If the government won’t act, the people will


Mosque set on fire in Holland, last in string of attacks on Muslim institutions and churches since Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh murdered for exposing abuses of women in Islamic societies. MPs pressing for legislation compelling Dutch mosques to employ only Imams who studied in the Netherlands. Netherlands authorities continue crack down on suspected Islamic terrorists.

NATO chief, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, warns Europe that it is lagging behind the US in fighting global terrorism, which is reason for strained relations within NATO. Europe needs to catch up, not the US.

Note the difference. 3,000 people died in 9/11 and not a single mosque was attacked in the USA. One man died in the Netherlands and the mosques are burning. It is just as much a mistake for Americans to judge Europeans by whatever scattered reports from their media elite trickle through ours as it is for Europeans to judge Americans by the International Herald Tribune.

If I were a moderate Muslim in Holland, I’d be leaving about now. If the jihadists react to the mosque burnings with their usual violence – and some churches have been firebombed already – it could get very grim very fast for the Muslim community there. The Dutch may be famous for their tolerance, but they wiped out their Jews pretty efficiently too.