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Asking for Extremism

[National Review] Emanuele Ottolenghi - In the Belgian elections on October 8, the right-wing Flemish Vlams Belang party won 20 percent of the overall national vote, reaching almost 33 percent in Antwerp and even more in smaller communes. These electoral returns reflect a larger European phenomenon: After decades at the margins of political life, extreme right-wing parties are making strong gains across the continent, a reflection of growing anxiety among the public for the future of Europe in light of the growth of Muslim communities on the continent. For many Europeans, the multiplying list of outrages where an intolerant, aggressive, violent, and retrograde Islam openly challenges liberal values such as freedom of speech and gender equality is a sign that a strong response is in high order. If they vote for the extremists, it is not necessarily because they have become extreme, but because the parties at the political center are paralyzed by political correctness, fear of antagonizing a growing Muslim electorate, or simply too naive to understand what is at stake.
2006-10-20 01:00:00
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