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Muslims as a Mirror – Germany’s Unhealthy Obsession with Islam

A Commentary by Rolf Schieder

Source: Spiegel International

Muslims in Germany have been accused of many things, from threatening the feminist cause to trying to destroy German society through “demographic jihad.” It isn’t the Muslims that are the problem, however, but rather our obsession with Islam.

German Islamophobes hold that their more liberal opponents are do-gooder Islamophiles and cultural relativists. German critics of Islamophobia claim their more conservative opponents are scare-mongers and slanderers. What both groups have in common is an obsession with Islam that doesn’t do Muslims, Christians or secularists any good.
 
The killer, Anders Breivik, believes that the “Islamization” of Europe is a threat. But what he finds even more threatening is the “cultural Marxism” practiced by his fellow Norwegians. For him, their liberalism is a sign of cowardice and weakness. The term “cultural Marxism” is a reference to “cultural Bolshevism,” a concept from the 1920s, when lamentations about a general cultural decline were part of the standard repertoire of conservative political parties. Members of Germany’s so-called Conservative Revolution (ed’s note: mainly active in the period between World War I and World War II) saw the reasons for that decline in capitalism and consumerism, Westernization and individualization. In this sense, it is entirely correct to identify this mental climate as Breivik’s inspiration, as the historian Volker Weiss did in a recent opinion piece for SPIEGEL ONLINE.

But what does one gain from calling the killer a “right-wing brother of the jihadists,” as Weiss does, and characterizing the events in Norway as “the Talibanization of the Christian right”? This reinforces the old prejudice of the European left, namely, that religion in itself is always and exclusively dangerous. Yet this overlooks the fact that it was political, non-religious worldviews that inflicted endless suffering on humanity in the 20th century. It also suggests that there is a worldwide ecumenical movement of religions that are prepared to use violence and that have become a threat to the non-religious. In Weiss’s mind, the events in Norway represent a “fatal embrace” between “crusaders and jihadists.”

 

Categories: Countries, Germany, Islam, Islamophobia

2 replies ›

  1. Many in our global village are fully aware of the problems facing humanity, from corrupt lying politicans to extreme prevalence of addictions to wars to terrorism to sickening materialism and lack of spirituality. The key issue is where would the solutions come from.

    In this regard let me quote from a review of one of Pope Benedict XVI’s book by Dr. Naseer Tahir:

    This book is a compilation of a dialogue between his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and Marcello Pera, a former professor of Philosophy of Science at University of Pisa and elected President of the Italian Senate. The aim of the dialogue is a polite and seemingly civilized attempt to reach to an intelligent audience, with the hope of convincing them of exclusivity of Christianity and Western culture. The premise being that the present state of affairs in the world, the apparent superiority of Western culture, is historically unique and Islamic culture and its followers are relics of the past. It also makes an appeal to Europeans in general and Americans in particular to stay away from Relativistic attitudes. Stated simply: do not allow Islamic ideas to flourish because they are a danger to Western culture, Democracy and Christianity. The book stipulates interestingly, that the Western culture and Christian religion are to be seen as one and the same thing. The comparison is then drawn between Islamic religion and Western culture, and in so doing has compared apples and oranges. Conclusions are based upon fictitious ideology that present day Europe is entirely a product of Christianity and thus based upon teachings of Christianity. Islam and its followers are far removed from all this. The Pope writes on the page 80 of this book:

    ‘We do not know how things will go in Europe in the future. The Charter of Fundamental Rights may be a first step, a sign that Europe is once again consciously seeking its soul. Here we must agree with Toynbee that the fate of a society always depends on its creative minorities. Christian believers should look upon themselves as just such a creative minority, and help Europe to reclaim what is best in its heritage and to thereby place itself at the service of all humankind.’

    The key question is whether the Catholic Christianity or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the ‘creative minority,’ for the future of mankind? To repeat the words of the Pope, “Here we must agree with Toynbee that the fate of a society always depends on its creative minorities. Christian believers should look upon themselves as just such a creative minority, and help Europe to reclaim what is best in its heritage and to thereby place itself at the service of all humankind.” To state the obvious, with 1.3 billion Catholic Christians in the world, the Catholic Church is no minority and her reactive history for centuries, as it has been a timid follower rather than a leader, especially in the last few centuries since the Enlightenment and European renaissance, does not leave her with creative credentials. Therefore, the role of rescuing mankind does not belong to her.

    We believe that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is that creative minority, given its 125 year non-violent tradition, its constant emphasis on Universal Brotherhood, its genuine interpretation of pluralistic message of the Holy Quran and the rich tradition of annual Hajj in Islam. This is also a Divine promise.

    For further details:

    http://knol.google.com/k/anonymous/without-roots-the-west-relativism/24042x2q45o6l/1?collectionId=1qhnnhcumbuyp.284#

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