"The proposals to ban the burqa in France and minarets in
Switzerland, wrong in and of themselves, are not the answer to what is merely a
knee-jerk reaction to the influx of immigrants from the Middle East to Europe
and their increased religiosity when they get here, often as a reaction to an
enforced permissiveness and radical secularism to which they were never granted
the societal tools to deal with." (Editorial: NYT & IHT 5th
& 6th Feb 2010 respectively)
The quote above, written by Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, intrigues. I am tempted to view the rebellion against the French establishments burqa campaign has largely been driven, from behind the scenes and thus from the anonymous rear (is it ever thus?), by educated (middle class) Muslim women keen, as with the middle classes everywhere, to ensure that it is their version, their wisdom and their ideals are imposed on the (sic) less educated, in this case raw immigrant. There is a game at hand being played out not so much between the infidel and the devoted Muslim, than within the Muslim community itself.
Lace said "NO!" to Miss Dolleery on Friday. The Tectonic plates are foment indeed! The thumb remains, for the time being at least, stubbornly horizontal.
Cleaned up light shades and tried out 180ml or there abouts of Lidl Porridge gulp.
spring cleaning is good for the soul
ReplyDeleteDid France invite immigrants in the same way that Germany did years ago? And is now having second thoughts? Or simply becoming aware of the consequences of having "foreigners" in France. Presumably the French think it is or perhaps more correctly, was, OK to spread French culture in Canada and parts of Africa?
ReplyDeleteHi Key,
ReplyDeleteI believe France, like the UK has always drawn migrants from her former colonies especially from West and North Africa.
Germany once had territories in Africa but lost them as a result of reparation demands after the Great War. France and Britain shared them out between them.
Your comment regarding Canada is an interesting one, and not one I believe I have come across before. France together with Britain first colonised Canada, hence why French is the first language of Canada (and not just of Quebec Provence). France handed her N. American colonies to America following what was known as the 'French and Indian War'(1763). To take your idea further, the same theory could be attributed to the Spanish and Portuguese conquest of South America. Spain hosts many migrants from South America.
I am not too sure where the Roma fit in to all this, given the unfortunate incidents in Italy (another European nation which had African colonies) last year. Clarification is required – anyone care to chip in?
Thanks for the comment.