Watching France descend into darkness
An interesting update on Islam in France and how French leaders are dealing with the situation. Or rather, not dealing with it. The writer, Bruce Bawer, is an American who has long lived in Norway. His article includes this extraordinary passage which includes a rather basic question from a retired French general, Roland Dubois:
The minds and hearts of these people are consecrated to a set of beliefs and practices that represent an existential menace to Western Civilization. To pretend that these believers can be reined in by any lame law or charter or pact is sheer folly. As one General Roland Dubois asked rhetorically in a recent commentary: When faced with a choice between a sacred text, dictated by Allah himself, and therefore untouchable to the end of time and some newly concocted document, more or less imposed by the unbelievers, which text can you expect to win out? Muslims have felt a sense of indomitability in France for some time now; can anyone honestly expect them to turn meek? The bottom line, then, is this: If Islam were harmless in the first place, there would be no need for any laws or charters to control its adherents; but since Islam is not harmless, such documents are useless – except perhaps as part of an effort by Macron to make it look to voters, in the run-up to the next election, as if he’s actually doing something about the issue. [Emphasis added]
In an Open Letter to the President of France and Members of Parliament, General Dubois and nineteen of his fellow retired generals write:
As Cardinal Mercier, Primate of Belgium, once said: When prudence is everywhere, courage is nowhere. Ladies and Gentlemen, stop equivocating — the hour is late, the work ahead is immense. Do not lose time, and know that we are ready to support political leaders who would undertake the rescue of the Nation.However, if nothing is done, heedlessness will continue to spread its poison throughout society, inexorably. In the end, there will be an explosion, and our comrades in active military service will be forced to step in and undertake the perilous mission of protecting our civilizational values and the lives of our fellow citizens.It is easy to see that the time for hesitation is over. Otherwise, tomorrow, civil war will put an end to this growing chaos, and there will be thousands of deaths, of which you will bear responsibility.
Editor's note: Translation from The American Mind. Read the full translated letter here: Twilight in Paris (love the title).
Needless to say, the letter has not been received well by the French bien-pensants. Left-wing politicians labeled it a thinly veiled call for insurrection, and called for legal action and prosecutions. Here is an accounting of the episode from the Daily Mail. The Mail updates the story here. Here is the story in The Telegraph, also updated.
The Left offers no substantive alternatives. They certainly dare not address Dubois' question above. In this new millennium, the Left has only one playbook: Label anyone who disagrees with their narrative a bigot, have them canceled or fired, and completely ignore the mayhem all around.