Yesterday's Wall Street Journal discusses the role of French Muslim groups in trying to calm the situation in Paris and around the country, and how they stand to enhance their status. While there's no evidence that they're actually inciting the rioting, that might be something to keep an eye on.
Everyone understands that the riots are fed - at least in part - by the insular character of these Muslim immigrant communities. But the Islamists, and indeed most mainstream Muslim leaders in Europe encourage that very isolation. In doing so, they'll be helping to perpetuate the situation that requires their aid. In the US, we call this sort of thing either "the welfare state," or "organized crime," and in France, it has an element of both.
If the French government finds itself relying on these groups to restore order, and in turn, taking their advice on how to treat the immigrants, it will only be encouraging a obviously dangerous trend, not solving the problem.
Comments
Joshua...that same sense of isolationism, I belive, is typical of the world-wide Muslim community as a whole....probably due to the "if you're not one of us, then we're against you attitude" that is so common. Hmmmm....probably a pretty shallow explanation, but it semms to fit, at leasr partially.
Posted by: Guy | November 9, 2005 6:47 AM
Isn't this similar to Israel. Had the Palestinians wanted a state, they could have had one by now; but they're always encouraged (and not only by other Muslims/Arabs) to hold out for me and perpetuate their grievance.
It's like Oscar the Grouch who once said that he's only happy when he's sad.
Posted by: David Gerstman | November 9, 2005 8:05 AM