How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Here's the test. What was your reaction to the terrible story of the mass-murder in Liège?
Authorities said there was no evidence of any link between the attacker, whom they identified as Nordine Amrani, 33, to terror groups and extremist movements for which European cities have long been on alert.
And what was your reaction to the terrible story of the mass-murder in Florence?
A far-right Italian author killed two Senegalese traders and wounded three others on Tuesday after he opened fire on two markets in central Florence, Agence France Presse reported.
If you believe without evidence that any murderer of Moroccan origin must have been an Islamist terrorist, rather than your garden-variety spree shooter, while dismissing the significance of the second crime--or calling it, in fact, an "understandable reaction" to the state's failure to address issues of immigration forthrightly--then you're a European racist.
If you put only the second story in your newspaper without even mentioning the first, you're a Turkish racist.
If you're equally horrified by both stories, congratulations. Your day has been ruined, but at least you're a normal, decent person.
- Comment (28)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments :
Jun '10
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
The hand grenades are a bit of a wild card. Not everybody has a few hand grenades on the closet shelf, ready to use on a whim. Otherwise, I agree.
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Not everyone's a big-time marijuana-farmer, either. He was a well-known criminal, that much isn't it doubt.
Aug '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
European Racist = tautology.
Ok I'm generalizing, but you can't blame me
May '10
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
I'm less and less confident it's normal.
Oct '10
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
I didn't hear about the Florence murders, but my initial reaction to the Liege killings is generally the same when I hear about this sort of thing which is that I wish people would just mind their own business and keep their hands to themselves. I'm just so weary of people engaging in this sort of evil nonsense.
My more analytic reaction was to wonder what the media means when it describes a grenade. If we're talking about military grade explosive ordnance then I start to wonder about an attacking being organized or supported by some sort of group. However, it's not all that difficult to make home made explosive devices that can do awful things to people.
Sep '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Yes, Jonorose, I can and do blame you for engaging your mouth before your brain. This is a serious post. Your comment isn't. Claire: thanks.
Aug '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Yes, you're right. The countless millions of Europeans that stood up and did their best to save Jews while they were being gassed and fed into the ovens in the 1940s deserve my utmost respect. I do apologize.
Apr '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
katievs
I'm less and less confident it's normal. · Dec 14 at 6:03am
I worked in Iraq for a couple of years, so maybe I'm abnormal in the other direction, but both of these bits of news seemed like mildly sad bits of news, certainly not day ruining. Kind of on the scale of the South Korean forecast downgrade (and even this seems irrationally high; more people will suffer, and likely more years of life will be lost to the Korean issue than to the murders).
Sep '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Jonorose: Countless Europeans did just what you say, and some are honoured at Yad Vashem. How would Americans have reacted to Nazi occupation? We'll never know. But my guess is that some would have been very brave, while many others would have collaborated. Just like Europeans, in fact.
Aug '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Countless???? The only thing interesting about the forest commemorating the righteous gentiles at Yad Vashem (where one tree represents one righteous gentile) is HOW SMALL IT IS
Edited on Dec 14, 2011 at 7:05amMar '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Claire, you are far too gullible. After governments the world over try to downplay Islamic violence (Fort Hood as "Workplace Violence", anyone?) do you really think the authorities have ANY credibillity when they say that Amrani was not a terrorist?
Really?
As Pamela Geller quotes:
Two days earlier, another Muslim, calmly pointed his handgun and opened fire on passing cars near Vine Street and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood while shouting Allahu Akbar. He injured one passerby before being killed by the police. In both cases the media refused to identify the killer as Muslim terrorist.
The Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said the attack was the act of a “lone assailant,” a man known to police who had “no links to terrorism.” “The whole country shares in the pain. This is an isolated case. This is not about terrorism,” he stressed.
The truth is that Muslims don’t have to belong to any organization to carry out jihad.
Let's look at the facts:
1: He was Moroccan, and a muslim.
2: He engaged in terror, using hand grenades and guns to kill 5 and injure 122.
How is this NOT Islamic Terror?
Mar '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Sorry, no.The cause and effect are NOT equally to blame.
Should one be equally horrified by Israeli retaliation as well as the rockets from Gaza that prompted the retaliation? Both cause death of innocents.
I am much more horrified by the Islamic terror story because of the higher body count, and because unlike racist violence, everyone pretends it is not Islamic terror, including even Ricochet editors who should know better. End Islamic Terror, and the murderous anti-immigrant backlash will likely vanish.
Edited on Dec 14, 2011 at 7:31amRe: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
iWc:
The Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said the attack was the act of a “lone assailant,” a man known to police who had “no links to terrorism.” “The whole country shares in the pain. This is an isolated case. This is not about terrorism,” he stressed.
The truth is that Muslims don’t have to belong to any organization to carry out jihad.
Let's look at the facts:
1: He was Moroccan, and a muslim.
2: He engaged in terror, using hand grenades and guns to kill 5 and injure 122.
How is this NOT Islamic Terror? ·
Well, for one thing, it needs to have a political aim, right?
Mar '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
iWc:
1: He was Moroccan, and a muslim.
2: He engaged in terror, using hand grenades and guns to kill 5 and injure 122.
How is this NOT Islamic Terror? ·
Well, for one thing, it needs to have a political aim, right? · Dec 14 at 7:28am
If you want a political aim, just see the result: all the "authorities" says it is no big deal and entirely unconnected with religious hatred. And then they work ever-harder to placate Muslims in every possible way. It makes everyone else dhimmis.
Killing people in the name of Allah is Islamic Terror. Does anyone seriously disagree with this statement?
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
iWc
If you want a political aim, just see the result: all the "authorities" says it is no big deal and entirely unconnected with religious hatred. And then they work ever-harder to placate Muslims in every possible way. It makes everyone else dhimmis.
Killing people in the name of Allah is Islamic Terror. Does anyone seriously disagree with this statement? · Dec 14 at 7:35am
Well, I've written extensively about the way that the mainstream media downplays Islamic terrorism. But it's also true that not all violence perpetrated by Muslims is because of "Islamic terrorism." I'm closely monitoring this situation because as things stand, the story isn't adding up for me. But before I decide that he was doing some sort of jihad, I'd like to know more about, say, his mental health or his drug business or his life of crime or the particulars of this crime. I do find the situation weird, yes, but I need to know more.
Apr '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
iWc
Sorry, no.The cause and effect are NOT equally to blame.
Should one be equally horrified by Israeli retaliation as well as the rockets from Gaza that prompted the retaliation? Both cause death of innocents.
I am much more horrified by the Islamic terror story because of the higher body count, and because unlike racist violence, everyone pretends it is not Islamic terror, including even Ricochet editors who should know better. End Islamic Terror, and the murderous anti-immigrant backlash will likely vanish. · Dec 14 at 7:28am
Edited on Dec 14 at 07:31 am
This seems to me to be a terrible slur against Israel. Israel's attacks are defensive. They're not aimed at killing innocents. If they were, then, yes, their attacks would be equivalent.
I'm pretty sure that murderous anti-immigrant sentiment predates Islamic terror. That's not to say that it was common, but it's hardly rampant today.
Mar '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
James Of England
I'm pretty sure that murderous anti-immigrant sentiment predates Islamic terror. That's not to say that it was common, but it's hardly rampant today. · Dec 14 at 8:25am
Murderous anti-immigrant violence is far less common than is Islamic violence. As to which came first: is there any evidence of suicidal anti-immigrant attacks in US history? Islamic violence, it seems, come first and with many more lives lost.
Oct '10
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
I guess conflating Islam with race is understandable in Europe, where the natives equate DNA with nationality, but I don't think most Americans think of Islam as a race.
If my white, native Texan, Muslim convert, brother in law, goes on a killing spree in downtown Dallas, I'm probably going to suspect his highly political understanding of his faith had something to do with it. But hair color, or eye color, or skin color? Not so much.
Oct '10
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
Rabid anti-immigrant or anti-Islam activists empathizing with murderers, or any kind of verbal or physical abuser, are detestable and so hate filled that they don't care that their words and actions completely defeat any potentially valid point they want to get across.
These apologists of hate aren't much different than those supporting Mumia Abu Jamal. There's a valid debate to be had about the balance between civil liberties and security, but defending a murderer just because they belong to your identity group is a show stopper for me.
Edited on Dec 14, 2011 at 9:12amApr '11
Re: How to Tell if You're a European Racist
iWc
James Of England
I'm pretty sure that murderous anti-immigrant sentiment predates Islamic terror. That's not to say that it was common, but it's hardly rampant today. · Dec 14 at 8:25am
Murderous anti-immigrant violence is far less common than is Islamic violence. As to which came first: is there any evidence of suicidal anti-immigrant attacks in US history? Islamic violence, it seems, come first and with many more lives lost. ·
I don't recall suicidal attacks; that didn't really get started until the Buddhists kicked it off, and later the Muslims. Murderous attacks, though, sure.
I agree that it's not as common, and kind of said as much. It's my sense that the occasional murder of an immigrant is kind of a constant in human history; sometimes it goes up, but it rarely goes down.
If a racist attacked black muslims in the US, as happened in Italy, it'd be blamed on race, not religion.