What’s so irrational about fearing Islam?

The Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary defines a phobia as “any persistent, irrational and excessive fear of some particular thing or situation,” Take note of the adjective, “irrational,” as it is key in debunking the idea of Islamophobia. People who are deemed to be Islamophic by the politically correct arbiters of acceptable emotions are actually quite justified in their fear of Islam, given the almost daily reports of violence perpetrated against innocent people in the name of that religion.

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The recent plebiscite by the people of Switzerland to ban the erection of minarets in that country is in reality an expression of outrage by the Swiss people about what they perceive to be a threat their leaders aren’t taking seriously enough. So the plebiscite was a clear message of concern. Of course, all the usual suspects lined up in a row to go, “Tsk-tsk. Those darn Swiss are all Islamophobes.” Quoted in the National Post, Professor Amila Butrovic of Toronto’s York University called the plebiscite “an unfortunate exhibition of Islamophobia.” That sentiment was seconded by Prof. John Bowen of Washington University who went one further, calling the arguments in support of the minaret ban “stupid.” Be that as it may, it seems that the truly “stupid” thing is the constant insistence by western cultural elites that those who are concerned about their personal safety with regard to Islam are suffering from an irrational fear. The idea that we have nothing to fear from radical fundamentalist Muslims, despite the almost daily reports of wanton violence, is beginning to sound slightly shopworn in light of all that has happened since 9/11. A recent survey conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project has shown a steady increase in the negative perception of Islam by several key European nations. The survey shows that between 2004 and 2008 attitudes toward Islam became ever more negative across Europe. For instance, during that period negative perceptions of Islam went from 30% to 46% in Poland; from 18% to 23% in Britain; from 29% to 38% in France and an astonishing climb from no discernible negativity to 52% in Spain. But then Spain did suffer a major terrorist attack in 2004. Curiously, negative perceptions of Islam fell from 31% to 23% in the United States during this same time period. The same report also shows a growth in unfavorable views toward Jews in most of these same countries.

People are no longer content to be lulled into a false sense of politically correct well-being

The message conveyed by Swiss voters and shown in the Pew Attitudes Report is clear: people are no longer content to be lulled into a false sense of politically correct well-being following all the violence and rage associated with radical Islam. From the London Tube bombings, to the Madrid train bombings, to the Danish cartoon rioting, to Bali, Mumbai and even the near nightly burning of automobiles outside of Paris by what Mark Steyn so eloquently dubbed “disaffected youth,” it’s time to take a more skeptical and realistic look at multiculturalism and immigration policies. There’s nothing irrational or phobic about expecting immigrants to one’s country to comport themselves acceptably. This could well be the beginning of Europe’s line in the sand: assimilate or leave.