Quote:
Originally posted by Undertoad
The above article from Canada's National Post explains how multiculturalism in Europe and Australia increasingly means respecting immigrants' attitudes towards things like rape and murder. According to a Norwegian professor, 65% of rapes in Norway are committed by Muslim immigrants, coming from societies where rape considered is the woman's fault.
So Muslim immigrants to Norway should be made aware that things are a little different in Scandinavia? Not at all! Rather, the professor insisted, "Norwegian women must take their share of responsibility for these rapes" because their manner of dress would be regarded by Muslim men as inappropriate. "Norwegian women must realize that we live in a multicultural society and adapt themselves to it." Or to modify Queen Victoria's wedding-night advice to her daughter: Lie back and think of Yemen.
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This isn't a major black eye for multiculturalism -- it's a rant by a Norwegian professor who's thoroughly and gloriously full of shit.
This is the defense from "The Accused" all over again; "She dressed like a slut, so she was inviting sexual activity and it couldn't have been rape." Bollocks. A Muslim male has every right to consider a scantily-dressed Norwegian woman "inappropriate," "a slut," "blasphemous" or any other pejorative that comes to his mind; where his rights end are when he _acts_ on those beliefs in a way that's in violation of the laws of his country. It's the MUSLIM in this case who needs to "realize that he lives in a multicultural society and adapt to it," if his beliefs are that much out of whack with community standards. Is he entitled to his beliefs? Of course. Should he be allowed to verbally lecture Norwegian women about their attire or lifestyles? Sure, if they'll listen. But his rights end where someone else's body begins.
In my Utopia, public morality and behavioral ethics would be summed up by a simple saying:
An it harm no one, do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Or as the late great Frank Zappa sang it more eloquently:
"Do as you wanna / Do as you will / Just don't mess up your neighbor's thrill / And when you pay the bill / Kindly leave a little tip / To help the next poor sucker on his one way trip."
The DO WHAT YOU WILL part is important; the AS LONG AS YOU DON'T HARM ANYONE ELSE part is even more important. There's plenty of room for different customs and beliefs, but the law still applies.