Democratic fetishism
Reader comment on item: Civil war likely in Iraq: Pipes

Submitted by Reuben Horne (Australia), Mar 4, 2006 at 02:29

Dr Pipes,
When a bullet point list of the factors other than democracy are cited that are needed to civilise the Middle East it often seems more the product of an article of faith than some reasoned process that might be possible to initiate or hope Arab muslims might aspire to. In short with no history of a rule of law, a cohesive civic society, freedom of religion or freedom of speech a major miracle would be needed to push the middle east into anything that we might regard as forward momentum.

And why should Islamic states change anyway? One need only examine the litany of disasters that our too too liberal democratic states have heaped upon us. We have no effective control over who enters our countries thus a demographic decline of our population is matched by an expansion of hostile immigrant externalities who are effectively able to hide behind laws we enacted to protect our own freedoms. We exist in a twilight zone where language is disconnected from reality and even dilineating obvious problems is considered bigotry of the highest and most unacceptable order. Our much lauded rule of law is openly flouted to protect multiculturalism and police are left in the strange position of becoming ambassadors between ethnic enclaves. Crime skyrockets and Anglo-Saxons find themselves in the unthinkable position of being the victims of racism - to suggest such is occurring however is to flout other well established conventions of neo-Marxist PC.

One might argue that all of the above does not represent the idealised west as the NeoCons would see it but it constitutes the reality of the west today. If a muslim were to look upon such a society it is easy to see him or her drawing upon any of these factors to fuel contempt. Weak, prideless and retiring. Ours is not a model at present that anybody would be inclined to emulate. Small wonder when President Bush spreads the form rather than the substance of Democracy over the Middle East Muslims exercise that choice to become anything other than like us.

Cordially,
Reuben Horne.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.