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Tensions Rise in Germany Over Handling of Mass Sexual Assaults in Cologne
The Guardian reports:
A ferocious debate has erupted in Germany over the handling of mass sexual assaults and muggings carried out by groups of young males during New Year's Eve celebrations in Cologne, amid accusations of a police and media cover-up over fears of whipping up anti-foreigner sentiment in the wake of the migrant crisis.
About 100 complaints have now been made to police, two-thirds of which are linked to sexual assault, including two rapes. According to police and witnesses, the perpetrators were of north African and Arab appearance, although neither the identity nor origin of any of them has so far been established.
If you're not already feeling queasy enough be sure to read the link "Asian sex-grooming gangs in the UK" in the article. Apparently you can find similar stories from all over the UK, these sexual crimes against underage girls perpetrated by muslims are sickeningly common.
Conspiracy of Silence - or Sensationalist Reporting?
There are a number of marginal news sites posting stories out of Europe these days, mostly from Germany, Sweden, as well as other claims made regarding Finland and the UK. The claims all center around a huge increase in rapes by immigrants, outright take over of public train stations, and mass groping of women passing through the stations.
According to these reports, the incidents started in midsummer and continue to this day, but the local news organizations have refused to publish reports of these incidents even after arrests have been made. Often police are accused of withholding the news of any complaints or arrests for months.
The clear implication, more often implied than stated is that the national leaders who went public in their pledges to accept refugees from the middle east war zones as well as northern Africa are leaning on main stream news outlets to suppress news reports of these rapes and sexual assaults. This suppression, if it exists, also appears to extend to the US press.
The assaults aren't limited to European women, but also include women in the immigrant shelters, some as young as 16. The immigrant shelters population in Munich is 80% male. But not all the alleged perpetrators are migrants from the recent wave of mass migrations over the summer and fall. Some are earlier immigrants from North Africa who don't necessarily live in the camps.
Finally some reports are leaking into the western press in the US, such as this brief report in the New York Times about events on New Years Eve. That same event was reported by a couple of the British tabloids.
Many reports are in German, Here and Here. (Google Translate does well with these pages). Others are in English such as this one and this one.
Are any Soylentils living in the EU near refugee centers seeing these problems? Is it being reported? Is it being repressed? Or is the whole thing a made up issue by biased articles in fringe news sites?
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Friday January 08 2016, @07:42PM
While I agree that Middle Eastern and African culture (which is heavily entwined with Islam) is a problem, I don't see that culture currently in Malaysia or Indonesia. Nor do I see it much in the west bank either to be honest, and Singapore, which is 15% Islam, is a great example of religions getting along. On the other people in places like Egypt have a terrible attitude to women -- and nobody has ever taught them better.
It does seem that Islamic countries have that feel of Christian countries of the past, where the world suffered the crusades, inquisition, etc, and it's a problem. Given time I have no doubt it will pass, the problem is there's a lot of suffering in the way. And while the typical peasant farmer in England (who is a Christian because that's what you do is 13th century peasentville) in the middle ages was not responsible for the violent march of Christianity across the globe, and the typical peasant farmer (who is a Muslim for the same reason) is equally not responsible, it doesn't mean we have to like it, nor not do anything about it.
But remember it's ISIS that want the war between Islam and the world, they think that people's loyalties to concepts you and I may value (freedom, peace, beer) is less than that of their loyalties to a bunch of people using a magical sky fairy to ensure follower. They may be right -- are American Catholics more loyal to the pope or to the president? If people see themselves being attacked as a group, they'll respond as a group. Doesn't matter if you're innocent, if a country (or even a group) is out to kill all Muslims on a global scale, and you're a Muslim, you're going to be on the side of ISIS -- you can't stay neutral in a war where one side will attack you for something you are, and the other side will attack you for not joining them.
The only way I see to deal with the threat of this Islamic culture is to teach it out of them. This means banning things like "religious schools" and stopping pandering to the "religious rights" idiots on both the left and the right, it means ensuring that immigrant populations do mix, and the best way to do that is give them hope for the future.
The youth of the world, no matter what their culture or religion, have a high proportion feeling isolated. Some turn to drink, some turn to petty crime, some vegetate in front of reality tv, some write shouty posts on internet forums, and some turn to violence.
Give people something to live for and they aren't going to go round blowing themselves up.
I know plenty of "Muslims" who live in Islamic countries and in the UK. They drink beer, watch sports, smoke (far too much), and observe the big religious parties like Eid in Islamic countries (just as I - an atheist I guess - observe the cultural event known as Christmas, and indeed observed eid this year as I was working with some Muslims at the time, and they brought in a great selection of food). There's no reason why integration can't happen, however whenever you introduce a lot of immigrants into a small area over a short period of time you get strife, look at Irish immigration in NY in the 1800s. The Irish settlers integrated, and brought a lot of value to the US, but there was violence before that happened.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Friday January 08 2016, @08:07PM
Depends on whether you're Shiite, Sunni or Alevi. Muslim != Muslim. If you're following the "wrong" Islam, ISIS will also fight against you. No way you'll take the side of someone wanting to kill you.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Friday January 08 2016, @08:29PM
Ahh yes, I suspect that they will put aside their differences to tackle the "common enemy", just like the US and USSR fought together to fight Hitler.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday January 09 2016, @01:09AM
And, you fail to understand the concept of "enemy of mine enemy". Arabs/Muslims will indeed side with an enemy, to defeat a common enemy. That is what middle eastern politics is all about. Pacts and alliances are fluid, always shifting. This year, some Sunnis and Shiites are shooting at each other, and the following year they are allied to kill Kurds, and the following year they are allied to kill Christians, then the following year, they are back to shooting at each other.
This article should help to muddy the waters, and to confuse you more - http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/09/americas-strategy-failing-world-complex-use-enemy-enemy-friend-strategy.html [washingtonsblog.com] As confusing as it can be, it helps to understand that enemy of mine enemy /= freind.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 08 2016, @10:01PM
Definitely - SOMEONE wants a war between White Europe and Islam. I choose those words deliberately. But it's not Muslims or white Europeans that want this war.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday January 09 2016, @01:01AM
"Given time I have no doubt it will pass,"
And, how much time are you willing to give them? I have said similar things. Christianity seems to have outgrown it's worst excesses, true, but it took hundreds of years. Are you willing to allow Islam hundreds of years of excess, while they are moving into your neighborhood? Are you willing to allow Muslim men to rape your daughters and grand daughters for the next 200, 500, or 1000 years?
Islam is a problem. Deal with it, or not. Islam is willing to deal with you instead.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Saturday January 09 2016, @01:31AM
None. I want the problem to be sorted. Genocide isn't the answer though, especially when 99% are not a problem. So what is the answer?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday January 09 2016, @01:50AM
Simply deny them entry into civilized nations. And, stay out of their nations. Stop demonizing xenophobia - it serves a societal need. There are people - some of them Soylentils - who hate nationalists, protectionists, xenophobes more than they hate the criminal elemnt of the invading population.
If you happen to be ethnic German, then Germany is YOUR COUNTRY, not Islam's for the taking.
If you happen to be ethnic Norwegian, then Norway is YOUR country, not Islam's for the taking.
If you happen to be Greek, then Turkey has no legitimate claim to your country, despite the fact that Turkey conquered and ruled over Greece for a few centuries.
I'm tired of clueless fools singing the praises of foreign invaders who want to come into the wealthier nations of the world, and turn those nations into third world hell holes.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Saturday January 09 2016, @02:22AM
I'm tired of clueless fools singing the praises of foreign invaders who want to come into the wealthier nations of the world, and turn those nations into third world hell holes.
Given that my mother's parents were "foreign invaders" who came to a wealthier country (the U.S.), and turned their chosen home (Chicago) into a better place via hard work, good parenting and a strong family ethic despite the xenophobia of many, I take serious issue with your characterization.
Had you been around back in the 19-teens and 20s, I'm sure you would have decried them as religious zealots bent on destroying America.
And I'm sure you would have been doubly angry about my father who came from a divided, strife and violence torn land in the early 1960s and never became a citizen. Despite the fact that he prospered and raised four children and worked in and then ran a successful business in his chosen field for almost forty years, he must have been a terrorist, otherwise he would have embraced U.S. citizenship, right?
Not everyone is like you. Nor are all those folks evil and bent on the destruction of society. In fact, there are only a very small number of people who wish to destroy our civilization. And those folks come from every society and culture -- including the "Western" nations.
IMHO, your xenophobia and racism are pretty disgusting, Runaway. I feel pity for you that you're so small-minded and afraid of those that are different from you.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday January 09 2016, @02:45AM
I have my own immigrant ancestors. Your granny and my granny integrated into the United States. Today's invaders aren't interested in integrating.
I don't understand why you would project your own ancestry, and the mindsets of your own grandparents, onto today's invaders. Do you not understand that there are "good people" and "evil people"? Presuming that your immigrant ancestors were European, would it not be reasonable to assume that your grandparents were like those famed Europeans, Marx, Lenin, and Stalin?
We are witnessing a clash of civilizations today. In comparison, all of the populations of Europe are a homogenous population.
Your dad didn't integrate? Well - I have less respect for him than I would have if he had become a citizen. Did he pay taxes, at least?
But, it pleases me that I disgust liberals. I would be dissappointed if I did not. Liberals certainly disgust me. Neocons run a close second on the disgusting scale. Hang around, if the Republicans really work at it, they could surpass the Democrats on the disgusting scale.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by NotSanguine on Saturday January 09 2016, @03:17AM
I don't understand why you would project your own ancestry, and the mindsets of your own grandparents, onto today's invaders. Do you not understand that there are "good people" and "evil people"? Presuming that your immigrant ancestors were European, would it not be reasonable to assume that your grandparents were like those famed Europeans, Marx, Lenin, and Stalin?
You don't understand because your head is so far up the ass of your xenophobic, narrow-minded Abrahamic bullshit worldview, that you can't find your ass with both hands and a mirror.
There are decent people (the vast majority, in fact) of every ethnicity and socio-economic group. There are also violent, sociopathic scumbags of every stripe too -- including yours.
Where my ancestors came from is irrelevant. Their actions are what are important, not their origins. Conflating the two is myopic at best, and viciously bigoted at worst.
Your dad didn't integrate? Well - I have less respect for him than I would have if he had become a citizen. Did he pay taxes, at least?
Your "respect" is irrelevant to me, and would be less so for my father (were he still alive). What's more, I imagine he paid more in taxes (corporate and personal) each year than you earned during a similar time period.
But, it pleases me that I disgust liberals. I would be dissappointed if I did not. Liberals certainly disgust me.
If the belief that people should be judged based on what they do, rather than where they come from, makes me a "liberal" then I'm happy to have that moniker, and even happier to disgust a closed-minded bigot like yourself.
I refuse to judge arbitrary groups en masse. I judge individuals based on their behavior. In my mind, each individual makes their own moral and ethical choices. Painting all members of a group with the same, broad brush is an intellectually bankrupt idea, more suited to authoritarians and hate-filled populists than civilized people.
Demonizing minority groups has been the tactic of choice for those who wish to accumulate and consolidate power since time immemorial. Fortunately, the U.S. Constitution makes an attempt (which is being thwarted by bigots like you) to protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority [wikipedia.org].
So, by being a xenophobic bigot, you're claiming that you're opposed to one of the basic tenets of the Republic of the United States. How does it feel to be a traitor to your country?
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday January 09 2016, @03:29AM
(sarcasm font) I'm certainly happy that you are a less judgemental person than I am. (end sarcasm font)
BTW - please cite that basic tenet of the Republic which I am opposing. Maybe you refer to that tired poem, "Send me your tired, your hungry, your poor". That is NOT a tenet of the Republic, it's just a stupid poem, inscribed on a plaque, affixed to a statue donated to us by some crazy French people. There is nothing in the constitution that can be interpreted as welcoming invading hordes from a hostile culture or civilization.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Saturday January 09 2016, @03:53AM
please cite that basic tenet of the Republic which I am opposing.
My comment has zero to do with Emma Lazarus' poem. Rather, it has to do with the individual rights ensconced in the U.S. Constitution and the amendmens thereto. James Madison expounds on this in the Federalist Papers (#51) [billofrightsinstitute.org]:
This is discussed, in great detail, in a wide variety of forums. Here are a few from the first page of a google search [google.com]:
http://www.aclunv.org/blog/preventing-tyranny-majority-original-plan [aclunv.org]
http://www.garlikov.com/philosophy/majorityrule.htm [garlikov.com]
http://www.rense.com/general64/madi.htm [rense.com]
http://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/primary-source-documents/the-federalist-papers/federalist-papers-no-51/ [billofrightsinstitute.org]
There is nothing in the constitution that can be interpreted as welcoming invading hordes from a hostile culture or civilization.
True enough. However, that's not what we're talking about here. Immigration is not invasion, except to xenophobes, religious nutjobs and bigots. All of those labels, IMHO, apply to you.
tl;dr: You're talking out of your ass and it smells that way too.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday January 09 2016, @02:53PM
Outsiders who want to come in are not "part of society". They are outsiders who wish to gain entry into your society. The constitution wasn't written for those outsiders. In view of the fact that MOST Americans aren't welcoming these people into our midst, yes, they are invaders, not immigrants.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.