference? When you read anything you should always ask; who wrote it?, why did they write it?, what is their stake? etc. I support Jim B. in the argument that to even put Jews and Nazi's together in the same framework is only done so with the intent to distort the truth. Step out of the "politically correct box" and see the world as it is. Shelby Steel wrote another book titled "The content of Our Character" which asked blacks to stop painting themselves a "victim" and start working to make their world a better place. Stop blaming others for your own lack of progress and start pulling their own weight. This sounds like it can be applied to many situations. All we need to do is provide a level playing field, provide support and opportunity and then things should work out in the long run. That being said, I hope that the Palistinians (in Gaza) find some incentive to build an electrical power plant and stop blaming Israel for turning off their electricity and making their people suffer from the cold. It is easy to be "victim" and harder to be responsible for ones own fate.
I read with interest the Rabbi's comments and the responses to date on Deja Vu All Over Again.
I have seen related comments before on the current zero or negative population growth among Europeans vs. high percentage population growth of their immigrants.
I agree with the Rabbi that it is not morally right to brand an entire religion, class, ethnic segment etc. In addition I believe that focusing on generalizations of people just creates fodder for those who would use political correctness to prevent action from being taken to protect the population at large or to ensure law and order in society. In response to Audrie's question re: what are the solutions, it is important for the health of European nations (and all nations for that matter) that they take swift and forceful, lawful action against anyone (immigrants or otherwise) in their midst who plans and/or commits unlawful acts such as violence against innocent people. The enforcement of existing laws and where needed creation of new laws to protect society is the answer.
With regard to your comments Audrie, "this kind of targetting and labeling was part of how the Nazis were able to gain power and acceptance," I just don't see the analogy. There was no dangerous terrorist movement among Jews in Europe during the Nazi era. There is an existentialist threat within the Muslim community today. I do not see this Spanish writer as seeking power. Though I agree that he should not be tarring all individual Muslims with the same brush, his comments come from a legitimate reality-based fear.
With regard to Audrie's observation that "This seems like gasoline thrown on the fire..scary...," lets take a look at where the fear comes from. Who is she scared of? The pacifist Europeans? My guess it's the Jihadists. Because we know that they will cut your head off for the slightest grievance, such as pusblishing even non-offensive cartoons about Mohammed. But even issues like the Danish cartoons are only an excuse made for Western multicultural sensibilities. What too many of us fail to understand, at our peril, is that the tenets of the Jihadists, which unfortunately come from mainstreasm Islam (I know this will offend the sensibilities of the politically correct), is that simply to be an "infidel" is cause enough to kill someone (the only other choice is to accept second class "dhimmi" status). Look it up in the Quaran if you don't believe me.
David, I agree with you that "there's an obvious connection to some of the heated rhetoric emerging from the debate about illegal immigration to the U.S.," but I disagree with your analysis. Certainly there are some individuals who oppose illegal immigration because they are racist or have an irrational fear of outsiders. But I think you misunderstand and, in so doing, fail to give credit, to the vast of majority of individuals who hold these views from a values-based perspective. I won't spend time here going into one major concern; namely that illegal immigration is exactly that: Illegal! More germane to this conversation is the point I raised in my first response: that there is a threat to our society when you admit individuals who do not embrace (or even oppose)our values, and feel guilty about asking them to assimilate - just look at Europe!
So back to what I believe to be Audrie's legitimate, but misplaced, fears. Political correctness is a response from people who do not believe enough in our own Judeo-Christian values to oppose those who would like to destroy our free society. The threat today comes from Jihadism (as, in the past, from Nazism and Communism), not from those who are calling atention to its danger.
I think Audrie's question, "Where are the solutions?" is right on the mark. I believe there are two parts: Number one, we need to seek out and support those Muslims who are trying to reform Islam. They are few and far between but there are a handful.
The second and even more important part is looking both within and without. We have to open our eyes to the truth of the danger that is manifested by the Jihadists. So I
exhort my fellow Jews, let us align ourselves with the Churchills of our age, not the Chamberlains. We owe it to the memory of the Shoah victims and to our children and grandchildren to stand emphatically in the way of a repeat of the Holocaust. We can start by educating ourselves, not only about Jihadism, but also about the central precepts of Islam that are at its core, all political correctness aside. Even more to the point, by each of us making the commitment to learn more about Judaism and struggle to become closer to G-d, we will develop the pride in our heritage and values that will not only fill the void that too often is filled by secular multiculturalism, but will also infuse us with the will to stand up to those who try to destroy us.
I extend my appreciation to all of you for your comments and I'd welcome your further thoughts.
Steve, Society needs to be protected but it is not an easy task to sort out the limitations of individual rights vs. the rights of the majority. Our constitution created a good mechanism to work on this issue but as of late it has become a political arm of the executive branch. Balance is essential and I think we are losing that fight at the moment. There is hope (every 4 years) that we will get this back to acceptable levels. Other than that I certainly agree that generalizations are essential but not very useful in the process of meaningful dialogue.
Jim, my only disagreement with you is that from a United States perspective I don't believe we are using the laws that are on the books regarding immigrants. We won't solve OUR immigrant problem until we do. I don't believe the current administration has done enough to enforce our laws and I fear the next one will do even less. My fear is it will be too late by the time we wake up.
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