In fact, what struck me most of all was the contrast between two photos of Anna Ardin. The first is of her relaxing with a friend in Sweden (she's on the left):
The second is a photo of her on a visit to Gaza:
In the first photo she has her body prominently on display, in the other she's gone the other way and put on the veil. She has defended wearing the veil as follows:
For some, the veil is a way to protest against an exclusive society, for others it is a Muslim identity marker or simply a personal way to get closer to God.
Where is she now? According to her website she's living in a Palestinian village in Israel and studying Arabic. It makes me wonder if she'll eventually follow the lead of Lauren Booth and convert.
It's very unlikely that Assange will be convicted, but if he is, it will be extremely amusing: a leftist ensnared by a leftist law. Welcome to your world, baby.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes it even more interesting is that he's been ensnared by a Swedish leftist law, Sweden being held up as a model by the left for so many years.
ReplyDeleteIf Assange is a rapist then almost everyone is a rapist, so I don't think he'll be convicted. Its a bloody travesty that he's even being prosecuted.
ReplyDeleteOn the point about the Swedish woman I don't really care if she converts to Islam. If she does she'll be swallowed up by the rest of Islam and there will be no trendy/white Western Islamic voice. Additionally she'll totally debunk any credibility the left has and be seen as just a foolish opposer. In the old days there was a pretence that supporting the Soviet Union might lead to a better or more advanced society. Nobody can claim that of Islam.
Jesse wrote,
ReplyDelete"On the point about the Swedish woman I don't really care if she converts to Islam. If she does she'll be swallowed up by the rest of Islam and there will be no trendy/white Western Islamic voice."
Have you ever read the story, Jesse, of how formerly Hindu Indonesia became now predominately Muslim? It's fascinating. The mass conversion was not done by force, as was typical among most present-day Muslim peoples. And it wasn't a popular movement either: the common folks were among the last to convert, and in the highlands of Java, there are still today a very few Hindu hold-outs.
It turns out that it was the elites who started it. The Muslim traders calling at Javanese and Sumatran ports apparently impressed them with their wealth and "sophistication". The courts of the Javanese princes--described in at least one book I have read on the subject as being decadent--steadily converted. It was at first just one or two, but soon it became a steady flow. Since the entire Hindu system is built on veneration of the elites (who were even quasi-gods in the Indonesian version), the common folks had little reason to hold on to their decapitated religion. And most have, of course, now become Muslim.
I know that there are significant differences between Western countries and Indonesia. For one thing, Christianity does not venerate earthly elites, and in fact, Christians have often gained many converts where the elites have been hostile.
But the similarities between the modern Secular faith in Europe and the old Hindu faith in Indonesia are too striking to ignore. Who, but the elites, hold up the vision of a secular, multinational, multicultural, borderless world in Europe? And if they give up on the secular idea, why would anyone else hold it?
I don't see how secularism can survive too many more Lauren Booths. The question for us white Christians still remaining is not whether Islam will advance among our seculars--how couldn't it?--but what we Christians are going to do about it. Will we sit and watch or will we speak up and stop it.
It's up to each of us to follow our Lord's direction and not waste a single moment: we can have no idea just how much is riding on our obedience.
Good comment Bartholomew. I understand there was also a bit of Buddist influence in Indonesia too. Indonesia was one of the few examples where the religion was spread through trade rather than conquest. Consequently the spread of the religion necessitated the granting of many concessions to the locals allowing them continue their past practices and I so understand that Indonesian Islam is quite different from Arabic Islam. Today the Arabic influence is growing stronger and its these voices who are the most hostile to the West in Indonesia.
ReplyDeleteMy thinking is that the Lauren Booth's instinct will be to "secularize" the religions that they join. The Muslims won't let them do that and so ultimately I believe they will be an uninfluential group within that religion.
I'm not really sure if Islam is a hierarchically top down religion and I think its certainly a faith where the average person feels a lot of ownership of it. Its usually the middle or common voices who call the loudest for things like Sharia to be introduced rather than the elites.
The elites in our societies are certainly influential though. If they start joining in large numbers, which seems a spectacular about face, there will be stronger pressure within our societies to be more sympathetic to Islam. So the Islamic Lauren Booth's will be ignored within Islam, but nonetheless be directed at us. If they can encourage us to not war against Islam, or strongly oppose Muslim practices then they will have done their job. If, on the other hand, our elites embrace a rubbish faith that must undermine their standing in the West as it shows their complete divorcement from their own societies. The full self indulgence of our elites is increasingly on show.
In France on the other hand, one of the birthplaces of secularism, there is greater intellectual opposition to Islam as an unmodern force, and hence calls to ban headscarfs in schools. Although there is not the same desire as I understand it to strongly enforce these measures.
I think it's fine to be concerned as to the Israeli/Palestinian problem..and *Gasp* have a genuine concern for the fate of the Palestinians. (I don't like that first sentence of your blog post...it makes it sound like anyone who cares about the Palestinians is a liberal)
ReplyDeleteBUT
Living there, becoming one of them, and converting to Islam?
That's just freaky and weird.
Someone on a comment on DailyMail article about women who convert to Islam said that they all had weird insecurities and needed to be told what to do.
Going from casual sex with a 'celebrity' to Islamic living sure fits that bill.
She's been brainwashing into thinking that her own culture is bad...and she's not mentally capable of standing up to anyone....So she spirals down into madness.
women who convert to Islam said that they all had weird insecurities and needed to be told what to do.
ReplyDeleteYou mean... they're perfectly normal females.
This used to be the kind of "rape" story along the lines of "It wasn't rape until the bank returned the check (cheque if you prefer)".
ReplyDeleteBut it does completely fit the left wing, emotion driven agenda. So the implication is any Swede with Game is in danger of being accused of rape...
Women like this make life difficult not only for men, but for other women as well.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"Someone on a comment on DailyMail article about women who convert to Islam said that they all had weird insecurities and needed to be told what to do."
From my fav#1:
"Women do not know what makes them happy. They need to be told what to do by their man, told to be happy about it, and then they will be happy."
Wise woman.
All the oppressed people's of the world are her friend.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff and discussion.
ReplyDeleteNothing in the world is more complex than a liberal trying to find a solid spiritual ground to walk on, when some try anything can happen.
Who wants to take the time to openly and sincerely and prayerfully study the worlds religions and traditions and asceticisms and try and discern the Truth.
For men this is impossible, but with God....
Nice blog down-underlings.
The fact that Assange is being railroaded for truth and free-speech, by a liberal nominally Christian President and a liberal nominally Christian EU shows just how far down the ladder of corruption and decay we have fallen.
"For some, the veil is a way to protest against an exclusive society, for others it is a Muslim identity marker or simply a personal way to get closer to God."
ReplyDeleteWhat about the women in Iran who rip the veils from their heads and suffer imprisonment, lashes and even death for daring to stand up against this type of oppression?
Its now 2019 and apparently she is a priest in some Swedish Brotherhood..... feminist?? yeah right.