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Counting
Muslims
Demographic surprises.
By
NR Editors
From the November 19, 2001, issue of National
Review
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 ow
many Muslims are there in the United States? Hard to say: By law,
the U.S. Census may not ask questions about religion. NR's John Derbyshire,
relying upon what he took to be an impeccable source (to wit, The
Economist), recently included the figure of 6 million in an article
on racial profiling ("At First Glance," October 15). This
figure, it turns out, though widely advertised, is a wild guess put
out by Muslim organizations for their own advantage. Now two careful,
independent studies by demographers of repute have come up with answers
strikingly close to each other: between 1.8 and 1.9 million —
which is to say, less than a third of the much-broadcast 6 million.
The American Muslim Council was naturally furious with these demographers,
and charged one of them with trying to "deny the existence of
4 1/2 million American Muslims." They further accused him of
"tearing at the very heart of America." They then went on
to claim that their own estimate of "more than 7 million"
Muslims came from the 2000 U.S. Census figures. But hold on there
a minute: By law, the U.S. Census may not . . .
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Rudy’s
Successor
A nonendorsement.
By
NR Editors
From the November 19, 2001, issue of National
Review
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 s
New York City prepares to elect Rudy Giuliani's successor, the horror
of September 11 has drained much of the air of vanity from tyro Michael
Bloomberg's campaign on the Republican line. A billionaire could find
easier things to do than labor to take on what will be one of the
hardest jobs on earth, and Bloomberg's persistence retroactively redeems
his motives. It does not, however, boost his qualifications. He remains
a liberal Democrat who switched parties to run for office. Many signs,
from a patchwork reconstruction plan to an opportunistic alliance
with the black radical sectary Lenora Fulani, show that he is not
ready for prime time. His Democratic opponent, Mark Green, is as liberal
as they come, a protégé of Ramsey Clark and Ralph Nader.
But he has spent 30 years in politics and government; he has shown
some signs of learning (he is endorsed by Bill Bratton, Giuliani's
police commissioner); and the attack may have sobered him. Conservative
New Yorkers can't comfortably vote for either man, but they wish the
winner, and his stricken constituency, well. |
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The
Enemy’s Face
Slaughtering innocents.
By
NR Editors
From the November 19, 2001, issue of National
Review
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| ere
is the face of the enemy. Six armed and bearded men stormed St. Dominic's
Roman Catholic church in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, while it was being
used by a Protestant congregation. They killed the Muslim cop who
was guarding the door. They killed the minister. They killed women
and children. One of the assailants emptied his automatic rifle into
a heap of the wounded, to make the work of murder more perfect. The
logic of the assault was evidently that America is a majority-Christian
nation, therefore Pakistani Christians, who are less than 3 percent
of that population, are fair game for the pious jihadist. That's as
logical as killing thousands of Americans for the crime of going to
work on a Tuesday. Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent
with His heel. |
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The
Ramadan Strategy
The cry about the sanctity of Ramadan is the dishonest mouth-warfare
of the inflamed.
By
NR Editors
From the November 19, 2001, issue of National
Review
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 ill
the Arab street hate us for fighting in Afghanistan during Ramadan?
Sure — but they will hate us for not fighting too. The cry about
the sanctity of Ramadan is the dishonest mouth-warfare of the inflamed.
Mohammed fought during Ramadan in 624. In 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked
Israel during Ramadan, which also coincided with Yom Kippur —
a twofer. In 1982, Iran launched "Operation Ramadan," an
attack on Iraq. If one is willing to take lives in battle, then the
cause must be of sufficient gravity to excuse relatively trivial profanations;
or one has no good cause, in which case fighting on holidays only
underlines the transgression. If the enemy turns mosques into arsenals,
then they become legitimate targets, for the same reason. In World
War II, the Allies fought a pitched battle for the Abbey of Monte
Cassino, which was reduced to rubble. The Nazis lost then, even as
their heirs will lose now, whatever the calendar says. |
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