Mental dhimmitude: Bat Ye’or’s theory of the British collapse

Writing to VFR from Europe, Bat Ye’or, the author of Eurabia and a citizen of Great Britain, explains Britain’s total surrender to Islam (discussed from various angles in an earlier thread) in terms of dhimmitude and particularly Britain’s dhimmi-like betrayal of Israel:

Dhimmitude is characterised by the victim’s siding with his oppressors, by the moral justification the victim provides for his oppressors’ hateful behavior, and by the destruction of the victim’s own self by a mental enslavement of love and admiration toward his oppressors. Willfully serving his oppressors, the dhimmi loses the sense of his own rights and humanity. He loses the possibility of revolt because revolt arises from a sense of injustice, and the dhimmi justifies the injustices done against him because he is utterly destroyed as a human being who hates himself in order to praise his oppressors. Perfect examples of this are Edward Saïd, Christian janissaries, and dhimmi Churches throughout history till today. I studied this mentality in all my books.

Mental dhimmitude has been implemented in Europe over the course of 30 years by politicians, intellectuals, the Churches, and the media, all of whom sided with the jihadist Palestinian terrorists against Israel’s wars of liberation from dhimmitude. Europe’s uncritical alliances with and support for the Arabs’ jihad involved a self-inflicted dhimmitude, since Christians are treated the same as Jews under Islamic law. The Europeans’ justification of jihad and of Jewish dhimmitude explains their current lack of reaction. A dead body does not react. European governments, especially the British, have bought their security from the terrorists—starting with the Palestinians in 1973—by promoting an anti-Israeli and anti-American policy and an anti-Semitic hate campaign. Tony Blair’s posturing in the wake of the London bombings is the cover-up of this cowardly policy that seeks protection from the terrorists by offering them Britain as a safe haven, from where they have sent killers in Israel, America, Bali, and other places. Having for so long and continuously justified injustice against others, the British people go along with the same injustice when it turns against them. [Italics added.] For thirty years, Europeans were taught that they have to love Muslims and Islam, and now they are receiving back the exchange for this love which is nothing less than the other face of their hate of Jews and Israel.

LA to Bat Ye’or:

You have indeed answered my question of why the British have surrendered so completely to Islam. The British bought their security from Arab terrorism by turning on Israel. This involved giving up a sense of morality and justice. As a result, when the Moslems began turning on Britain, the British, having already given up a sense of morality and justice, had no resistance to this unjust behavior.

By accepting the Arabs’ evil against Israel, the British lost the ability to oppose Arab evil against themselves.

This is a profound analysis.

Once again, we see how the Jews are the canary in the coal mine. And we also see again the truth of God’s promise to Abraham and to the nation that would come from him:

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee.” (Gen 12:3)

Posted by Lawrence Auster at July 16, 2005 02:30 PM | Send