Little Mosque on the Prairie, American version

FOX television has acquired the rights to the CBC's "Little Mosque on the Prairie."

The US channel already has a program called "Aliens in America" about a Pakistanini Muslim exchange student to an American high school.

With "Little Mosque", the programmers will be going a step further. The subjects are no longer "alien", but appear very much to be part of the society. It's us who has to get used to them, not them us.

One executive even jokingly called it "Little Mosque in Minnesota." There is no joke, however, about the high Muslim presence in Minnesota, who are affecting cab drives (Muslim drivers have refused to take drivers with alcohol), guard and assistance dogs - Muslim students refused to have a teacher have his special needs dog with him, and even their elected officials' behavior. When Keith Ellison was elected into public office, he performed his swearing in on the Koran.

Muslim Girl Magazine

Muslim Girl with her patriotic hijab; Western Girl trying new styles

Muslim Girl Magazine is now available as a glossy print in major book stores like Barnes and Nobles in the U.S. and Indigo/Chapters in Canada. It also has an online version.

Not only will our streets show an ever-increasing population of hijab and other Muslim fashion, but so will our newstands.

This is another major inroad into our landscape. No longer will the fashions of Vogue and Elle adorn our magazine shelves, but a new and alien image - of non-fashion becoming fashion - will start to compete for magazine shelves. How many variations of hijab styles will we see?

The launching issue of Muslim Girl had a real Muslim girl (as all the editions promise to do). What is extraoridanry about this issue is how the editors wanted to make it look like any other American girl's magazine, all through careful juxtapostitions of words and imagery.

A small American flag showing mainly the stars, with a glimpse of the stripes. These stripes are then continued in the hijab pattern the girl is wearing. The captions prominently say "Growing up American." Yes, as a Muslim Girl.

Now, Western Girls can join in all the fun that Muslim Girl describes through the fresh and airy articles. In fact, those bandana-headscarves can start the ball rolling.

Hijab Choreography Enters Campy Music Video

A newish pop group called Dragonette has surfaced with their newly released music video for "Competition." The beginning looks fun and upbeat, with pop-art type campish images. Then about the 45 second point, enter two hijab-swathed dancers.

Martina Sorbara, lead singer of Dragonette, who was formerly a solo singer, says:

"What I was doing before was very monochromatic–it was basically piano and guitar. Because of that, I had no avenue for what was going on in my head. That's why Dragonette is so colourful and all over the place. All this stuff never had a way out until now."

Islamic imagery enters where we have no control over what we think and what we do. While it seems innocuous enough, eventually, this imagery will not just stand alongside others, in the "colorful and all over the place" manner that Martian talks about, but will attempt to take over as well. Indiscriminate acceptance of everything around us will eventually destroy and displace the cultivated imagery that have been part of the Western world. That is why we have culture, to cultivate our imagery, and not to accept anything that comes our way. Such strong contenders as Islamic imagery are just more forceful than others, and more likely to take over when we leave those cultural entrances unmonitored.

It all seems far-fetched, what with the rest of Martina's video looking very much like a young MTV-girl's lipstick, short skirts and undulating dance haven. But, there are stories of rebellious girls, who in order to find stability in their lives, have converted to the strict, hijabed world of Islam, often by marrying a Muslim.

Dragonette's "Competetion"

Vision TV Hosts Islamic Program on Sundays

I was shocked to find that Vision TV, "Canada's Multi-faith and Multicultural broadcaster", hosts Sunday Islamic programs. Given its description of its services, this should come as no surprise. But, it is still a shock to hear Koranic verses read and discussed on the holy day of the week.

Many Muslims might say that there are Christian programs on Fridays. But Canada is a Christian country, and Catholic mass, for example, can be performed on a daily basis. This subtle and careful usurpation on Sunday looks benign enough, but it is certainly one of those bold moves that Muslims are continuously making, with apparently very good excuses, and which Canadians are unable to stop.

Hindu programming, for example, avoids all contraversy, and only hosts shows on Saturdays.

Email Conversation with Robert Spencer

What can we do about Islam?

Update: with my comments on Spencer's critique of Abul Kasem's 8-point strategy to confront Islam.

Update II (11-12-09): I have removed my comments under Spencer's point-by-point answers to Abul Kasem's strategies. They were not my emailed responses to Spencer, simply my comments on Spencer's replies posted on the blog.

Here is a series of email conversations I had with renowned author and expert on Muslims and Islam, Robert Spencer.

My question, when all is chiseled away is:

Given that Robert Spencer knows how destructive Islam is to societies, and that Islam is making such a strong presence in the West, and specifically the United States and Canada, how can we get rid of the problem of Islam from our society?

Mr. Spencer has given me permission to post the interaction on my blog, and here it is.

------------------------------------------------

On 7/12/08 12:10 PM, "cameralucidas@yahoo.com" wrote:

Dear Mr. Spencer,

I have been reading your articles for a few years now, and have learned
copious amount of information from them.

But, during your recent interactions with Mr. Auster at the VFR, the
contention is that you haven't provided enough strategic and realistic
attempts to rid the West of Islam.

In the recent Frontpage Mag symposium "Confronting the Islamization of the West", you unfortunately spent littletime discussing Abul Kasem's practical strategy to combat Islam in the
West.

You preferred to spend most of your time and attention on the problems
with Islam (which we now know so much about), and not the strategies to
get rid of this problem.

I wonder what you think of Kasem's efforts, and would you find time to
make such a 8, 10 or even 5-point strategy to remove the dangers of
Islam from the West?

So far, you may have written them in between many other topics on Islam, but I haven't seen a deliberate, concise, direct and clear strategy from you.

Perhaps what I'm saying is can you make the leap from the scholar to the
activist, or is that (the activist's) role something you feel should be
done by others?

Sincerely,

Kidist Paulos Asrat

------------------------------------------------

From: Robert Spencer <director@jihadwatch.org>
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:50:35 -0400
To: <cameralucidas@yahoo.com>
Conversation: Abul Kasem's 8-point strategy
Subject: Re: Abul Kasem's 8-point strategy

Dear Kidist Paulos Asrat

Thanks for your kind note.

I am happy to discuss this with you, but allow me please to ask you first:
have you read any of my books? In three of them the final chapter contains a
series of recommendations for what we must do in order to defend ourselves.
Yet Mr. Auster has stated several times that he hasn't read any of these
books, and then he claims that I have made no recommendations. I must say I
find this peculiar.

Also, I ask that you please look over the symposium again. Please note the
abysmal ignorance of Rohan Gunaratna, and the influence that he has. Rohan
Gunaratna rejected Abul Kasem's recommendations because he doesn't see the
need for them -- because he thoroughly misunderstands the nature of the
problem itself. And remember, please, that the overwhelming majority of
Americans and others are still just as ignorant and uninformed about the
nature of the problem as is Rohan Gunaratna. It is because of this that I
spend the bulk of my time trying to raise awareness of the problem. In fact,
I believe that pushing for certain policy recommendations before there is a general awareness of the problem they are intended to solve can actually make it less rather than more likely that the policy recommendations in question will be taken seriously and eventually adopted.

You ask, "I wonder what you think of Kasem's efforts." Answer: in the
Symposium itself I wrote this: "...we need to take strong and decisive
steps, such as Abul Kasem outlines, to protect ourselves."

[Ed. note: Here are Spencer's answers (via email to me) to each of Kasem's 8-point strategy from the FPM symposium. 

n.b. Spencer was also part of the FPM symposium, but didn't address these points directly at FPM].
-----------------------

1.
AK: Adopt tough policies on the entry of Islamists to non-Islamic countries. However, we must make a distinction between the large number of in-name-only Muslims and the diehard, jihad-infused, conniving, pan-Islamists."

RS: I have taken a stronger position on this than Abul Kasem, given the
impossibility of distinguishing Muslims-in-name-only from jihadists: end
Muslim immigration. Mr. Auster grasps at straws in claiming that I don't
mean this since I have only stated it at my blog. Well, I mean what I say at
my blog. 

2.
AK: Enforce strict restrictions on the construction of mosques and Islamic seminaries. If this sounds unethical/ and or infringing on the religious
rights, please note the non-existence and disallowance of construction of
non-Islamic worshipping centres in Islamic Paradises. We must call spade a
spade.

RS: This cannot be done in America given the First Amendment. I have called (I
think it is in The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam -- I am unsure
because I am in a hotel and do not have my books with me, but I am sure it
is one of my books) for the reclassification of Islamic groups in the US as
political unless they renounce the Sharia supremacist imperative and make
themselves open to inspection to show that not only are they not teaching
the political aspects of Islam, but are teaching against them, and
advocating the Western principles of republican government and equality of
rights for all. And if they are found to be still teaching Islamic
supremacism, they should be closed.

And of no construction of mosques or Islamic schools funded by Islamic
supremacist governments such as Saudi Arabia should be permitted. 

3.
AK: Stop paying jizya to the Islamists. Do not accede to any unreasonable demands solely by the Islamists. Keep other religious people in mind. Why must Islam be treated more favourably than other religions? Ask the Islamists this simple question.

RS: We have advocated this many times at Jihad Watch. Hugh Fitzgerald has
written about it frequently and in great detail, and I endorse his views.

4.
AK: Halt the interfaith dialogue with Islam. Remember, Islam is
uncompromising. There is no way Islam will accommodate un-Islam. Please read
this sentence one more time and memorize. You will save a lot of time and
money wasted to please Islam. We do not have to please Islam."

RS: Yes. I devoted a chapter to the perils of this interfaith dialogue in my
book "Religion of Peace."

5.
AK: Assert the un-Islamic (non-Islamic) cultures, traditions, customs and ethos. We must let the Islamic world learn a bit that the world is not prepared to accept its 7th century Arab Bedouin customs and laws."

RS: This is something I have advocated for years in many, many contexts and in
many different ways. My book "Religion of Peace" is dedicated to this in
particular.

6.
AK: Reject any demand to impose Sharia in a non-Islamic society; even if it
is in the pretence for Muslims only. Remember, Muslims are the first victimsof Islam."

RS: This also I have advocated repeatedly for many years. Search for "Sharia" at
Jihad Watch and you will see.

7.
AK: Muslims migrating to non-Islamic countries must sign a declaration that they do not believe in pan-Islamism. If found contravening their signed declaration they should be stripped of their citizenship and promptly deported to the Islamic Paradise they had migrated from."

RS: If this idea did not originate with me, at very least I have been one of its
foremost advocates. This is the "screening" proposal upon which Mr. Auster
has heaped scorn. He has pointed out that Muslims entering the country will
lie when they declare their rejection of Sharia and acceptance of Western
principles. Quite so. But then if they begin advocating Sharia in any way,
this will become grounds for deportation. You can find this at JW in
connection with earlier controversies with Mr. Auster.

8.
AK: Proselytizing by Islamic dawa must be strictly controlled, and if necessary, banned. If you think I am being unreasonable. Please look at the laws of Islamic Paradises (such as Malaysia, Pakistan, Sudan, NigeriaŠ) with regard to the propagation of other faith among the Muslims."

RS: Of course. Its political and supremacist character must be recognized.
-------------------------

In sum, I stand by my contention that Lawrence Auster is falsely stating my
views. I have advocated numerous solutions, and continue to do so. At the same time, as I explained above I still believe that the primary task that must be done is raising awareness. And I am going to continue to focus on that, without apology.

Cordially
Robert Spencer

------------------------------------------------

On 7/12/08 1:30 PM, "Kidist Paulos Asrat" wrote:

Mr. Spencer,

I think this clarifies my understanding of your position:

At the same time, I explained above I still believe that the primary task that must be done is rasing awareness. And I am going to continue to focus on that, without apology.

I understand that not everyone can be a strategist. But there is only so much awareness that we can raise, without making the final call.

With all due respect, that must be why you are having such a difficult contention with Mr. Auster. Raising awareness is no longer necessary (and even if so, it is now ineffective.)

The role for Islamic experts now is to combat, directly and without equivocation.

[...]

Even God felt it necessary at some point to give us a list of things to do with His Ten Commandments, rather than to just read and ruminate over a story.

I say all this with such conviction because my own country of birth (Ethiopia), although I came here to Canada as a very young child, went through a devastating Islamic Jihad. Fortunately we are now able to tell the tale, and recognize the ominous signs.

If you wish, you can read my entry on "Christian Tolerance, Islamic Jihad" it is at my blog: Camera Lucida .

Thanks once again,

Kidist

------------------------------------------------

From: Robert Spencer
Subject: Re: Abul Kasem's 8-point strategy
To: cameralucidas@yahoo.com
Date: Saturday, July 12, 2008, 10:37 AM

I respectfully disagree. Most Americans have no idea of the facts you know well and are impatient with me for repeating. I am going to continue to try to change that. You say that raising awareness is no longer necessary. I disagree.

------------------------------------------------

From: "Kidist Paulos Asrat"
To: "Robert Spencer"

Of course I agree with you that the facts will ever be there to be unraveled, by scholars like you and also like Dr. Bostom.

I was talking of the necessity to put strategy to fact. And convince Westerners that the facts they know so far (however limited they may be) along with awareness, need to be, at this critical time, joined with specific strategies.

Perhaps, if I may be so bold, your important role now as an expert on Islam, is to make these clear strategies in the manner that I have suggested that Mr. Kasem has so clearly delineated. I think people would trust you, and would not doubt any ominous suggestions you might make given the depth of your scholarship.

---

About

Our Changing Landscape is an offshoot from another blog, Camera Lucida. At Camera Lucida, I have been documenting social and cultural news and events, emphasizing some of the arts such architecture, film and painting, as well as design, which is my professional background.

Over the few years that I have maintained Camera Lucida, I began to realize that several factors were eroding, if not outright destroying, the culture and society I was writing about. Liberalism is one, multiculturalism (and its twin, immigration) is another, but one final one is Islam.

Islam has a force of its own. It is not a policy or political behavior like liberalism or multiculturalism (and immigration), but something that uses parts of these ideologies and systems to carve out its own place in the society where it is present. It abuses loopholes in the society's laws and rules, takes advantage of multiculturalism, and relentlessly uses immigration to literally orchestrate a take-over of a society.

Many times, this process is so subtle and discreet that it is hardly discernable, unless you’re someone like me who takes the time and interest (thanks to Camera Lucida) to follow changes in society and culture.
Our Changing Landscape covers, amongst many other topics: Muslim TV programs which have adapted Canadian and American stories (such as Little Mosque on the Prairie); Muslim women who are dismantling decades-long Jewish and Catholic family arbitrations for fear of misogynistic Sharia laws; Arabic script which is openly being used in public places; and mosques, which used to be nondescript buildings and which are now being built with full-fledged Islamic architectural design.

Disclosing these stealthy Islamic inroads into our culture and society, and what to do about them, is what Our Changing Landscape is attempting to do.


Kidist Paulos Asrat

The Underbelly of Belly Dance

There is a curious phenomenon that has been going on in North America and Europe for the past few decades. Thousands of women are ‘shamelessly displaying their femininity’ through a Middle Eastern dance form more dubiously known as belly dance.

The ‘Finding your Femininity through Belly Dance’ hype is actually the last vestiges of the so-called female liberation’s movement. Belly dance is advertised to Western women as a way to release their apparent inhibitions regarding their bodies. The undulations, body waves, hip circles and other abdomen-centric movements appear to glorify the unique feminine body. If you are not embarrassed at moving in these overtly erotic ways ( there is no other word to describe the movements in belly dance but as erotic), then you have come a long way, seems to be the message.

Many belly dance aficionados have tried to historically disassociate the dance from its erotic nature. An ancient Egyptian woman called the Almeh, who was well versed in poetry, music dance and other intellectual stimuli, is portrayed as having been the sophisticated cultivator of the dance. Yet, this description fits perfectly with the modern Japanese Geisha, who is a sexualized entertainer of men despite her erudition and education. The prestigious Almeh no longer exists in modern Egypt, if she ever really existed before.

The belly dance craze in North America started gaining momentum in the seventies and has been growing steadily since. Recently, belly dance schools have tapped onto the extraordinary success of the fitness movements. Gyms started giving belly dance classes along side aerobics. Even yoga centers brought in their belly dance teachers. Still, most women attend classes in belly dance schools at many convenient (and sometimes quite inconvenient) locations. Finally, the convergence into popular culture was sealed when overt eroticism became a daily routine on TV and in the movies. Belly dancing became something to do.

The majority of women say they started belly dancing to make themselves feel better. They’re searching for some kind of uninhibited narcissism – a feel good about their body - while doing all these undulations and shimmies. Their ultimate proclamation is "we don’t need men to make ourselves feel better" slogan that came out of the feminist movement. Yet quite contrary to this much advertised slogan, it is the poor men who become subjugated to the girl-power type of behavior (exhibited by grandmothers and granddaughters alike) and who end up supporting the dancers.

There is also the unexpected (or probably quite expected) competition. The urge to be a belly dancer can be a cut-throat experience. Gilded in clenched smiles and girlish voices, what everyone really wants is to stand center stage in full sequined costumes. As with every activity which does not quite reach the level of art, the acrobatics and costumes in belly dance act as substitutes for artistic sublimities. Belly dancing styles become a contortionist’s feat of moving as many parts of the stomach muscles as possible. In fact, its initiation into North America was at Chicago's "World's Columbian Exposition" in 1893, which introduced to the American public the 'dancing girls of the Middle East’, whose huge popularity was mainly as a circus act, along with the hoochy koochy label.

Many North American professional belly dancers guard closely that they hail from the much more artistic and cultivated discipline of ballet. They started dancing very young, as is required of ballet, and were rejected an entrance into this elite art form. Belly dancing offered them a chance to script their own standards, where the rigorous ballet judges cannot criticize them – what do they know about belly dance anyway?

The overriding promise of belly dance is that ‘you will feel better about all the failures that have derailed your life no matter what they are’ is really a message about masks and camouflage. The real issues are not addressed and resolved. What better way to forget the past than to immerse oneself in something so foreign that all those forgone defeats can be forgotten. Ironically, far from giving them the self-worth they crave, it puts them in an ambiguous relationship with the dance. Even in Middle Eastern circles, where belly dancers are hired for weddings and other festivities, it is still a dance that is frowned upon. Dancers are forever trying to find euphemisms for their dance, emphasizing its folk nature, or its erudite beginnings, or as a dance for pregnant women. Unlike ballet, a belly dancer can never proudly and publicly proclaim her profession.

Reference:
Donna Carlton. Looking for Little Egypt. Bloomington, Ind. : IDD Books, 1994.