Exclusive: Dhimmitude Denial Runs Deep
Cinnamon Stillwell


Author: Cinnamon Stillwell

Date Published: 2006-10-17



In Europe, Muslim populations have been rapidly increasing for years, with little concern from the government. But Americans are taking notice as Muslims are imposing their own will and beliefs upon the non-Muslim countries in which they reside. Read FSM Contributing Editor Cinnamon Stillwell’s excellent analysis of the growing problem within our own Western borders.
 
Dhimmitude Denial Runs Deep
Cinnamon Stillwell
October 17, 2006
 
When “Eurabia” author Bat Ye’or coined the term dhimmitude in 1983, she tapped into a growing phenomenon.  Based on the Arabic word “dhimmi,” defined by Ye’or as “the name applied by the Arab-Muslim conquerors to indigenous non-Muslim populations who surrendered by a treaty (dhimma) to Muslim domination,” dhimmitude is indeed a state of obeisance. 
 
By altering Western societies to adapt to undemocratic and repressive Islamic traditions, non-Muslims are checking equal rights at the door and instead opting for a sort of subservience. Westerners have been so well trained in the ways of Muslim intimidation and violence that they now surrender without even a fight.
 
As I wrote in a recent column, self-censorship is one aspect of this suicidal pattern. Ever since the Salman Rushdie affair, westerners have found themselves under threat for exercising their hard won rights to free speech. These days, even the term dhimmitude has been deemed “hate speech” by the guardians of political correctness, who unknowingly display symptoms of dhimmitude in the process.  
 
But dhimmitude extends far beyond self-censorship to pervade all aspects of life. The demands emanating from Muslims in Western countries have only increased over the years and it doesn’t help that organizations such as CAIR (The Council on American Islamic Relations) or The Muslim Council of Great Britain are always on hand to back them up in the name of “tolerance” and “diversity.” This pattern has escalated to the point of almost perpetual submission on the part of western societies, which is ironic, for Islam itself means submission. 
 
Muslim cabdrivers have become the focal point for much of this activity. At the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, cabdrivers of Somali origin have been refusing to pick up passengers carrying liquor in duty-free bags because of the Koranic ban against alcohol. Normally, turning down fares would send them back to the end of the line, but the taxi drivers asked the Metropolitan Airports Commission to make an exception. Their request was rejected as was another proposal to mark the taxis with special lights, mostly due to public outcry. This is fortunate for the opposite outcome would have constituted a real slippery slope. Who’s to say what other types of passengers these cabdrivers could have then turned down. 
 
As a case in point, Muslim cabdrivers in the U.S., Australia and the UK have also refused to carry blind passengers accompanied by seeing-eye dogs, as dogs are considered impure in Islam. The same goes for some Muslim convenience store owners. Not only were these customers refused service, but they were also treated rudely and at times violently. This has led to fines and in some cases law suits, but the blatantly discriminatory practice continues.
 
Public schools have become a useful tool in the quest to further what some are calling Islamic indoctrination. Middle schools in both California and Oregon are using immersion methods to teach students about Islamic religion and culture. These include giving students Islamic names, memorizing Islamic prayers, completing the Five Pillars of Faith, having students dress as Muslims, making banners with Koranic scriptures, playing “jihad games” and presenting a sanitized and glorified version of Islamic history. 
 
Despite the obvious threat to the Establishment Clause of the Constitution and the blatant double standard when it comes to Christianity, thus far San Francisco’s left-leaning 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has backed the schools. It remains to be seen what the Supreme Court will decide should they choose to step into the fray, but it certainly would not be a moment too soon.     
 
In one of the more ludicrous examples of dhimmitude in the UK, Burger King withdrew an ice cream cone because of complaints from British Muslim Rashad Akhtar that the design atop the wrapper resembled the Arabic inscription for “Allah.” The logo was obviously intended to look like an ice cream swirl, but Akhtar, who labeled his actions “my jihad,” called it “sacrilegious.” The Muslim Council of Great Britain gave its approval by commending “the sensitive and prompt action that Burger King has taken” but Akhtar continues to call for a boycott. One has to wonder at one point he, or those Muslims who feel as he does, will be satisfied. 
 
Giving new meaning to Michelle Malkin’s term “The Religion of Perpetual Outrage,” Muslims are now complaining about Apple Computer’s new building in midtown Manhattan, which is shaped like a cube and called “Apple Mecca.” A post at an Islamist website began the furor, as well as the impression that the now-transparent building (first shown during its construction with black covering) resembles the Ka’ba in Mecca. The inclusion of “Genius Bars,” which don’t serve alcohol but rather technical support, also has Muslims up in arms. At this rate, cubic shaped buildings, as well as the euphemistic use of the words “Mecca” or “bars” will be at thing of the past. 
 
The latest “outrage” to set off the British Muslim community involves the disclosure that the 2012 London Olympics will coincide with Ramadan. Already, the angry protests have begun. If the current pattern is any indication, the dates will likely be altered to placate the seething masses. Olympic spokeswoman Joanna Manning Cooper promised to work “with the Muslim Council of Great Britain to find ways to accommodate Ramadan.” Such accommodation would constitute a dire descent into dhimmitude indeed. 
 
Even the dead are not immune. A new British cemetery in Nottingham has decided to face all its headstones towards Mecca, according to the Muslim tradition, regardless of the deceased’s religion. The decision was made by Steve Dowling, Nottingham City Council's Services Director for Environment and Public Protection, after consulting with the multi-faith Cemeteries Consultative Committee. Despite objections by the Church and even some local Muslims, the plan will go ahead in order, according to Dowling, to “ensure a tidy appearance.” Never mind respecting the religious beliefs of non-Muslims in the process. 
 
Amidst growing opposition among British politicians such as leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw and even London mayor “Red Ken” Livingstone to the wearing of the face veil or niqab by British Muslim women, Muslim teaching assistant Aishah Azmi was fired for refusing to take off her veil while in class. According to Muslim custom, wearing a veil in front of small children is not required and Azmi claims she only did so in the presence of male colleagues. She’s now appealing to get her job back and Muslim protesters have backed her up. Whatever the outcome, the debate over Muslim women and the veil is likely to continue for years to come.       
 
Indeed, the debate continues in the U.S. where a series of incidents involving Muslim women demanding accommodation for their religious beliefs have swept the country. In Michigan, Fitness USA was forced to wall off a co-ed aerobic center so that the women-only section could not be seen by men. In Illinois, a Muslim school will only let its girls’ basketball team play against non-Muslims if men and teenage boys are banned from the games. And in Washington State, a special swim time for Muslim women during which men, including lifeguards, are banned has been set up at a public pool. But caving into Muslim traditions that involve the oppression of women helps no one, least of all those demanding the changes.
 
Such examples are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the creeping dhimmitude overtaking the Western world. The war on terrorism is really just part of a larger civilizational clash, as author Samuel P. Huntington once predicted, and it’s not only the military arm of that conflict that should concern us. Indeed, one could argue that non-military tactics such as demographics, institutional infiltration, and the steady erosion of Western principles are the more damaging in the long run.
 
While there are hopeful signs in the UK and parts of Europe that the tide may be turning, until the West as a whole is willing to accurately define the battle, victory will remain elusive. And a victory for the west is a victory for those in the Muslim world that wish to go forward instead of backwards.
 
The denial of dhimmitude must end or the West will continue to fall further into its depths.
 
FamilySecurityMatters.org Cinnamon Stillwell is a columnist for SFGate.com, the online arm of the San Francisco Chronicle. For more information, visit http://www.cinnamonstillwell.com/.
 
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