Today I attended a counter protest to a nakbah rally near the U.N. building in New York. Nakbah means “Palestinian Catastrophe” and refers to the creation of Israel. Apparently, other Muslim nations also considered the creation of Israel a disaster. All of Israel’s Muslim neighbors attacked Israel on its birthday. They lost. Israel exists. But I did not attend the counter demonstration because I think it obvious that Israel is right and the Palestinians are wrong. Culturism accepts the possibility that the Palestinians believe they are right. Muslims believe the Koran represents perfect morality.
Though we cannot say who is right, we do have a dog in this fight. With small lulls, the West has been fighting Muslims for 1400 years. The Muslims religion started in 622 ad and quickly took over the Middle East, North Africa and attempted to take Europe. The Crusades were aimed at allowing Christians to visit areas the Muslims had conquered. September 11, 2001 echoed the battle of Vienna on September 11th, 1683. In that battle the Europeans halted Muslim expansion into Europe via the East. This mirrored the Western front where the Muslims held Spain from 711 until 1492.
Upon reaching the rally I met up with the beautiful and inspiring Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs. She does not know it, but we disagree philosophically. She considers Islam savage and backwards. In her reporting she considered it ironic that women would parade for Islam. Culturists acknowledge that Muslims believe Islam is right; they are willing to die for their side because they believe in it. We, of course, believe in our side, but no international judge or destiny can prove who is right. If our truths were obvious, they would have been converted a long time ago. Muslims believe in their values as firmly as we believe in ours.
If culturism had a weakness it would occur in cases of genocide and hatred. One Jewish man at the rally was greeted with chants of “Jew! Jew! Jew! I hope you die today!” We who study know of the concept of “dhimmitude” whereby Jews and other non-believers receive humiliating second class citizenship under Islamic rule. In response, first of all, culturism respects majority culture’s rights. That means Muslim states have no right to attack other states such as Israel. Secondly, where such dhimmitude gets implemented, the majority consider it right. They can enforce it via power. Culturism is very realistic. Morality only exists in practice where it can be enforced.
Strategically we are better off understanding those who believe in Islam hold fundamentally different values, are willing to die and kill for them, and will show no mercy once in power. The United Nations will not rescue the West. Their pretended stance of moral neutrality does not exist. The nations there in have a point of view that has nothing to do with impartial declarations of justice. Many in the U.N. sympathize with terrorists and would cheer the day any Western nation, including Israel, fell. When we put our faith in “international,” and “humanitarian” ideals we deceive ourselves. Peace and security can only come about when we realize we are different and respect each others right to define and protect our respective ways of life. We should not assume fundamental agreement. Those in the United Nations take sides and we must too.
Culturism hates multiculturalist belief that we all share fundamental values and are all on the same side. Multiculturalist thinking allowed the Muslims to bring school children in from public school Madrassas to scream hatred towards Western nations and Jews. Multiculturalism fails to realize that Islamic values are diametrically opposed to Western values. They do not agree with Western notions of democracy, feminism, freedom of speech and separation of church and state. U.N. votes show this to be true. Terrorism in Europe over cartoons confirms our differences. Marches against Israel’s existence confirm we have diametrically opposed agendas. The United States and other Western nations need to realize there are irreconcilable sides and Muslims believe theirs is right.
6 comments:
There is a unfounded belief that Muslim culture can blend and co-exist within a western society. By making concessions to Muslim values, we are in fact destroying the very essence of what we cherish as western culture. It is one thing to have enclaves of different cultures within a homogeneous society and quite another to actually modify our laws and values to accommodate Muslim values. For example, a Hasidic community doesn't make demands the same way as a Muslim community does. Demanding Mosques be built on University campus, demanding the segregation of the sexes at swimming pools and gymnasiums are just a few examples.
Right, we need to take a culturist position and not give in. The desire to have parts of sharia law substantiated indicates not believing in Western law. Compromise is made with the assurance that there is no conflict and deep down we share commonality. Both are false.
I'm glad you distinguish between cultures. Peoeple would say your statement is racist. But clearly, you are not concerned with all immigration. You are not racist. You are making arguments based on a cultural basis. And, that is a reasonable criterion for making policy. This is evidenced in the fact that our cultures have incompatable laws and accomodation is required.
Interestingly, a while back I wrote an article about what is a good American. One that comes here and starts demanding we change America is NOT a good American. They show no desire to adopt our ways. Support for the West and Western ways are good criterion for who makes good candidates for Western citizenship.
I agree, one needn't totally decimate your culture to be a good Westerner. But asking the West to change its laws to accomodate you makes for a bad fit. I'm sure no Korean immigrants have tried to have holidays abolished and (as in this country) the Supreme Court redesigned to fit their needs in your country.
"They do not agree with Western notions of democracy, feminism, freedom of speech and separation of church and state."
You've just described a lot of Westerners including the misinformed owner of the "Atlas Shrugged" site.
Western culture is fine. Conservative culture is not something thinking people are comfortable with.
Your "culturalism" crusade is hobbled by that problem. You point out problems in Muslim cultures but aren't able to examine the defects in your own. As a result you have nothing to control your xenophobia.
Hey Ducky!!
You are my favorite contrarian! Really! I enjoy you on AOW. Thanks for dropping by.
Most importantly, it is culturism , not culturalism.
Now for a substantive point or two. Forgive me if I miss your points as you did not provide a lot of detail.
You, apparently,fundamentally misunderstand culturism. You say that I point out the flaws in Muslim countries. Culturism holds that all nations have a right to define, protect and promote their culture. My big disagreement with Atlas is that she DOES judge other cultures. I in no way shape or form consider Islamic nations inferior or wrong. Even if I did, it would be by my standards. My standards are not their concern.
You also say that culturism does not look at flaws in our culture domestically. Islam really only gets mentioned in the policy section. The majority of the book concerns domestic applications for improving our culture.
You do not like conservative culture. That is fine. Culturism does not advocate stripping people of choice. And, if you read the first chapter of culturism, you'd see that culturism considers itslef to be protecting Western culture and considers that, by extension, it provides the best philosophy for gays and feminists. Western civ is inherently the most liberal around.
If you think I would discourage out of wedlock birth. You are right. But, again, I don't know that most Americans would disagree with families as an ideal. I'm not sure what parts of "conservatism" you don't like, but I'm glad you are okay with Western civilization. You might be a culturist and not know it.
Finally, in the introductory chapter it is pointed out that no word for positively valuing the majority culture exists in English. It is pointed out that xenophobia is but one of the slurs thrown at people that value western culture. What would you suggest for a word that values Western culture that is not negative? In reference to your control issue, the problems I point out with patriotism and nationalism is, they provide no ethical guidelines.
Thanks for writing! I would encourage you to read the "culturism chapter highlights" (if not the whole book) at www.culturism.us. That would allow you to be a more informed contrarian!! You might even agree with a point or two : )
Thanks again, John
But you still have the problem of defining a Western or an American culture.
I think at the end of the day I might agree with you that there are some basic tenets but damned if we can get to them through all the noise.
The anti Muslim crusade is so shrill that it distracts us from the task of discussing our own culture and how it can prosper without being so xenophobic.
Ducky, we do indeed have the difficulty of defining Western culture. In culturism, the chapter that defines Western culture comes after the anthropology chapter. That is done to show that many of the values we take as "natural" or "universal" are only Western.
Valuing freedom of speech, rights, women's rights, democracy, peace, anti-racist sentiment and the separation of church and state are not universal values or goals. Western nations have only sought some of them for one hundred of our many years. And in the major non-Western civilizations in existence currently, you have very little enthusiasm for many of these values.
Furthermore, culturism does not believe Western values are the natural direction of the world. If we like them we must protect them. Theology and brutality happen and they happen for eons.
As for being shrill, I totally agree with you in terms of our foreign perceptions. If Iran wants to be theocratic it is no skin off our backs. If China doesn't want democracy, we must appreciate diversity. Korea has a right to be racist. We should not seek to remake the world in our image. And, those who want to do so are best served by minding the homefront and making America something to admire.
Domestically, I don't think we're shrill enough. 7 years after 9/11 we have not secured our borders. We allow people to enter our country, overstay their visas and live nearly worry free. That policy does not reflect the reality of diversity.
Thanks again for writing, John
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