On The Mark -- Lesser of Two Evils

If you've been following the international press for the past year or so, you probably noticed that the Neo-Nazi movement is getting stronger every month in many places in the world. We mostly see its ugly head as a response to immigration issues. There have been constant reports of skinhead beatings and killings of "dark-skinned immigrants" (mostly Muslim) from Russia to Holland. We all know about the terrorist acts of the Al Qaeda-type, from the killing of filmmaker Van Gogh in The Netherlands to the forced closure of a play in Birmingham, England.

In Belgium's Dutch-speaking region of Flanders we're seeing a microcosm of what is happening in the world. The Muslim and Neo-Nazi factions are becoming bigger, more vocal and violent. Caught in the middle is the Jewish community in this region. I don't have to tell you where they stand in the eyes of the Muslims and Neo-Nazis. During recent elections where Neo-Nazis and Muslims dominated the ballot, the Jews were forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. For the most part they chose the Neo-Nazis.

As reported in the New York Times:

Fear of Islam's transforming presence is so strong that even many members of Antwerp's sizable Jewish community now support Mr. Dewinter's party, even though its founders included men who sympathized and collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. Many of those supporters are Jews who feel threatened by a new wave of anti-Semitism emanating from Europe's growing Muslim communities. The friction is acutely felt in central Antwerp, where the Jewish quarter abuts the newer Muslim neighborhood of Borgerhout.