mutual respect

No women in public

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

The earlier post, no women in public:

“Women not allowed in public and in cafes”

Women not allowed in public and in cafes

I was not able to find back the link, now finally got it.
Actually the Hidden Camera report came from France 2.
See here the link:
http://www.francetvinfo.fr/societe/quand-les-femmes-deviennent-indesirables-dans-les-lieux-publics-une-journaliste-de-france-2-veut-briser-la-loi-du-silence_1959221.html

Comments on no women in public

See here the remarks in French as on the website, much in line with my earlier comments.
What always upsets me most is that our politicians in France and Belgium mostly dismiss all this as “not existing”.

“Quand les femmes deviennent indésirables dans les lieux publics” : une journaliste de France 2 veut “briser la loi du silence”
Le “20 heures” a diffusé jeudi (7 décembre 2016), sur France 2 un reportage consacré à des femmes qui alertent sur des quartiers dans lesquels elles ne sont plus les bienvenues. Pour franceinfo, l’auteure de l’enquête revient sur le sens de sa démarche.
“Effrayant”, “effarant”, “courageux reportage”… Après la diffusion d’un sujet consacré aux femmes, jugées indésirables dans certains lieux publics, dans le journal de 20 heures sur France 2, les réactions sont très nombreuses. La vidéo fait partie des plus consultées sur franceinfo.
Dans ce reportage, réalisé en banlieue parisienne et près de Lyon, on peut voir des femmes rejetées par des hommes dans des endroits pourtant officiellement ouverts à tous. Caroline Sinz, journaliste au service société de France 2 et auteure de l’enquête, explique à franceinfo les conditions de tournage et les obstacles qu’elle a rencontrés.

Women not allowed in public and in cafes

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

TV5 documentary

Today I was watching TV5 and saw a documentary “hidden camera” about women not allowed in public. It showed how in several neighborhoods in France women are unwelcome to walk in the street, especially if they are in a skirt and with make-up. They are also barred from cafés to have a coffee, where it is men only. The journalists had to stop at times as it became too dangerous.
I could not find back a link to this program, a pity because it is very well done.
Those women who dare come out are ejected. harassed and insulted. Obviously the neighborhoods are Muslim. The men say the women should stay at home.

Not only in France

This reality is often downplayed by the politicians and some naïve “human rights” people (in this respect they are a joke). It also happens in Belgium, especially in Brussels.
See: “Salope, pute, pétasse”: c’est dur d’être une femme en rue à Bruxelles (won’t translate those ugly words):
http://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/detail_salope-pute-petasse-c-est-dur-d-etre-une-femme-de-la-rue-a-bruxelles?id=7810997

And also:
http://www.marieclaire.fr/,sofie-peeters-femme-de-la-rue-bruxelles,696077.asp

It shows the breakdown of our Western society but also explains why politicians like Marine Le Pen are coming up strongly while their policies are often rejected (as by me) for being simply racist.
If those “foreigners” (who often have a French or Belgian passport!) cannot accept our society and cannot show mutual respect and tolerance, they should leave.
They don’t belong.

Against misogyny

Definition according to Wikipedia:

Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. Misogyny can be manifested in numerous ways, including social exclusion, sex discrimination, hostility, androcentrism, patriarchy, male privilege, belittling of women, violence against women, and sexual objectification. Misogyny can occasionally be found within sacred texts of religions and mythologies, and various influential Western philosophers and thinkers have been described as misogynistic.

Obviously this is all unacceptable in our Western world.

onestdaccord

(translation: Finally, about the the main issue, we are rather agreeing)
Some religions seem anti-women, but that mostly applies to the extremists; fortunately many religious people reject this discrimination, so we should not generalize.

No to racism in cartoons and videos

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

A few cartoons

Say no to racism in cartoons. Simple. These are really cool.

Inside we are all black

I recently saw a video clip on WeChat:
A white woman explaining to her daughter who saw a black girl playing with clay in the park, that inside, we are all black. A black girl had once painted herself with the white clay and God was amused. So he painted some of us white. We all are the same, she said.
As usual some people did not like it (one can never make everybody happy) but I think it is cute and well a nice story for a little girl.
See the clip and the negative comments:
“Mom, Why Are They Black?” Mom’s Answer To A Little Girl’s Innocent Question Sounds Patronising
http://peacebenwilliams.com/video-mom-why-are-they-black-moms-answer-to-a-little-girls-innocent-

But others liked it:
http://www.trendingnewsportal.net.ph/2016/10/little-girl-asked-her-mother-why-are-they-black.html

The call for Sharia law in Belgium

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Sharia law in Belgium?

This pretty chilling video has been circulating, again, in Beijing and it upsets some Belgian residents who are questioned by Chinese, to explain what is going on. Mostly a call for Sharia law in Belgium plus extremist blabber. With the recent terrorist attacks in Belgium, our country has gotten a dubious reputation. The dubious “star” is Fouad Belkacem (a.k.a Abu Imram).
See:  http://tundratabloids.com/2012/04/cbn-report-belgiastan-the-coming-takeover-of-the-heart-of-the-heart-of-europe/

CBN REPORT: BELGIASTAN, THE COMING TAKEOVER OF THE HEART OF EUROPE
Posted in April 2012 on CBS (Christian Broadcast Network), according to many being a questionable source.
Also here (best quality):
http://www1.cbn.com/video/belgistan-sharia-showdown-looms-in-brussels

Sharia for Belgium

Here more about the movement Sharia for Belgium that had promoted Sharia law in Belgium.
See:
Belgian terror group sentenced: Sharia4Belgium’s ‘charismatic leader’ Fouad Belkacem imprisoned for 12 years. Dozens of other members of the group that plotted to impose sharia law, received lesser sentences
by Robert-Jan Bartunek – 12 February 2015
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/belgian-terror-group-sentenced-sharia4belgiums-charismatic-leader-fouad-belkacem-imprisoned-for-12-10039818.html

More details:
Sharia4Belgium – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sharia4Belgium was a Belgian radical Salafist organization which called for Belgium to convert itself into an Islamist state. In February 2015 the group was designated a terrorist organization by a Belgian judge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia4Belgium

Also to note: Belkacem had already been convicted in 2012 for incitement of hate against non-Muslims. Other convictions mentioned (burglary, etc.) I could not verify.

What about now?

Well, happy to know our Belgian government has acted against this extremist group.
Unfortunately the danger of the whole movement is still there and the future of Belgium (as well as other EU countries) will depend on how the governments act. Never too late, despite all the mistakes committed by our politicians, to let this happen and the influence of these people growing out of control. Still today, some “conservative Muslims” want to shovel down our throats their “views” on our women, our society and our life style.
It is not a question to “ban Muslims”, it is the question for moderate Muslims to take the lead and show smooth integration and mutual respect is possible.

No Christmas in Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Schools to ban Christmas

China Daily published an article that the Saudi Education Ministry has warned International Schools from marking non-Islamic occasions, such as Christmas and New Year. No holidays allowed nor changes to the exam schedules. No Christmas in Saudi Arabia.
Once I heard Trump say he would bring back Christmas to the U.S., as many shopping malls are scaling that all down “because of sensitivities”. For once I agree with him. Nothing wrong with Christmas as there should be nothing wrong to have Chinese New Year or a Muslim holiday. We should all respect each other.

Close friends, lots of donations

Saudi Arabia and some other Muslim countries are “close friends” of the USA. It turned out those countries gave a lot of money to the Clinton Foundation. At the same time, they are the worst in human rights and treat women and LGBT very badly, the least to say. If China would do 10% of all that, they would receive world-wide condemnation. But Saudis? No no, close friends (and they have oil, remember! And money!). I am sure the Foundation is not an isolated case, just one of the many.
So far so good for the hypocrisy of the West.

See here, not verified if the figures are right, but the local laws look true:
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/06/14/hillary-clinton-took-millions-anti-lbgt-countries-gays-jailed-put-death/

  • Algeria donated $250,000 to $500,000 to the Clintons
  • The Nation of Brunei donated $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 to the Clintons
  • Jamaica donated $50,000 to $100,000 to the Clintons
  • Kuwait donated $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 to the Clintons
  • Sultanate of Oman donated $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 to the Clintons
  • Qatar donated $5.8 million to the Clintons
  • Saudi Arabia donated up to $50 million to the Clintons
  • United Arab Emirates donated up to $11.5 million to the Clintons
  • Morocco-owned OCP, a phosphate exportation company, donated $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 to the Clintons

I posted this on Twitter and Facebook:
Saudi Arabia (our “good friends”) bans Christmas & New Year in international schools. OK let’s ban Muslim holidays in Belgium. Mutual respect?
Oh well some “Did not see the link between Muslims in Belgium and Saudi Arabia”, even bringing up KKK. My comment:
The point is, in our countries we are forced to respect whatever request from Muslims (some even want Sharia and attack our women for not being properly dressed), and we comply often out of “respect for diversity”. However in countries like SA there is zero tolerance for non-Muslims. Worse, they are our “close friends” and when they visit us we have to cover up “naked statues”. When will Europe get this? It is a matter of mutual respect and tolerance. Not one-way street. I am NOT calling to stop Muslim and other holidays in our countries. The people who misunderstand this just don’t get it (and I could care less). But people coming to our countries must respect our culture or stay away.

Stand up for our values

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Our values matter

When a Muslim delegation turned up in Italy they covered the statues. We must stand up for our values but our governments fail us. If those delegations come, wine or beer is prohibited with the meals. That is wrong. They don’t drink alcohol, we respect. We drink a glass of wine, they should respect too.
As happened on 14 October in my hometown, Gent (Ghent), a city official was marrying a Muslim couple; the new husband refused to shake hands with the lady official “Because she was a lady”. The couple also brought many ladies, all veiled. Unacceptable for someone who has the Belgian nationality. According to Imam Brahim Laytouss, shaking a hand with a woman is NOT prohibited under Islam.
We must stand up for our values

110930extremistsb

(as I photographed in Vienna)
Weirder, even surreal: IS issued a fatwa against… having a cat at home. Of course no mobiles, no whatever. See the article in Dutch from VTM.

Losing our cultural heritage

As long as the West continues to submit to those one-way impositions we will lose more and more our identity. We already landed in an unacceptable undermining of our culture.
Then nobody should be surprised with the extreme right coming up strongly (Marine Le Pen and others). I don’t share their vision of racism and intolerance but if politicians lack the courage to act in defense of our values, they will get stronger.
As for our relations with countries like Saudi Arabia, they should be reviewed. Why is China always singled out as the bad guy?
Even worse is to see the same “conservative Muslims” in action in places like Thailand (plenty in Pattaya). There, sex and alcohol are suddenly OK.

Sinterklaas, a tradition in Belgium and The Netherlands

I grew up with Sinterklaas, and his “black” helper. We never felt this was in any way “racist”. Now people accuse us all of racism and want to kill the tradition. How sad.
Eighty percent of the Dutch and ninety percent of the Belgians want to keep the “Zwarte Piet”, the guy painted black with curly hair and red lips. Most of the stories explain he is black because he is going down the chimney to bring the presents. He is the one likely to “punish” the kids who did not behave well. As it happens he never actually does but instead helps Sinterklaas to give the sweets to the “good kids”.
But some want it all undone. As the Saint is said to come from a region where people “do not have beards” (Saint Nicholas was a Greek bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey), he should shave his beard. And of course remove the cross from his outfit. Could offend “other religions”.
All this to appease “others” who treat women like objects.
Sorry but we have OUR traditions and our weak politicians better start defending those.
More about Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas

Hot debate in Belgium and The Netherlands

See here in Dutch one of the many opinion pieces about Sinterklaas & Zwarte Piet:
“Zwarte Piet: ‘Onze waarden en tradities worden voortdurend in de uitverkoop gezet'”
http://www.knack.be/nieuws/belgie/zwarte-piet-onze-waarden-en-tradities-worden-voortdurend-in-de-uitverkoop-gezet/article-opinion-778535.html

The IS do not represent true Muslims

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Cruel monsters

Every day we read about the absurd and inhuman actions of IS and their allies. True Muslims?
Killing innocent civilians like animals (worse, in our countries slaughter is regulated). Killing women, children, hanging the bodies in the open. Blowing up fellow Muslims because they are “of the wrong kind”, in their mosques, weddings, funerals, anywhere. I have given up to follow the myriad of atrocities. Too many.

Destroying the rich legacy in their own countries

Here one of the many examples:

“Nearly a month into the fight to retake Mosul, government forces pushed Islamic State militants out of nearby Nimrud, home to some of Iraq’s richest archaeological treasures. And when soldiers finally surveyed the extremists’ destruction of the ancient sites, one said that those who carried it out “don’t have a place in humanity.”
Intricate reliefs that once stood at the gates to the magnificent Assyrian palace lay in pieces: stone carvings of a face, half of a claw, part of a wing, fragments of script.
In April 2015, the Islamic State extremists released a shocking video that showed how they had hammered, bulldozed and blew up parts of the 13th century BC Assyrian capital in the Tigris River valley south of Mosul.” (source SCMP)

Not true Muslims

The “normal” Muslim community strongly condemns the actions of those monsters. What I cannot understand why people still fall for that. Well, look at the terrorists who committed atrocities in our countries: before their “change” most were criminals, used drugs, drank alcohol.
Please Muslim friends, let’s stand up united against those real “infidels”.

kabul1970s

It is sad to see how with all this senseless extremism and “interpretation” of religious scripts, some countries have gone back to Medieval times. Progress?
See a picture of Kabul (Afghanistan) in the 1970s. There are similar recordings of what Iran was like.

Culture clash: men and women meeting in public

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Immoral behavior?

Men and women meeting in public can raise hell in some countries.
A leading Nigerian actress, Rahma Sadau, had to “apologize” in her country: she was seen “hugging and cuddling” pop star Classiq in a video.
Obviously in our eyes nothing wrong at all. But the fanatic and conservative Hausas want a ban on the actress.

Read more:
“Nigerian actress Rahama Sadau sorry for ‘offensive hug'”, 4 October 2016
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37551142

differentcouples

men and women meeting in public

Sorry?

Ms. Sadau said sorry to those she upset, but said her actions were “innocuous”.
Hausa films are popular in the mostly Muslim northern Nigeria where it is taboo for men and women to hold hands in public.
The industry, commonly known as Kannywood, has been under fire from conservative Muslim clerics who accuse it of corrupting people’s values.
Obviously we have strongly different views. If those fanatics want to impose Middle-Ages-restrictions, be it, but then: remain in your country and do not try to impose that on us.

Not sorry for my atheism

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Atheists are bad?

We atheists have a bad reputation? The so-called religious people look down on us and we often feel like the rejected because we “don’t believe”.
We could say it is our religion and we could look down on those who believe in fairy tales and superstition, and ignore science and reality.
No, I am not sorry for my atheism. And we have reasons not to be. I mean REASON like in science.

Some slides on “not sorry for atheism”

Religion, atheism and development

When looking at the countries where religion is “important”, or better where it puts a lid on freedoms, it is pretty similar as to grade countries who evolved economically.
Those countries that look like attaching less importance to religion are actually still strongly influenced by religion but adapted a more open society and avert extremism.
Religion is a personal choice that we should respect, we just demand reciprocity because we also have our belief in ethics and being good to others. That is because we are all humans.
If you respect my philosophy I will respect your religion.

Eating beef a reason to rape and murder

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove
All because of eating beef?

Another sad example of total intolerance, one more through religious extremism.
Muslim woman and 14-year-old ‘gang raped’ in fatal attack ‘over eating beef’, say reports
The woman, 20, was accused of eating beef, leading to her uncle and aunt being beaten to death.
See the full article by William Watkinson, also carried by BBC:
13 September  2016
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/muslim-woman-14-year-old-gang-raped-fatal-attack-over-eating-beef-say-reports-1580977

Extreme Hindus against Muslims.

Police in India have arrested four men alleged to have gang raped a Muslim woman and her 14-year-old cousin and murdering two of her relatives after they were accused of eating beef. Reports of the shocking incident, on 24 August, rocked the Muslim-dominated Mewat district, 100km from the capital Delhi, in Haryana state.
The 20-year-old woman claims that her attackers were accusing her of eating cow meat – which is considered by some Hindus as sacred, with the slaughter of cows forbidden in several states, including Haryana.
Although she denied consuming beef, her uncle and aunt were allegedly beaten to death in their home and her 8-year-old child was also said to have been threatened. Four suspects have been arrested and charged with rape and murder, with the latter charge reportedly added after protests within the Mewat community.

Religion, the source of so much horror

And obviously, all based on what? Eating beef a reason to rape and murder.
The whole West must be doomed, eating beef and pork. And we love it.