The attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine by Jihadists raised questions of whether Islam is compatible with western democracy. What, if any, are the limitations of freedom of speech? Secularism, a clash of civilizations, and Islam collided with freedom of speech, and the inquiry about how to balance values leaves so many questions and not enough many answers. I do, however, condemn those who killed the satirists, but we should ask ourselves about the responsibility that goes with freedom of speech. Unfortunately many Westerns are very egocentric and do not care about the interests of others, only their own. Freedom of speech is not being lost due to the Jihadist attack on Charlie Hebdo in France, but due to the erosion of values in Western society. Western countries are filled with pride, and they believe themselves to be wise and able to govern themselves without God, which I argue is what brought Western societies to where they are today. They learned nothing from Rome, Russia, Greece, the Nazis of Germany, or the Fascists of Italy, or from others. Europeans put their hope no longer in the hand of God but on the handouts and promises of Merkel, Cameron, Hollande, or Obama to rescue them from the Jihadists.
Europe has become a union of godless societies moving away from their Christian values, and those values have been replaced by other values that offer no hope. The state of affairs is a bitter pill for Europe to swallow, one that will continue to lead to its demise, not to restore it to health.
Europe will inevitably circle down the vortex as a society. History tells us that godless societies are prone to fall because most Westerners put their trust in the power of the individual and hold that humans are the center of all things. On the rise is secularism, the view that religion should be excluded from daily public life, especially political and social practices. Denis Fisher writes in “The Spirit of the Age,” “Every age has its own thoughts, ideas, and values that influence the culture, ‘the spirit of the age.’” A slowly sleep-inducing consensus acts as peer pressure for the acceptance of the latest trend in values, which Fisher calls, “a devil inspired system of values and ideas that cultivate a life style that is independent of God.”
As German philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche once famously said, when it comes to Christian faith in Europe, “God is dead.” Today we see that most Europeans have become infatuated with a largely secularized society that does not value religion and instead emphasizes humanism. Most European see God as irrelevant and faith as a crutch; as a result, most of the empty churches are used as museums or restaurants, and Islam is quickly replacing the Christian edifices as minarets tower above the churches and cathedrals. One of my European friends told me that many Europeans do not go to church for any reason except for weddings and funerals.
Yet, Europe is in denial. European countries have allowed Europe to turn into an international hub for global Jihadists. As Melanie Phillips argues in Londonistan, “The intersection of an aggressive religious fanaticism with the multiculturalism, political correctness ideology of victimhood has created a state of paralysis” across some of the European countries’ institutions. The mindset and the corresponding terror of being thought “Islamaphobic” have prevented the European countries from acknowledging the eruption of Jihadist violence not only in Europe but also around the globe and in the United States.
The Western notion of freedom of speech is different than the Muslim concept of freedom of speech. For example, blasphemy laws in Muslim countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other countries show the view of Anjem Choudary, a radical London cleric who speaks out for Sharia law, in that his theory is the law of the land for many Muslim countries. Blasphemy is the act of insulting or having no reverence for God or for something sacred. The First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees freedom of expression after the Supreme Court case of Joseph Burstyn, Inc. versus Wilson. The problem with Muslims is that they think everyone must accept their way or meet the consequences. Muslims argue that the West should respect their faith and the prophets by outlawing insults to their religious figures, including the Prophet Mohammed. I would agree that none should insult anyone’s religion. But the problem is that Muslims consider the Christian view of Jesus to be blasphemous, and Christians think Islam’s view of Jesus is blasphemous. How does a government make blasphemy illegal, because the legal system would be required to pick a side between two religions’ definitions? In Muslim countries citizenship is linked to religion, so that Christians are accused of blasphemy for holding their truths, and if a Muslims converts to Christianity or to other beliefs, that person is the worst offender, an apostate. Muslims who question freedom of speech do not want a special status for all religions, but only for their religion. They do not intend to censor their way of thinking about non-Muslims. They want a blasphemy law that would be exclusive for them. By contrast, a democratic state must allow us to believe what we please.
It does not make any sense for Muslims who live in Western societies to demand civil rights from the states and then those governments fail to take any action against Jihadists who are hiding among them or living among them. Muslims have lots of homework to do before blaming anyone else. There is a clash within Islam, and there are lots of problems within Islam that need to be solved. If religion leads to clashes, then there is something missing. These are difficult times for Muslims. The Islamic world is suffering from a political and moral crisis and is taking a downward path in the vicious cycle of violence, ignorance, and oppression.
For centuries, the majority of Muslims lived in their homelands, known in Arabic as Dar ul Islam, (House of Islam). However, after World War II this kind of living pattern changed immensely. Many European countries lost many of their citizens during the War. They had a shortage of workers, so immigrants from North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, South East Asia, and India settled in Europe, and many of them were Muslims. A majority of them did not integrate into the societies that had welcomed them. Today most of the young Muslims, especially those from Indian, Pakistani, Moroccan, and Nigerian backgrounds who were born in Europe seem to have adopted a new type of Islamic belief radically different from their parents’ faith as the second generation of immigrants. They are more influenced by the Salafists’ ideology, the ideology that began in local mosques where traditional forms of worship and education were transformed into political ideology. They are mostly sponsored by the oil rich countries and have become the agents for the Islamization of Europe.
Since I agree that the problem lies among Muslims, in the clash within Islam itself, I also think that the solution does as well. There is a war of cultures in Europe between Islam and the West fighting each other. In doing so they are actually cancel one another. A recent title “The Hijab versus the Bikini” reflects this divide. For Muslims a hijab symbolizes a woman’s dignity and her submission to Allah and her family values, as opposed to the bikini that is seen as an objectification and degradation of the female body. By contrast, the West thinks the Hijab is a denial of freedom and gender equality. So the definitions of freedom and democracy in Islam and in Western societies collide, because democracy has one meaning for the Muslims and a different meaning for Westerners. Many Muslim immigrants do not want to integrate into Western culture. Instead they want them to adopt their culture and way of life in every way from installing foot baths for Muslims in airports, serving halal meat, and practicing a special civil law for them, especially in matters of education for their kids and in other public and private venues. For example, Muslims demand the removal of the Christian symbols in public and in schools because they offend Muslim students. The West is already submitting to Islamic rules. The Islamic assault on freedom of speech is not the most recent instance of submission to Islam. It is a daily occurrence. Sadly, dark days still lie ahead for Europe.
Dr. Aland Mizell is President of the MCI and a regular contributor to Mindanao Times. You may email the author at:aland_mizell2@hotmail.com
