Washington: Fragony Has Been Right All Along

[Louis VI the Fat]

Wikileaks reveals that the Americans have been sending reconnaisance troops into the remote and dangerous valleys and mountain regions of.....European cities. To monitor the local populations. They were shocked at what they discovered. Breeding grounds for extremism and terrorism. To such an extent that the Americans are now sending teams to win hearts and minds.


Arabian areas, run down, crime ridden, politically radicalised:

The Muslim character of Overtoomseveld is
immediately apparent to the casual visitor. Women are more
visible on balconies (usually with small children) than on
the street, and nearly all wear headscarves. Arabic
language shop-window signs and graffiti -- much of it anti-
American -- are common.

The satellite dish, the internet, and the minaret maintain the distinct segregation from society of these foreign enclaves.

The Dish:

The large number of satellite dishes, used to beam
in Arabic stations such as al Jazeera, have earned
Overtoomseveld the derogatory sobriquet of a dish city in
Dutch. Satellite television is cheaper than Dutch cable and
provides a direct link to the home cultures of many
immigrants, but many non-immigrant Dutch criticize the
prevalence of satellite broadcasting as insulating immigrant
communities from mainstream Dutch culture and encouraging
segregation.

The minaret:

The neighborhood's one Moroccan mosque plays a
critical role in satisfying residents' spiritual and
cultural needs.

The mosque has a food store and
classrooms for the 100 children aged 6-12 attending Arabic
and Koran classes on weekends. Like elsewhere in the
Netherlands, the imam speaks little Dutch and was imported
from Morocco.

The internet:

During non-school hours, groups of young men and
boys hang out on the neighborhood's streets and stoops with
little to do. As a result, incidents of petty crime and
vandalism are high. During a recent visit by Emboffs,
several groups of young boys were gathered outside two
neighborhood internet cafes. According to local contacts,
one of these cafes -- across from a police station -- had
earlier been used by members of the extremist Hofstad
group, including Bouyeri. [Who murdered Van Gogh]

And the whole system is maintained and paid for by the indigenous taxpayer. From very extensive policing and social efforts, to the state being a significant source of income:

Within Amsterdam's Moroccan community, it is common
for large extended families to share small rental
apartments, creating additional strains on the poorly
constructed structures. The government subsidizes most of
the council housing in the neighborhood, and is a
significant source of income through the provision of
unemployment, rent support and social welfare benefits.

http://213.251.145.96/cable/2005/11/05THEHAGUE3008.html

[Louis VI the Fat]

Of course, just because something ended up in leaked cables does not make it true. Nor is any of the above for the most part news.

What is news, and what is true, is that the American government has decided that Fragony is right and decided to act accordingly. The American embassy has decided to directly engage the Dutch Islamic communities. The cables reveal that the US embassy realises that the European Muslim communities present a clear threat to American interests, that they are a source of radicalism and terrorism, and that there is no viable Dutch policy being implemented.

Washington is trying to solve the problems Europe can't and won't solve:

TOP MISSION PRIORITY
--------------------

2. (SBU) In accordance with Washington guidance, mission has made engaging with the Dutch Muslim community a top priority, as reflected in the just-completed FY 2008 MPP. Mission efforts are focused around three prime objectives:

- Improving the image of the United States and U.S. policies among the increasingly influential -- and largely anti-American -- Dutch Muslim community;
- Increasing our understanding of issues of concern to the Dutch Muslim community and similar communities elsewhere in Europe, including relations with the non-Muslim majority;
- Using the U.S. experience to help foster a productive, non-confrontational dialogue between Muslim and non-Muslim Dutch on sensitive issues of integration and civil rights.

The result - the embassy established a special unit (PDF, 2006) to coordinate outreach with the Dutch Muslim community:
In August 2005, Post established an Integration Issues Working Group (IIWG) to coordinate outreach and reporting activities related to the Dutch Muslim community. This approach succeeded in considerably expanding Embassy The Hague's and Consul General Amsterdam's contacts in the Dutch Muslim community as well as among government, academic, and think-tank circles. Mission has also significantly increased reporting on Dutch Muslim-related issues. This cable summarizes highlights from the last six months and describes new opportunities for further mission outreach.

There are several cables detailing how American visitors to the Netherlands met with Dutch officials to discuss their integration efforts. The Americans also reached out to the Dutch Muslim community. No doubt it will please Fragony that it was George Bush himself who insisted on a concerted US diplomatic effort to win the hearts and minds of Dutch Muslims:

An all-expenses-paid study trip to the US: that was the offer to a number of prominent Dutch Muslims following the killing of controversial filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004. Now WikiLeaks documents reveal that these trips were part of a concerted effort by Washington to win the hearts and minds of Dutch Muslims. Among them was the current Mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb.

Nordin Ghoudani was one of those fortunate enough to be offered such a trip after being invited for a number of conversations at the US Embassy. Now that he is aware of being a cog in the wheel of US policy, he tells Dutch broadcaster NOS that he looks back on the trip with mixed feelings.

“The knowledge that Washington, and former president George W Bush, insisted on these trips... yes, that puts things in a different perspective.”
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/20...mment123266747

[Louis VI the Fat]

Interview with Farah Pandith. She is an Islamic American, responsible for engaging European Islamic communities.

Her and the American effort started out in Denmark, during the cartooon crisis. The rest of Europe followed. When the Obama administration was inaugurated, by a rare exception she was allowed to stay on. Hillary even created a new position for her, Representative to Muslim Communities, worldwide.

When Farah Pandith prepared to leave her position as senior advisor on Muslim affairs covering the European region for the State Department, in advance of President Barack Obama's inauguration, she wanted to be sure the new administration had a chance to hear about the way in which America engaged with European Muslims and why. Pandith had been leading the effort in Europe on Muslim engagement, one in which the US government facilitated rather than dictated to Muslim communities.

Her success was so notable that incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made her an offer she couldn't refuse. Instead of departing government service as planned, where she was keen on writing a book and doing continued research on Muslims in Europe, a new position and budget was created for her - Representative to Muslim Communities - leaving Pandith with a new vehicle for expanding her thoughtful initiatives to Muslim communities outside Europe.

Here, in her first official interview in her new role, Farah Pandith speaks to us about her plans for expanding her programs, the opportunities for lateral engagement between Muslim communities worldwide, and what it means to be an American Muslim representing the United States.
http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/its_n...ed_everywhere/

Help us Washington! You're our only hope!

[a completely inoffensive name]

Yeah, don't worry Europe, we are coming back to institute our 21st century style of liberation.

[Fragony]

In Amsterdam it's the mayor's fault, a complete idiot who thankfully didn't become our PM, outsourced all authority to the imam. I would be more worried about England Belgium & Sweden if I were them though, things are improving here and it was never as bad as they describe to begin with, but there it's bad and getting worse. I am not worried about the Netherlands anymore the multiculturalists have been stopped on time.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Trust but verify. Gotta keep an eye on you communists.

[Fragony]

Trust but verify. Gotta keep an eye on you communists.

I wouldn't defend the muslims if I didn't feel there is no reason to be optimistic, the situation is bad in the countries I mentioned earlier and that is entirely the fault of the guttmensch clinging on to the multicultural dream, we are past that. These few relics from the seventies are stuck in the swamp and the harder they kick the faster they drown, see the Wilders trial. Enough empty phrases, we have the magic formula and it's called disrespect for their sensitivities, we mock them and they are getting used to it.