As suspicion of Muslims grows in Germany and France, the danger of a vicious spiral is palpable. We need to counter this xenophobia now – before it is too late.
.... While never compromising on the essentials of an open society, including free speech, we non-Muslim Europeans must keep sending these small signals to our Muslim fellow Europeans, both online and in our everyday personal interactions. The best signal of all is the one that indicates no explicit signal is necessary.
This is what happens most of the time in a city like London: you just take it as given that Muslim British people are as much Brits as anyone else – that in truth there is no “they”, just a larger, gloriously mixed and muddled “us”. That is how we will win the plebiscite every day. And that is how we will see off a vampire called Pegida. [Timothy Garton Ash, 1608 comments]
[TOP RATED COMMENT 1188 votes] What is it about the sexist, anti-intellectual, barbaric religion that wishes death on all non believers that people dislike so much?
[SECOND 1185] I suspect that in Germany, as in the United Kingdom, the elected leaders have simply ignored the rise of Islam. We have constantly been told that there is no problem with Islam; and often it has been said that it's our fault anyway.
And now that some people have run out of patience we are supposed to throw up our hands in horror. But many will take a lot of convincing before they see the right as a bigger threat than Islam
[THIRD 1099] The Islamic problem is much more pressing than the Pegida problem.
Only an ostrich would disagree.
[FOURTH 1026] What "game" do you propose we play?
Should the uncivilized rabble be allowed to run free, murdering anyone who disagrees or does not believe in their program?
[FIFTH 1032] But it is a clash, isn't it? Whichever way you put it, in the end the ideal situation will always be for Muslims to accept that being a national citizen comes first than being a religious person.
[SIXTH 1004] Timothy,
please tell us what have been the advantages to date for Europe of importing large numbers of Muslims and what advantages will there be in the future
[SEVENTH 961] Absolute rubbish!
How dare you, after all that has happened in the last two weeks attempt to derail opinions you do not care for. That is exactly the problem in Europe at the moment. Islamists want to force their opinion and terror on the rest of us, they want to bully and threaten those who oppose them into silence, and apologists, like yourself, are agreeing with their wish to silence opposition.
Shame on you. These people have the same right to free speach as the Charlie Hebdo publication, and that victim of Islamic barbarism in Saudi Arabia. We do not have to agree with people to agree they have a right to state their opinion.
You article twists the Pegida case, which is almost entirely peaceful protest, which you have tried to pollute by throwing in a murder case. No, those we need to fear are not the anit-Islamics, but the rabidly pro Islamic lunatics that are the real threat to peace in Europa and peace throughout the globe.
[EIGHTH 959] I am sure more mass immigration into nations with record youth unemployment can only dampen the flames.
[NINTH 935] A shocking 57% of non-Muslim Germans now see Islam as a threat.
How can one not see Islam as something of a threat? Every day in the news we see atrocities carried out in its name. The Muslim demographic is increasing dramatically in many European countries and with it comes more influence – inhumane killing of animals, harassment of women, Sharia law courts, Female Genital mutilation, Muslim patrols around mosques, etc.
Call me a Fascist or Racist if you must but the thing is I am neither. I just see that all my liberal and humanist values are negated and challenged by political Islam.
[TENTH 899] As long as the jihadists propose war against non-believers, the bigger threat will be islam.
Why cannot they practice their religion in peace?
[ELEVENTH 818] The rise of antisemitism is equally alarming, Islam has been a huge factor in this. [Guardian Cif] Read more
