I’m Not Afraid of Muslims, I’m Afraid of Fools. Both Ours and Those Who Come Here

In the charged atmosphere of Middle Eastern conflicts, which, through the influence of numerous migrants and their sympathizers from the far left, are spilling over into Europe and the USA, a thousand Islamists first gathered in Hamburg, Germany, and two weeks later, that number doubled. In today’s Europe, this may not be unusual, though to me, it is incomprehensible. If similar rallies with the same demands as those we hear under Palestinian flags were held by neo-Nazis, the police would intervene immediately. But we live in a world where top officials of the morally bankrupt UN hold memorials for “the butcher of Tehran,” who died in a helicopter crash while serving as president of Iran. I’m not talking about the half-staff flag-lowering dictated by diplomatic protocol. We live in a world where the death of a man whose passing was a relief to many Iranians receives condolences from not only confused EU leaders but also the spokesperson for NATO’s secretary-general. Ebrahim Raisi had blood on his hands—not only of Iranians but also NATO soldiers. The regime he represented was, and remains, one that stirs up conflicts with extremely negative impacts on our lives. But back to Hamburg and “our” Islamists.

Why do I call them “ours”? Because we don’t live in an isolated world; we live in a united Europe, where, along with the many benefits of our membership, we also encounter some drawbacks. For example, when neighboring Germany chooses a populist as chancellor who is driven less by public opinion than by how she appears in the media, her decisions inevitably spill over into other member states, especially those that share a border. This is doubly true for the Czech Republic, whose economy functions as a de facto seventeenth federal state of Germany. It’s also fair to admit that, at the time, this chancellor received applause from the media and even some citizens and politicians across the EU, who always want to be part of the “right crowd.” Angela Merkel made a series of significant mistakes—not just botching migration policy but also making the populist decision to shut down nuclear power plants while pushing for a hasty transition to supposedly clean energy sources, which, in reality, meant mainly natural gas from Russia. And Russia has never hesitated to take advantage when someone lays their head on the chopping block.

Now, however, let me get to the real point of my reflection: politicians’ responses to the brazen threats made by extremists in Hamburg—people we once welcomed with open arms. First, a quick look at the German reactions, which, unsurprisingly, were lemming-like. Before the first Islamist show of force, Hamburg’s parliament voted on a call to ban the extremist organization Muslim Interaktiv, which organized the rally and is a successor to the notorious Hizb ut-Tahrir, banned in 2003. It’s hardly surprising that the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) proposal received support only from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), failing to pass due to the united front of the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, who have a long history of supporting various terrorists. The first march took place, and its scandalous nature—German media condemned calls to replace democracy with a caliphate—led to “strict” rules for the second demonstration. The result? Twice as many Islamists attended, complaining about supposed censorship, and in the end, they broke all the rules set by the German state. But this didn’t stop German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser from the SPD from congratulating herself on a “job well done.”

Now, back to the Czech Republic, where someone handling social media for our Interior Minister reacted to the first Hamburg march with what has become a well-known comment: “Over a thousand Muslims demanded… And what happened? Nothing. Good night.” Aside from the arrogance, this response is incredibly foolish. Islamists are not Muslims, and this statement only fuels extremists on both sides of the spectrum. On one side, it legitimizes extremists’ demands as something not worth attention—even though they openly called for the violent overthrow of the democratic order and the establishment of a dictatorship, which is exactly what the Ministry of the Interior discusses in depth in its annual Extremism Report and strategy for fighting extremism. On the other extreme, this statement arms those who offer simplistic solutions and snap judgments about people they know little about. These people—and those who listen to them—now have confirmation from a government representative that all Muslims are enemies of our way of life. Nothing could be further from the truth. This isn’t misinformation; it’s a lie with the potential to cause serious harm. I have had the opportunity to spend considerable time in predominantly Muslim countries, and I have never encountered hatred. On the contrary—whether in the wealthy Saudi Arabia and its neighbors or in extremely poor countries like Yemen—I’ve been met with hospitality and mutual respect. I’ve even encountered genuine interest in our way of life and, more importantly, in what unites us as people. By contrast, I face hatred and hostility here—from those who allegedly fled danger in their own countries only to introduce those same dangers here.

Referring to such people as “Muslims” is an insult to the 1.9 billion people who identify with Islam worldwide. Islam is not monolithic; besides two or three main branches (the Kharijites might no longer be considered significant today), it encompasses various schools of thought, some of which are indeed extreme and violent. However, looking at the behavior of Russian Orthodox Church leaders within Christianity’s six major branches, they bear a disturbing resemblance to Iran’s ayatollahs. With some simplification, I can say that the more educated people are, the more they understand that people of different races and religions can coexist in peace and mutual respect. Based on my experience, when I’m with friends from the United Arab Emirates in Europe or the USA, they, along with their wives and girlfriends, dress “Western”—most women don’t even cover their hair, and it seems completely natural to them. Just as I respect local rules when I’m in a different cultural setting, they respect ours when visiting our countries. I believe that the key lies in education. Foolish people easily fall for simple truths and can quickly be manipulated into an “us versus them” mindset. Our current problem is that we allow an unchecked, unregulated influx of fools who become easy targets for people like Joe Boateng, a prominent member of Muslim Interaktiv, who certainly doesn’t come across as a traditional Muslim in his dress, speech, or social media presence. And again, not all new arrivals who act or think hostilely toward us are Muslims.

I sincerely hope we can call extremists “extremists” and criminals “criminals” and, more importantly, treat them as such. Let’s stop excusing them with endless explanations that they’re “different” and need our understanding—or, worse, that we should adapt to them. In this respect, we should take an example from the Islamic world, which has opened itself to foreign influences without losing or giving up its cultural heritage. Only by preserving our uniqueness can we hope to survive as a society.