Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the "Left" and "Multiculturalism"

(I like the post below so much that I have lifted it bodily from Transatlantic Intelligencer)

"The Somali-born Dutch parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali has long been the object of death threats from Dutch Islamists. Since the murder last November 8 of Theo Van Gogh, she is under 24 hour police protection. Hirsi Ali describes herself as an "apostate" from Islam. In an interview published in last week's issue of the French weekly L'Express [link in French] she says: "Since the September 11 attacks, I no longer believe in God. In the eyes of the fundamentalists who threaten me, that justifies my being put to death. They accuse me of 'insulting' the Prophet, of saying that Islam oppresses women, of 'collaborating with the enemy', that's to say, with non-Muslims."

Hirsi Ali's break with Islam has been widely publicized. Perhaps less known is her break with the "left". Originally, a member of the Dutch Labor Party, Hirsi Ali left the latter to join the classical liberal (I think this term will now be understood by Trans-Int regulars. In case of doubt, see discussion here.) VVD. L'Express asked her why. Here is her response:

"Because the left is exactly like the Muslims! I wanted to give priority to the defense of immigrant women who are victims of domestic violence. They said to me: "No, that's not a priority! The problem will take care of itself when the immigrants have jobs and are integrated." It is exactly what the Imams say who demand that we accept oppression and slavery today because tomorrow, in Heaven, God will give us dates and raisins.. I think we need first to defend the individual. The left is afraid of everything. But fear of giving offense leads to injustice and suffering. The sexual revolution, the affirmation of individual rights, improving the living conditions of immigrants - these were once the great causes of the Dutch left. In their eyes, the simple fact of belong to a minority gives one the right to do anything. This multiculturalism is a disaster. All one has to do is scream "discrimination" and all doors are open to you! Scream 'racism' and your opponents shut up! But multiculturalism is an inconsistent theory. If one wants to let communities preserve their traditions, what happens when these traditions work to the detriment of women or homosexuals? The logic of multiculturalism amounts to accepting the subordination of women. Nonetheless, the defenders of multiculturalism do not want to admit it.""

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ELSEWHERE

Amazing! Someone at Google reads this humble little blog. I feel honoured. I mentioned yesterday that a whole blog that I had deleted over a year ago was still held in the Google cache and that its contents were still being listed in response to searches. Suddenly it has vanished! Google seem to have flushed at least those files out of their cache. Maybe if anyone else wants old stuff of theirs cleared from Google's records they should get me onto the job! The results of Google searches are pretty changeable from day to day, however, so another search tomorrow might turn the old stuff up again. Che sara, sara.

Persecution of Mormons. Odd that Muslim polygamists are not targeted!: "The seizure of financial records Tuesday at Colorado City Unified School District signals another turn of the legal vice being used to squeeze religious leaders out of a community of polygamists along Arizona's border with Utah. School district papers and computers were confiscated using a search warrant issued under seal by a court. Attorney General Terry Goddard confirmed that the maneuver is part of 'a strategy to apply pressure in any legitimate way we can' against prophets within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, a breakaway sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... The sect and its estimated 6,000 members are not affiliated with mainstream Mormonism. Through elections and a religious trust, they control the school district, municipal government and most property in the isolated towns of Colorado City, AZ, and Hildale, UT."

Is this the most pointless law they have ever passed in Sacramento? A lot of California High School graduates can't read ANY books! "The California Assembly is betting that kids learn more with small books. Lawmakers voted Thursday to ban school districts from purchasing textbooks longer than 200 pages. The bill, believed to be the first of its kind nationwide, was hailed by supporters as a way to revolutionize education. Critics lambasted Assembly Bill 756 as silly. "This bill is really the epitome of micromanagement," said Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Northridge. "(It's) absolutely ridiculous." "With all due respect," said Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, "this Legislature worries more about the rules than they do about whether children learn."

California rehabilitation: "A 16-year-old boy serving time for second-degree murder was charged Friday with raping his 13-year-old cellmate at Alameda County Juvenile Hall, authorities said. The older boy, whose name was withheld because of his age, was in custody at the San Leandro facility for an Oakland homicide when the alleged assault took place over the night of May 12 and the morning of May 13."

Schools outside the law??? "A Hispanic advocacy group on Wednesday sued the U.S. Border Patrol, Albuquerque Public Schools and police, alleging they violated three Hispanic students' rights to an education. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund alleged in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court that the constitutional rights of the students -- all illegal immigrants -- were violated when they were arrested on immigration charges at Del Norte High School last year. The lawsuit contends campuses are safe havens for students. 'The case itself has broader implications,' said David Urias, MALDEF's lead attorney on the case. 'It's with Latino and Hispanic students in school in general. We don't want federal and local law enforcement to single out Hispanic students and interrogate and seize them without cause while they're on school grounds.'"

American optimism at work: "President Bush praised Palestinian leader Mohmoud Abbas' steps toward democracy today and predicted that Palestinians will reject candidates of the militant group Hamas in upcoming elections there. Bush, with Abbas at his side in the Rose Garden, said it was his hope that 'more and more people will reject the notion' of violence. Bush also announced that United States will direct $50 million in housing aid to the Palestinian Authority for Palestinians in Gaza."

Overdue changes to voting laws afoot: "Long lines, challenged ballots and two of the closest presidential elections in the country's history have touched off a landslide of proposed voting law changes across the United States. Some are hailed as much-needed upgrades that will assure everyone of a vote with no fraud; others are alarming civil libertarians who fear new restrictions could disenfranchise the poor and others at society's margins. The National Council of State Legislatures, which tracks law-making developments, has compiled a list of sometimes competing proposals that have surfaced this year in 26 states, covering 21 pages of fine print."

I have just posted here a letter from a reader which asks: "Is the Pope Catholic?". Although I am an atheist, I am rather on the side of the Holy Father. Ulster's Rev. Ian Paisley may still think that Catholicism is the religion of the Devil but if I were a Christian I think I would see either Islam or Leftism as much better candidates for that role. They are both relentlessly murderous if they can get away with it.

For more postings, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE and LEFTISTS AS ELITISTS. Mirror sites here, here, here, here and here. And on Social Security see Dick McDonald

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That power only, not principles, is what matters to Leftist movers and shakers is perfectly shown by the 2004 Kerry campaign. They put up a man whose policies seemed to be 99% the same as George Bush's even though the Left have previously disagreed violently with those policies. "Whatever it takes" is their rule.

Leftist ideologues are phonies. For most of them all that they want is to sound good. They don't care about doing good. That's why they do so much harm. They don't really care what the results of their policies are as long as they are seen as having good intentions and can con "the masses" into giving them power.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist"

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