Tolerating Intolerance

by Madeleine Kando

If you think the Tea Party is extreme, just go to YouTube and watch some videos of the British right-wing organization called E.D.L. or English Defense League. It is not for the faint of heart.

It is a far-right movement which opposes the spread of Islamism and Islamic extremism in England. It is like the Dutch Party of Freedom, except more violent and extreme. For a moment there, I thought I was watching a Nazi Party rally.

It seems that pretty much every country in Europe has its own version of an anti-Muslim movement now. Unlike the Tea Party, which is against the current government and its policies, these parties are not trying to throw over the government, they want to force the current government to adopt new anti-Muslim policies.

How on earth did the situation become so polarized? Are those just a bunch of skin heads looking for some fun on a Saturday night? After all, Europe and in particular England, has a long tradition of neo-fascist movements.

It is commonly said that fascist movements feed off poverty and homelessness. But aren't most European countries 'welfare states' who are supposed to take care of their poor and unemployed a lot better than we are here in the US?

Or are these movements and parties a sign that the European policy of 'Multiculturalism', i.e., tolerating many cultures without prejudice, is now beginning to totally fall apart?

Take the Burqa for example. In France there is a ban on wearing one in public. You might say that wearing a Burqa is a matter of personal choice and that the ban is racist, that it infringes on a person's individual and religious freedom.

But to many Europeans the Burqa is a symbol of Radical Islam. I also says 'I am not going to accept your Western values'. I am not tolerant of your society and its customs.

Especially in France, any religious expression in public, which the Burqa is, must be hard to swallow. The French are proud of being a secular nation and they do not look kindly on anyone who ignores this important aspect of French society.

You see, tolerance works only when it is bi-directional. If I tolerate you but you don't tolerate me, then we have a problem. Imposing tolerance ** on an entire population is already hard enough, but being told to tolerate the intolerant in the name of political correctness has created a Frankenstein monster.

Now we see the ugly underbelly of some European countries, as they latch on to a legitimate feeling of trying to preserve important cultural values.

These ‘fright-wing’ groups (to coin a term) are using it to radicalize their country even more. It is a catch twenty-two situation, isn't it? If tolerance in a society allows intolerant cultures to co-exist, it will turn that tolerant society into an intolerant one.

Do I have that right?

** The very expression “Imposing tolerance” is a contradiction in terms. It’s like saying “imposing freedom.” This unmasks the current European dilemma.  leave comment here