Ethiopia tolerated and included “moderate” Muslims—and paid for it

Regarding Robert Spencer’s proposal that we use a questionnaire to screen out prospective immigrants with pro-jihad beliefs from the West, while continuing to let “moderate” Muslims immigrate into the West, a VFR reader who originally comes from Ethiopia makes a fascinating point. Ethiopia in the 14th century, she tells us, had a similarly tolerant policy toward Muslims in Ethiopia, treating them as full subjects of the emperor along with the Christian majority. Yet 200 years later the descendants of those same “assimilated” Muslims launched a devastating jihad against the Christian Ethiopians, virtually destroying the country.

The lesson is clear: In the long run and in the larger picture, the distinction between “jihadist” and “moderate” Muslims is illusory. Non-Muslim societies must defend themselves against Islam, period.

Also see Randall Parker’s idea of what we could do with the money we are wasting in Iraq, if we really cared about protecting ourselves from terrorism.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 23, 2006 12:21 PM | Send
    


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