Today I was invited by my friend Ali Alsabahi, a journalist from Yemen, to participate in a panel on ‘freedom of belief and countering extremism within immigrant communities’. The conference was organized by The Hague Humanities Hub. Its objectives were as follows. Beneath it, I will describe the contents of my speech.
Realist immigrants
I recently wrote a book about these questions. It is called ‘Realistisch Allochtoon’. It literally means: the realist immigrant. This title is chosen because the Left – meaning the political left in the Netherlands and Western Europe in a wider sense – uses immigration as a tool to push utopian political ideologies. Some would even say that immigration is used as a weapon to force cultural change. More and more immigrants are waking up and speaking out – they do not want this ideology to be pushed in their name anymore. They are ‘realist immigrants’.
The topic of Muslim communities and their role within the West, is increasingly problematic. Many Muslim communities – especially in inner cities – have turned into enclaves: new Muslims who arrive are absorbed within these enclaves. This process is influenced by housing prices and by cultural factors. It means that an influx of Muslims is almost inevitably pushed into more traditional, conservative, orthodox and fundamentalist interpretations of Islam.
Secularism
The paradox is that Western nations base their systems upon a tradition of secularism: this originates from a specific background of Christian nations moving through the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Secularism as a concept is thus close to the West and also as a historical phenomenon. Leftists and ‘anti-racists’ may therefore say it is “discrimination” to demand secularism from Muslims. The paradox is that, based on religious freedom, Western nations give space to Islam, which has trouble reconciling itself with secularism. This is because Islam has strong political aspects and has its own code of law: sharia. Today, the United Kingdom has official sharia courts.
Western Europe faces a myriad of problems: an aging population, a shortage of cheap energy, wars going on in its vicinity and strong inflation. All these problems combined with the pressure from ongoing mass-immigration, the rise of Islamic enclaves, tribalism and cultural frictions, become a boiling pot for civil unrest. This is already visible in nations like France and the United Kingdom. More and more immigrants are waking up: they did not come to Europe to see repeated what they also witnessed in Lebanon, Iran and Turkey – they want to push back against the growing influence of islam.
Leftist patronizing
This situation is ignored by the mainstream institutions, such as the media: many are under the control of leftists and are heavily influenced by cultural interpretations of Marxism. They prefer to depict immigrants as poor souls who need to be protected from capitalism; as dependent victims who need to be defended against ‘colonialism’ and ‘racist’ nationalists who belong to the ‘extreme right’. It is actually a quite belittling, patronizing attitude, and slowly but surely, more immigrants are turning towards the Right. Many see that the West is under attack from subversive ideologies – they seek connection, but it is hard for them to find.
For this reason, I wrote my book, Realistisch Allochtoon, in which my friend the journalist Ali Alsabahi also participated: he describes the struggles that he encounters. Alsabahi is squeezed between fundamentalists Muslims on one side, who want to censor and repress him, and the institutions of the Netherlands, on the other. The authorities downplay the problem or simply pretend not to understand it; because acknowledging the existence of a parallel orthodox Muslim society on Dutch soil is politically sensitive.
Increasing tensions
The story will not end here. Religious freedom, as it exists in the West, could play into the hands of the fundamentalists. The zealots just advocate: study the texts, read up on the history of your religion – this then goes back to the time of Mohammed. It is very hard to counter these straightforward orthodox readings of Islam with more esoteric and free-spirited interpretations, as existed when Falsafa philosophers tried to merge islam with ancient Greek philosophy. Western institutions remain bound to their freedom of religion dogma: they just have no answer to this. Their strategy is to downplay Islam-inspired terror attacks and to hope that Muslims will spontaneously embrace more esoteric and humanistic readings of their faith.
Finally, this dossier also has geopolitical consequences. J.D. Vance, Vice President of the US, has already stated that a nation like the United Kingdom – if the current demographic trend continues – will become an Islamic nation. But an Islamic nation with nuclear arms, and the US is not happy with this prospect, he stated.
Conclusion
In closing, the challenge we face is a clash between ideas about how society should be organized. If we are serious about countering extremism and preserving peaceful coexistence, we must be willing to speak honestly about the tensions that exist – without denial, without romanticizing immigrants and without fear of political correctness.
A free and stable society requires a shared commitment to secular governance, individual liberty, and open dialogue. These principles should not be presented as “Western impositions” – as cultural Marxists and fundamentalist Muslims like to do – but as necessary foundations for diverse communities to live together in peace. The immigrants must also be addressed and be made accountable in this commitment. The path forward lies in empowering those within immigrant communities who advocate reform, self-reflection, and integration – people like Ali Alsabahi.
Here you can order the book and read the book description:
https://www.bravenewbooks.nl/site/?r=userwebsite/index&id=sidlukkassen/bookdetails/410231
Here you can read another article by Dr. Sid, on Europe’s lonely road to decline. And consider again to support Dr. Sid, as the institutions of the establishment sure as hell are not going to do this for us… Follow Sid on X!
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