Friday, November 04, 2005

What's Happening in Paris

Amir Taheri claims that what is happening in Paris is an attempted intifada. Of course, I support the secularists over fascists of every religion. But, France really has to figure out a better way to integrate immigrants than putting them in a no-man's land and refusing to police it. Unemployment rates are as high as 60% for young men in these suburbs, and the best jobs they can get are menial labor. To call les zones a "sowetto" would be an understatement. Naturally, people have been predicting these riots for years now. France's response has been: "Let them eat halal" and that's about it.

Taheri:
How did it all start? The accepted account is that sometime last week, a group of young boys in Clichy engaged in one of their favorite sports: stealing parts of parked cars.

Normally, nothing dramatic would have happened, as the police have not been present in that suburb for years. The problem came when one of the inhabitants, a female busybody, telephoned the police and reported the thieving spree taking place just opposite her building. The police were thus obliged to do something — which meant entering a city that, as noted, had been a no-go area for them.

Once the police arrived on the scene, the youths — who had been reigning over Clichy pretty unmolested for years — got really angry. A brief chase took place in the street, and two of the youths, who were not actually chased by the police, sought refuge in a cordoned-off area housing a power pylon. Both were electrocuted.

Once news of their deaths was out, Clichy was all up in arms.

With cries of "God is great," bands of youths armed with whatever they could get hold of went on a rampage and forced the police to flee.

Why is it that people who go around saying that God is great can't ever seem to trust Him to fight His own battles?

And how do those of us who are okay with God, so long as He doesn't try to run for political office deal with those neighbors of ours who have love for all people, but demand that we bow down and obey their version of God?

Also, is this just as a continuation of the Battle of Algiers?

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