Intifada in France
Friday, November 4th, 2005 12:40 pm by NealAs the New York Sun editorializes in Intifada in France, there’s a lot more to the “unrest” in France than just rioting.
If President Chirac thought he was going to gain peace with the Muslim community in France by taking an appeasement line in the Iraq war, it certainly looks like he miscalculated. Today the streets of the French capital are looking more like Ramallah and less like the advanced, sophisticated, gay Paree image Monsieur Chirac likes to portray to the world, and the story, which is just starting to grip the world’s attention, is full of ironies. One is tempted to suggest that Prime Minister Sharon send a note cautioning Monsieur Chirac about cycles of violence.
The Sun also points out how the Muslim population in France has dictated Chirac’s approach to the War on Islamic Fascism, and how completely this has backfired as Muslims see through Chirac’s charade at appeasement and see weakness instead:
It’s a barely kept secret that Mr. Chirac led the opposition to the Iraq war out of fear of how his Muslim population would react. This fear is a big part of why France portrays itself as America’s counterweight and why it criticizes Israel at every turn and coddled the terrorist Yasser Arafat right up to his death. This doesn’t elicit thanks from Muslim radicals in France. It turns out to project an image of weakness. Unsurprisingly when faced with some unhappiness they believe they can pressure the French state into submission.
For all of their “sophistication”, the French are slow learners. For their benefit, we repeat yet again: You cannot appease Muslim extremists. Oh, you may want to re-think the whole “diversity” thing as well. Bon Jour.