...current chancellor of Germany. She was educated in East Germany when is was still run by commies, but in 1989 got involved with the growing democracy movement when the Berlin Wall fell. Merkel is sometimes referred to by Germans as
Mom...
pledged to use all the means at our disposal to combat intolerance. The challenge before the Merkel government shouldnt be underestimated. Home to four million Moslems, mostly Turkish immigrants, Germany has been witnessing a growth in support for hard boy groups many of whom have been mobilising people against the governments immigration policy; some groups display their Islamophobia
...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do...
openly. The most notorious of them is Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West, which on Monday organised a rally in Dresden. Another anti-immigrant group gaining attention is Alternative for Germany. Both are anti-Moslem and demand stricter immigration and asylum policies. The Dresden marchers carried Chancellor Merkels doctored pictures showing her wearing a scarf. Fortunately, rallies in other cities have drawn fewer participants.
There can be no doubt that murderous attacks such as the Charlie Hebdo
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A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...killings only strengthen anti-Moslem lobbies worldwide, creating difficulties for those who believe in tolerance and pluralism. While the far right in the West is in a minority, many among the majority do listen to what it has to say when Lions of Islam spill innocent blood. The killers should know that whether it is 9/11, the London bombings, the Mumbai attack or Gay Paree, the losers are Moslems worldwide, especially those who have made the West their home and want to live in peace. Chancellor Merkel has made no secret of her determination to take on the hard boys, and declared at Tuesdays rally that xenophobia, racism, extremism, have no place in Germany. Hopefully Moslem community leaders in the West will support the chancellors inclusive stance whether in the fight against European xenophobia or Islamist militancy.