More thoughts on the TVO appearance
I have refrained from calling the Sock Puppets the Sock Puppets because I have tried to discipline myself to stay focused on ideas and principles and not to resort to name-calling and other forms of ad hominem "attacks." "Sock Puppet," however, is pretty mild, and, if you are not them, kind of funny.
Last night, though I was tempted to join some of my fellow bloggers in calling them "Sharia Creeps," because, I confess, they made me angry. I've recovered from that. And I'm glad to see that Mark Steyn quickly regained his Happy Warrior state of mind once he reached the sidewalk after last night's TVO appearance. He writes:
That's what struck me about last night. These kids are thoroughly Westernized, thoroughly postmodern, thoroughly multicultural. I bet these ladies would see wearing a hijab as a fashion accessory or a choice or something they can do to reflect their Muslim identity. They have no idea of the consequences of the kind of Sharia creep they consciously or unconsciously advocate, because they are more Trudeaupian than Muslim.
Mark nails it here:
Theodore Dalrymple has written about the Muslim youth in the housing projects surrounding French cities, how they have embraced a combination of the most pernicious forms of modern American "gangsta" culture, right down to the baggy pants, the hoodies and the backwards caps the pimp walk and the criminality along with the most pernicious aspects of Islamism---violent jihad and the abuse of women. But gangsta "yout" don't bother with the scrictures of Islam, like praying five times a day and the accompanying ablutions or alms for the poor or pilgrimages to Mecca. The identity they have forged is like a mutated virus, combining the worst features of the West and Islamism, with none of the gentle piety and family values of their parents. Some of them even think raping infidel women is justified as a form of jihad.
The mentality of these kids on TVO last night also seemed to be a mutated virus, but instead of the French "youts'" American gangsta hostility and jihadist rage, they manifested something far more "grown in Canada." In fact, except for when Awan seemed to be muttering prayers or something under his breath, these were just leftist kids who drank the Trudeau Kool-aid, that wedded their minds to the multicultural ideology poured into their brains by similarly brainwashed teachers they have studied under all their lives. There was nothing especially Muslim about them except their backgrounds. They certainly did not come across as particularly religious.
The Muslim "thing" seems almost like an add-on, a fashion accessory like the hijab the girls can choose to wear or not to wear, something to give them an identity with which to shove their way to the trough of public money and government power.
While I doubt they are secular Muslims, they seemed to me to be cafeteria Muslims, picking and choosing which parts of the Koran to believe, reserving the right to select which doctrines they will follow. No imam is going to tell them what to do or what to believe. Religion of Peace Muslims delighted to take their place in the Rainbow Flag of multiculturalism. They reminded me of cafeteria Christians who really worship on the altar of their individualism and choice, and have been shaped more by multicultural relativism than the Christian faith as handed down by the Apostles.
The "Socks" virally mutated ideology has made these otherwise bright, attractive and articulate young people stupid, incoherent and irrational. Not only that, it has blinded them to the consequences of their actions.
There are two possible consequences down the road if they get their way. One is that the multicultural, relavistic secular fundamentalism will eventually prevail and their religious freedom, their choice to wear a hijab in government offices or universities, or be accommodated publicly, will be taken away by a state that will privatize all religious expression to some kind of closet where you can have your beliefs but no ability to act on them or express them in the public square Many human rights decisions and court cases have indicated this trend so far as Christianity is concerned. More and more laws will clamp down on any kind of expression that seems likely to upset any group. And believe me, Christians will jump on this bandwagon with a quick me-too and soon Christianity will be off limits to criticize (or express) publicly, too. Religion and disagreement about religion will be seen as potentially harmful to public peace, so it will be pushed out of sight and persecuted if it pops up.
Or....as Mark Steyn has warned, multiculturalist relativism could become the vacuum into which radical Islam is poured. We might all find ourselves forced to accept forms of Sharia. It will not be a choice. Head coverings and modest dress will be forced on these pretty young ladies. But they are too blinded by the sugary high of the Trudeaupian Kool-Aid to see the logical consequences of their actions.
Should the Sock Puppets win in the courts, the future is totalitarian.
Last night, though I was tempted to join some of my fellow bloggers in calling them "Sharia Creeps," because, I confess, they made me angry. I've recovered from that. And I'm glad to see that Mark Steyn quickly regained his Happy Warrior state of mind once he reached the sidewalk after last night's TVO appearance. He writes:
I succeeded in bouncing the Sock Puppets into agreeing to a face-to-face discussion, though it wasn't my finest hour or theirs. I believe the final words of the show were me saying, "Do you wanna go to dinner?", and Khurrum Awan yelling back, "No." We didn't go for dinner, but we did have a relatively pleasant conversation after the broadcast that I thought was much more productive than the show. Khurrum was a bit chippy but the two ladies, Muneeza Sheikh and Naseem Mithoowani, are rather cute, even when they're damning me as a racist and hater. (Years ago, the BBC used to keep putting me up against humourless Marxist feminists only to find that on air I'd go all sweet on them and just make goo-goo eyes.) One confessed to finding me "mildly funny", which I took as a tremendous compliment until she remarked that she found "Little Mosque On The Prairie" funnier. Evidently by "mildly funny", she sets the bar down at world-champion limbo level.Well, I wonder if Mark's writing that the ladies "were rather cute" will prompt the puppet masters to insist they start wearing hijabs. And if the great "Islamophobe" still finds the faces unframed by that beautiful glossy hair cute, maybe they'll be wearing burkas or niqabs down the road. But I doubt these ladies would put up with any man forcing them to wear a head-covering. They are far too Western for that.
That's what struck me about last night. These kids are thoroughly Westernized, thoroughly postmodern, thoroughly multicultural. I bet these ladies would see wearing a hijab as a fashion accessory or a choice or something they can do to reflect their Muslim identity. They have no idea of the consequences of the kind of Sharia creep they consciously or unconsciously advocate, because they are more Trudeaupian than Muslim.
Mark nails it here:
I was struck by something Naseem said to me on the sidewalk. I'd mentioned that I'd heard her on NPR saying that it was improper for me to attack "multiculturalism" because multiculturalism was officially embedded in Canada's constitution. And I said: So what? A free society shouldn't have an official ideology, but, if it has, I certainly reserve the right to object to it. If I'd lived in Italy 70 years ago, I would have objected to their official ideology (Fascism), and I object to Canada's, notwithstanding its touchy-feelier name. And she looked at me as if I was bonkers. I feel rather bewildered at meeting graduates of an elite institution in one of the oldest settled democracies on the planet who seem to think just because Pierre Trudeau cooked it up it's chiseled in granite. You can only marvel at what an amazing job he did of wiping a society's collective memory. What was the most depressing part of the post-game show for me was realizing that for my accusers the assumption is that every defect in society can be corrected by government intervention.
Theodore Dalrymple has written about the Muslim youth in the housing projects surrounding French cities, how they have embraced a combination of the most pernicious forms of modern American "gangsta" culture, right down to the baggy pants, the hoodies and the backwards caps the pimp walk and the criminality along with the most pernicious aspects of Islamism---violent jihad and the abuse of women. But gangsta "yout" don't bother with the scrictures of Islam, like praying five times a day and the accompanying ablutions or alms for the poor or pilgrimages to Mecca. The identity they have forged is like a mutated virus, combining the worst features of the West and Islamism, with none of the gentle piety and family values of their parents. Some of them even think raping infidel women is justified as a form of jihad.
The mentality of these kids on TVO last night also seemed to be a mutated virus, but instead of the French "youts'" American gangsta hostility and jihadist rage, they manifested something far more "grown in Canada." In fact, except for when Awan seemed to be muttering prayers or something under his breath, these were just leftist kids who drank the Trudeau Kool-aid, that wedded their minds to the multicultural ideology poured into their brains by similarly brainwashed teachers they have studied under all their lives. There was nothing especially Muslim about them except their backgrounds. They certainly did not come across as particularly religious.
The Muslim "thing" seems almost like an add-on, a fashion accessory like the hijab the girls can choose to wear or not to wear, something to give them an identity with which to shove their way to the trough of public money and government power.
While I doubt they are secular Muslims, they seemed to me to be cafeteria Muslims, picking and choosing which parts of the Koran to believe, reserving the right to select which doctrines they will follow. No imam is going to tell them what to do or what to believe. Religion of Peace Muslims delighted to take their place in the Rainbow Flag of multiculturalism. They reminded me of cafeteria Christians who really worship on the altar of their individualism and choice, and have been shaped more by multicultural relativism than the Christian faith as handed down by the Apostles.
The "Socks" virally mutated ideology has made these otherwise bright, attractive and articulate young people stupid, incoherent and irrational. Not only that, it has blinded them to the consequences of their actions.
There are two possible consequences down the road if they get their way. One is that the multicultural, relavistic secular fundamentalism will eventually prevail and their religious freedom, their choice to wear a hijab in government offices or universities, or be accommodated publicly, will be taken away by a state that will privatize all religious expression to some kind of closet where you can have your beliefs but no ability to act on them or express them in the public square Many human rights decisions and court cases have indicated this trend so far as Christianity is concerned. More and more laws will clamp down on any kind of expression that seems likely to upset any group. And believe me, Christians will jump on this bandwagon with a quick me-too and soon Christianity will be off limits to criticize (or express) publicly, too. Religion and disagreement about religion will be seen as potentially harmful to public peace, so it will be pushed out of sight and persecuted if it pops up.
Or....as Mark Steyn has warned, multiculturalist relativism could become the vacuum into which radical Islam is poured. We might all find ourselves forced to accept forms of Sharia. It will not be a choice. Head coverings and modest dress will be forced on these pretty young ladies. But they are too blinded by the sugary high of the Trudeaupian Kool-Aid to see the logical consequences of their actions.
Should the Sock Puppets win in the courts, the future is totalitarian.
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