Beware of Belgistan

This video represents the sort of fear mongering I can really do without.  I had it forwarded to me as from an otherwise thoughtful person who saw it as "food for thought."  This is a problem, because it is complete nonsense.   It connects with many Americans, however, because there is so much ignorance and fear regarding Islam.  My first reaction was to wrinkle my nose at such ignorance, rant at my wife for a few minutes, and move on to something else.  The problem is, when I do that, there is that much more chance that it won’t be countered.  It becomes that much more likely that everyone who knows better will simply look down their noses at fools who would believe such foolishness.  No one can be faulted for believing nonsense as long as those of us who know better fail to identify it as nonsense.  So, I offer up the following brief response.  It can’t hurt.

There are a lot of problems here, but the first one is that we get a twisted picture of the Muslim presence in Belgium.  Muslims are about 25% of the population of Brussels, but about 6% of the population of the country as a whole.  The Muslim population is centered in the cities.  The total Muslim population of Europe is supposed to be a little over 8% by 2030.  In Belgium it is estimated to be just over 10% by 2030.  So, the situation is not quite what it was represented as being in the video.

Second, the rate of growth of the Muslim population is falling.  This is because Muslim immigration is leveling off and the birth rates of Muslims in Europe are falling.  So, there isn’t a population explosion on the horizon and talk of the “high Muslim birthrate” is misleading at best.

Third, the Muslims in Belgium, as is true of Muslims everywhere, are not a unified and homogenous group of folks.  The Muslims are mostly of Moroccans and Turkish descent, with sizeable groups of Albanians, Pakistanis and West-Africans.  They practice different strains of Islam, and have different beliefs and cultures.  They are highly unlikely to be a unified force with a single agenda.

Fourth, the focus in this video is on what they call a fringe group, but then go on to use as a source for information on Islamic Law.  This would be like talking to someone like Fred Phelps about Christianity (Fred).  It isn’t any fairer to treat this radical as a spokesperson for Islam than it would to treat Fred Phelps as a spokesman for Christianity. 

Fifth, the things that are said about Islam in here are mostly false.  There is not just one Sharia, just as there is not just one understanding of the role of Sharia in the practice of Islam.  The Sharia that has relevance in Western countries is centered on family law, and does not involve chopping hands.  It is the same sort of religious law practiced by Jewish folks in Western countries.  Islam is not fascism.  If you want to claim it is, the least you could do is define fascism.  Islam is also not undemocratic.  Islam is not any more inherently incompatible with democracy than Christianity.  Islam has a strong tradition of lay leadership, community input into decisions, personal and unmediated interactions with God, and critical thinking, particularly in the law. 

Islam is a religion.  Within Islam there is much diversity of ethnicity, race, ideology, and belief.  Some Muslims are radicals bent on your destruction.  So are some Christians.  Most Muslims are ordinary people trying to support their families and enjoy their lives.  When you portray Muslims as radical fiends bent on conquering the world you say more about yourself than you do about Muslims.