They are wrong, but they have a point
Reader comment on item: It Takes a Ph.D. in Political Science …

Submitted by Jim Eckert (United States), Oct 2, 2006 at 10:56

The PhDs make legitimate points. Only their conclusion is silly.

They cite factors which may prevent Muslims from formally working together in recognizable ethnic groups such as we are accustomed to in the US. Even here, CAIR is the spokesman for Islam only because non-Muslims treat it as such, not because of any demonstrated ability to mobilize or influence American Muslims. We need someone to kowtow to, and they fit the suit.

However, in Europe the absence of a formal, influential Muslim organization does not mean that muslims will not wag the dog. It would merely mean that there is no one to negotiate with, no one who can enter into any meaningful compromise. Muslim opinion will be expressed through individual violence, riots and a climate of fear. In fact, Europeans will be far more likely to bend their foreign policy to the will of this kind of irrational, decentralized violence than they would to yet another dignified group of academics.

Europeans are rediscovering the power of fire.

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