LAT: Europe Raising Its Voice Over Radical Islam

[DeepModem Mom]

Europe Raising Its Voice Over Radical Islam
Some say the continent is betraying its ideals by trying to appease fundamentalists.
By Jeffrey Fleishman, Times Staff Writer
October 16, 2006

BERLIN — In Europe's cafes, the newspapers are as wrinkled as always, the conversations still veer toward the abstract, but tempers these days are riled.

Artists and influential leftists are warning that the rise of radical Islam is threatening the tradition of European liberalism. Theater directors, cartoonists and writers say the continent is betraying its identity by practicing self-censorship aimed at appeasing a fundamentalist Islam they believe is determined to impose its will on free speech and creativity....

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"It's a fear of brutality, and you submit to that brutality," said Henryk M. Broder, whose book "Hurray, We Capitulate" is a polemic on what he sees as Europe's submission to Islamists. "It's surrender to an enemy you're deathly afraid of…. Europe is like a little dog on his back begging for mercy from a big dog. The driving factor is angst."

Even intellectuals who don't share Broder's views agree that Europe must defend its principles. The change in mood comes as Europeans of all political persuasions are growing less tolerant of Muslim immigrants and questioning whether Islam can coexist with Western ideals.

"We live in Europe, where democracy was based on criticizing religion," said Philippe Val, editor of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. "If we lose the right to criticize or attack religions in our free countries … we are doomed."

Europe has been struck repeatedly by Islamic extremists....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-euroislam16oct16,0,7189767.story?track=mostemailedlink

[rodeodance]

1. the cut off from what to too much 'tolerance' if difficult.

[sui generis]

2. tolerance and acceptance are two way streets

if you expect your radical fundie islamist ideals to be accepted, then you have to accept that other people have free speech.

It's that simple. Once people start going apeshit over transubstantiation or cartoons, it becomes intolerable, and Europe definitely has had enough of religious wars.