September 27, 2006

Germany Goosesteps Toward Dhimmitude: Part II

More on a subject I blogged about two days ago. Via MyWay News:

BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned against "self-censorship out of fear" on Wednesday, a day after a leading Berlin opera house decided not stage a production because of concerns it could provoke Islamic ire.

German leaders widely condemned the Deutsche Oper's decision not to put on a production of Mozart's "Idomeneo" with a scene featuring the severed heads of Jesus, Buddha and the Prophet Muhammad, after Berlin security officials said they could not guarantee the opera house's security in the event of violent protests.

"We must be careful that we do not increasingly shy away out of fear of violent radicals," Merkel told the Hannover Neue Presse. "Self-censorship out of fear is not tolerable."

Muslim reaction in Germany is mixed:

Ali Kizilkaya, leader of Germany's Islamic Council, welcomed the move, saying a depiction of Muhammad with a severed head "could certainly offend Muslims."

But a leader of Germany's Turkish community said it was time Muslims accepted freedom of expression in art.

"This is about art, not about politics," Kenan Kolat told Bavarian Radio. "We should not make art dependent on religion - then we are back in the Middle Ages."

But we know which reaction will get the headlines. So do the fearful German artsy types and the Islamofascists...which is why the opera was cancelled in the first place. (Note there is no fear of Christian or Buddhist reprisals. Think we're on to something here?)

Yes, I call them Islamofascists. Victor Davis Hanson, in an article for National Review Online earlier this week, tells us why it is indeed correct to call these radicals Islamofascists:

Envy and false grievance, as in the past with Italian, German, or Japanese whining, are always imprinted deeply within the fascist mind. After all, it can never quite figure out why the morally pure, the politically zealous, the ever more obedient are losing out to corrupt and decadent democracies â€” where "mixing," either in the racial or religious sense, should instead have enervated the people.

Such reactionary fascism is complex because it marries the present's unhappiness with moping about a regal past â€” with glimpses of an even more regal future. Fascism is not quite the narcotic of the hopeless, but rather the opiate of the recently failed now on the supposed rebound who welcome the cheap fix of blaming others and bragging about their own iron will.

By throwing in the towel before one's hat has even been thrown into the ring, Gemany continues its march toward dhimmitude, despite Merkel's words of caution. The rest of Europe seems to be going along for the ride. American leftists are always urging us to be more like Europe. This is definitely one more reason why we should not be.