No Friend Left Behind Update
[posted by Callimachus]
One of the last countries with open arms for Iraqi refugees is folding its arms.
One can't blame the Swedes; they've taken in more than their share -- more than 18,000 since 2006, according to the article. Even before this, Sweden's immigrant population, which largely is made up of Iraqis, was swollen to the point where certain cities, notably Sodertalje and Malmo, have been overwhelmed and, given the odd European custom of asylum without assimilation, have become de facto Middle Eastern ghettos. Any reader of Bruce Bawer will tell you Sweden, consequently, has enormous immigrant problems that outpace even those in the rest of Western Europe.
This appears to have to do more with Swedish electoral politics, which brought a "center-right" coalition to power recently (scare quotes to remind you to calibrate for the difference between European and American political spectra) than with recent events in London and Glasgow.
However, the terror attacks there, and the presence of an Iraqi doctor among the suspects, is going to make the job of bringing America's friends out of Iraq as we retreat all the more difficult to do. The British bombers may or may not have been incompetents whose death cars never would have blown up as intended. They may have done no more physical damage than singing a facade or two. But they have done enormous damage in any number of non-carnal ways.
They may not have blown up buildings, but they lit a fire in the clash of civilizations. The bombardment of Fort Sumter killed no one, either, but it had enormous consequences nonetheless.
Just ask a Muslim immigrant doctor living and working in Britain:
One of the last countries with open arms for Iraqi refugees is folding its arms.
Sweden, which has welcomed far more Iraqi refugees than has the U.S. or the rest of Europe, said Friday that it is tightening its asylum rules and will forcibly deport Iraqis who are denied refuge.
The announcement marked an abrupt change in the relatively lax rules that had made Sweden a safe haven for thousands of Iraqis fleeing the chaos in their homeland.
One can't blame the Swedes; they've taken in more than their share -- more than 18,000 since 2006, according to the article. Even before this, Sweden's immigrant population, which largely is made up of Iraqis, was swollen to the point where certain cities, notably Sodertalje and Malmo, have been overwhelmed and, given the odd European custom of asylum without assimilation, have become de facto Middle Eastern ghettos. Any reader of Bruce Bawer will tell you Sweden, consequently, has enormous immigrant problems that outpace even those in the rest of Western Europe.
This appears to have to do more with Swedish electoral politics, which brought a "center-right" coalition to power recently (scare quotes to remind you to calibrate for the difference between European and American political spectra) than with recent events in London and Glasgow.
However, the terror attacks there, and the presence of an Iraqi doctor among the suspects, is going to make the job of bringing America's friends out of Iraq as we retreat all the more difficult to do. The British bombers may or may not have been incompetents whose death cars never would have blown up as intended. They may have done no more physical damage than singing a facade or two. But they have done enormous damage in any number of non-carnal ways.
They may not have blown up buildings, but they lit a fire in the clash of civilizations. The bombardment of Fort Sumter killed no one, either, but it had enormous consequences nonetheless.
Just ask a Muslim immigrant doctor living and working in Britain:
Moreover, with the updates of today that there were Iraqi and Jordanian doctors suspected of their involvement in this mess, our hearts reached the low of the lows. These people have completely tarnished our reputation. They perform these acts out of desperation, thinking that this will bring them satisfaction and rivalry over whoever has sabotaged their life. Do they once think of all those others that will be put under scrutiny and be undermined due to their selfishness? The media will most definitely exploit the fact that they are from Middle East and Muslims.
