by Smitty
The Sanity Inspector captures an excellent thought regarding sectarian relations in the United States, emphasis mine:
Something is coalescing, taking root, something which may have repercussions centuries on down the road.
Americans are a kind, forbearing, humble, welcoming people, lefties’ incessant accusations otherwise notwithstanding. I have never had a negative personal experience with a Muslim and, SFAIK (anonymous internet flammage aside) no Muslim has ever had one with me. I suspect that that is true of most everyone reading this, left or right. In fact, I sometimes have occasion to help Muslims who are new to the area, or to America altogether. They just want to run their convenience stores, parking garages, and halal meat shops, and get on in life, same as everyone else.
And yet the Islamic terrorists, well-trained foreign agent or Sudden Jihad Syndrome flipout, are hiding among them, not us. And the alleged moderate Muslims who run interference for them are quick to scold us for noticing, as are the progressives who tend to make mascots of civilization’s enemies. And every snowflake in an avalanche can plead “who, me?”.
On the ground, under the news radar, most people get along fine much of the time, even in the world’s hot spots. Muslims will even visit Palestinian churches to receive The Virgin’s blessing, I’ve heard. And yet “My biking buddy is a Muslim, therefore Islam is a religion of peace” is as idiotically simplistic a statement as “I get along fine with all the black people at work, therefore there is no more racism in America.” Only difference is that the stakes are far higher with the former delusion.
The people who roll their eyes at the commotion over Park51 do not understand or appreciate the power of symbols–intended or unintended. They do not understand the power of memory, of grievances unassuaged, and how they can be passed along year to year, generation to generation, to unpredictably multiplying effect.
I think we do have an example of such in US History, starting with the 3/5 Compromise in the Constitution, running through the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Raaaaacism Industrial Complex, and, hopefully, more or less concluding at the Restoring Honor event.
We have to differentiate between forgiving those that undertake evil, to be free of bondage to the past, while retaining a dispassionate recollection of the events, to protect the future from repeats.
For radical Islam, one doesn’t see much hope outside of moderate Imams giving the radical nutjobs the Full Alinsky treatment of outing, personalizing, and ridiculing the notion that explosive garments and landscaping garner nothing in Eternity. How can any sane religion advocate mass murder as an active choice? *cough* Abortion *cough*, ye Christians *cough*.
Beside slavery, there is the more general issue of the Civil War. But the “South will rise again” meme is notional at best. Simply put, the US has no significant cultural memory in which to store resentment. Now, if our government were to remain Full Quisling with respect to radical Islam, things could change, and the gloomy futures come to pass.
However, I predict that in decades out that the leveling power of the Internet is going to dampen the power of radical Islam. If you read Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the current situation is built on enslaving the female half of the population in the Middle East. I submit that Stein’s Law applies. Applying it will take resolve, though. Which is why we must eject the Quislings in two months, and continue to reject Quislings when they run for office.
