A Novel Nativity

If that isn't the creepiest nativity scene ever displayed! It's in Switzerland, of all places. Some Swiss cannot atone enough for the sins of their compatriots who voted against minarets, they have to offend, insult, and renounce the last glimmer of reason, the last concern for taste and the last faint flicker of national or religious identity. The picture originally arrived in my e-mail box, and I assumed it was PhotoShopped. Then I saw this article at Bivouac-Id. I really was surprised, though I shouldn't have been. It ranks with Jeff Koons Lobster hanging in Versailles as one of the craziest things ever done in the name of "art":

The creators of this nativity, which at the very least is unusual, declared that the fruit of their inspiration will bring to parishioners an opportunity to reflect on tolerance (!!!) and on Human Rights.

Installed near the main chapel, next to a large crucifix, six white towers two meters high topped with Islamic crescents surround a baptistery where the baby Jesus is lying. In front, an open book presents parallel quotes from the Koran and the Bible (...)

"We have received as many positive criticisms as negative ones," explain the artisans who created the scene, Matteo Casoni and Letizia Fontana, adding: "For us, it is already a success, since our goal was in fact to make people think and to urge them to ask questions especially at this time of the year. The idea came to us at the end of November after the vote against minarets." The two young artists point out that in no way do they share the opinion of 57% of their fellow citizens who want to ban such constructions.

Matteo Casoni, who is a member of the Sacred-Heart community, explains further:

Beyond the political aspects, we said to ourselves that we should encourage reflection on other religions and on their role. In our nativity, the three main monotheistic religions are represented; the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions. The main message is that of comparison and of dialogue. (...) Saint Francis sought dialogue with Islam, without claiming to want to convert, but with the willingness to resolve a conflict in a peaceful way."

Letizia Fontana, a young historian who works at the Bibliographic Institute of Ticino (Italian Switzerland) believes that what she did is an act of civic commitment:

"Someone pointed out to me that this display does not respect the will of the people, making a clear reference to the referendum. But, for me, in a democracy, the minority has weight and especially in a case such as this one, I am part of the minority, and I have a duty to sensitize the population."

Father Callisto Caldelari, the Franciscan monk who is the priest of the Sacre-Coeur approved the display, which is part of a larger initiative to exhibit about forty different nativity scenes:

"We accepted all the creations, the only requirement being that they attain a certain artistic level. This year there will be more than forty nativity scenes: from the traditional to the one illuminated by ultra-violet rays, and the one with six minarets. Naturally, we only accept those that respect our spirituality, and in the case at hand, the fact that a nativity with minarets is in a Franciscan church only reinforces the message of peace and dialogue."

Father Callisto has nonetheless heard some negative comments:

"Yes! The most negative was precisely the one from the person who said that this nativity goes against the will of the people. I answered him in the following way: the popular will is not always ethical. Here, we speak of fraternity and of Human Rights."

No comment.

Islam and the Left Make Common Cause

Sometimes readers express their confusion over this unlikely and inexplicable new collaboration. We saw it in action during the Gaza conflict. All over Europe, Islam marched arm in arm with Communists, Socialists, Greens, Feminists and homosexuals, protesting (at best), or (at worst) committing acts of extreme violence directed at Israel, Jews, the United States, and the West. All over Europe dhimmi governments and dhimmi media tried to downplay this violence in which police were targeted, innocent bystanders caught up in the melées injured, property destroyed, cars burnt, and so on. How did an extremely fanatical religion find allies in forces that have been fundamentally and vociferously atheistic in the past? An article posted at Sultan Knish provides some clues:

(...) To understand just how far back this goes, consider this defense of Pan-Islamism by the Chairman of the Communist Party of Indonesia in 1922:

"But now one must first understand what the word Pan-Islamism really means. Once, it had a historical significance and meant that Islam must conquer the whole world, sword in hand, and that this must take place under the leadership of the Caliph, and the Caliph must be of Arabian origin. About 400 years after the death of Mohammed the Muslims split into three great states and thus the Holy War lost its significance for the entire Muslim world...

So Pan-Islamism no longer has its original meaning, but now has in practice an entirely different meaning. Today, Pan-Islamism signifies the national liberation struggle, because for the Muslims Islam is everything: not only religion, but also the state, the economy, food, and everything else. And so Pan-Islamism now means the brotherhood of all Muslim peoples, and the liberation struggle not only of the Arab but also of the Indian, the Javanese and all the oppressed Muslim peoples. This brotherhood means the practical liberation struggle not only against Dutch but also against English, French and Italian capitalism, therefore against world capitalism as a whole. That is what Pan-Islamism now means in Indonesia among the oppressed colonial peoples, according to their secret propaganda – the liberation struggle against the different imperialist powers of the world.

This is a new task for us. Just as we want to support the national struggle, we also want to support the liberation struggle of the very combative, very active 250 million Muslims living under the imperialist powers. Therefore I ask once again: Should we support Pan-Islamism, in this sense?"

The speech in question may date back to 1922 but its sentiments are very modern and commonplace among liberals in the West today. Their view is that Islamism is a people's liberation struggle against Western imperialism and capitalism because it serves as a common bridge between Islam and the Left today in 2009, just as it did then in 1922.

This reinterpretation of Islamism as an expression of economic and political discontent today tends to be described under labels such as resistance to Globalization or to corrupt Western "puppet regimes", but it is in fact a carbon copy of the Soviet approach to Pan-Islamism. This ideological approach enables the left to co-opt Islam in the struggle against Western hegemony. Meanwhile Islamists have long since learned to put forward economic and political grievances in order to make common cause with the left.

Time To Rest

The exquisite Sistine Madonna by Raphael. You can view it at Olga's gallery.

Pico della Mirandola said of Raphael (1483-1520), who lived to be only 37:

"When he died, the heavens wanted to give one of the signs they gave when Jesus Christ expired... Here, people are talking about nothing but the death of this exceptional man, who has completed his first life at the young age of 37. His second life - that of his fame, which is subject neither to time nor death - will endure for all eternity..."

Here is a non-vocal carol, for a change. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, with tasteful images, accompanied by Simeon Wood's haunting flute.

Go Tell It On The Mountain

There are many types of gospel music, but there's only one Mahalia Jackson.



Update: December 9, 2012 - The original video of Mahalia Jackson was removed by YouTube for violations. There is no replacement video with images, but there is this audio version.

Many songs by Mahalia Jackson are available on YouTube. Those interested can click this link for starters.

Mon Beau Sapin

An old German carol everyone knows as O Tannenbaum is sung here in French by the wonderful Tino Rossi. The French version - Mon Beau Sapin (My Beautiful Evergreen) pays homage to the eternal unchanging beauty of the tree that does not lose its adornments when the cold comes. Unfortunately the unimaginative video is nowhere near the qualitative equal of the song. So just listen. The French lyrics are after the video.

Tino Rossi has another version on video as well, but I feel the performance does not quite match this one.



Mon beau sapin, Roi des forêts
Que j'aime ta verdure!
Quand, par l'hiver, bois et guérêts
Sont dépouillés de leurs attraits
Mon beau sapin, Roi des forêts
Tu gardes ta parure.

Toi, que Noël planta chez nous
Au saint anniversaire
Joli sapin, comme ils sont doux
Et tes bonbons et tes joujoux
Toi, que Noël planta chez nous
Tout brillant de lumière.

Mon beau sapin, tes verts sommets
Et leur fidèle ombrage
De la foi qui ne ment jamais
De la constance et de la paix
Mon beau sapin, tes verts sommets
M'offrent la douce image.

The photo at top is from Flickr.

Update: December 2010 - The version of the song that I posted in 2009 was removed by YouTube for copyright reasons. I have replaced it with this version, very similar, but not quite as perfect as the other one.

A Romanian Carol

Here's a beautiful Romanian Christmas song, O Ce Veste Minunata sung by Stefan Hrusca. In this rendition it is 6 minutes long:

O, what great news!
Is shown to us in Betlehem!
Today has been born, the One without a beginning,
As the Prophets foretold!

That in Bethlehem Mary,
Having completed the trip,
In a little space, near that town,
She bore The Messiah

His Son in His Own Name,
The Father has sent into the world!
To be born and to grow,
To absolve us!

Translation from Wikipedia



The painting of Saint Joseph the Carpenter is by Georges de la Tour, a great French painter of the seventeenth century. Born in Lorraine in 1593, he married, had several children and took a vow of loyalty to Louis XIII. It is maddening to think of what was lost in 1636 when his house was sacked and burnt and all the paintings in it destroyed. He died January 1652, two weeks after the death of his wife. Source Olga's Gallery.

Watch What You Sing At School

The Swiss, who spoke so eloquently on minarets, are following the fold on the issue of Christmas carols in the schools. At least in Zurich. François Desouche (using German-language sources) has this report about the specific occurrence of a trend throughout the Western world:

Shortly before Christmas, the Department of Public Education of the canton of Zurich issued a directive advising against "activities and songs with a religious content" in the public schools, on grounds that children of other belief systems must not be offended.

According to Regine Aeppli, the Socialist superintendent of public schools, it is not a question of the schools celebrating Christmas without Jesus: "It is simply a notice that aims to induce respect for the religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution." Nevertheless, it was clearly stated in the official text of the directive, by way of example, that songs in which Jesus is named as the son of God must not be sung.

The directive has aroused a tempest of protest against the "selling off of the Swiss identity":

"These songs are a part of European culture and do not need to be justified. Whether or not one is a believer is not important. Our culture is Christian."

"And the Swiss cross. Should we ban it? It surely must offend the feelings of other religions."

François Desouche points to one reader's comment:

"For decades, in Europe, the proportion of atheists has been higher than that of practicing Christians. And nobody was concerned, in all that time, about wounding the feelings of all these people during the Christmas season..."

The interesting photo below, cited in one of the comments to the FDS article, is from E-Deo. It shows a group of Catholics in front of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, with a banner that reads:

The Republic is "laïque". France is Catholic. Merry Christmas.

Reminder: "Laïque" in French means "secular" and is a direct reference to the 1905 law on separation of Church and State. There is now, in view of the current crisis, a stronger-than-ever distinction between the Republic and France.

I wish more Catholics would fight back. But so many who say they are Catholic have little interest in the fate of France and won't take an open stand against Islam or against those who want no religion at all.

Quimper Cathedral

Two views of the gorgeous stained glass windows of Quimper Cathedral. They are from a series of photos on Brittany by one gauis caecilius at Flickr.

Il Est Né le Divin Enfant

Refrain
He is born, the Heav'nly Child,
Oboes play; set bagpipes sounding
He is born, the Heav'nly Child.
Let all sing his nativity.

1. 'Tis four thousand years and more,
Prophets have foretold His coming,
'Tis four thousand years and more,
Have we waited this happy hour. Refrain

2. Ah, how lovely, Ah, how fair,
What perfection is his graces,
Ah, how lovely, Ah, how fair.
Child divine, so gentle there. Refrain

3. In a stable lodged is he,
Straw is all he has for cradle.
In a stable lodged is he,
Oh how great humility! Refrain

4. Jesus Lord, O King with power,
Though a little babe you come here,
Jesus Lord, O King with power,
Rule o'er us from this glad hour. Refrain

Those are the lyrics to a French carol we all know, and that every student of French has to learn - Il est né le divin enfant, the divine child is born.

I'm guessing that back in the 70's (judging from the hairdo), French singer Gérard Lenorman and some cameramen went into a school and recorded this carol for French television. The kids are of all ages and some look a bit surprised at the goings-on.

Criminalizing French Colonization

An article in Novopress dated December 10, tells of the proposal before the Algerian Parliament to criminalize the French colonization of Algeria:

Algerian deputies are going to present a bill that would criminalize the 132-year French colonization of Algeria. The motion was signed by fifty deputies from different parties (...) An initiative that was guided by the National Liberation Front (FLN), that has held power for 47 years. Such gestures allow its leaders to conceal the many crimes of Algerian terrorism. The law includes 15 articles and formulates "an official demand to France for reparations for the colonial period and for the crimes committed against the Algerian people who were disarmed in the chaotic aftermath ("foulée") of the liberation movement." The bill also calls for "the judgment of war criminals."

This new provocation from the dictatorship of the FLN is consistent with the notion of a "criminal conquest" of Algeria by France. In all there are about 500,000 North Africans who could be called direct victims of French colonization, which began in 1830. These losses were due neither to war nor to tortures committed by the French army, but to a famine that affected all of North Africa between 1865 and 1868.

For Alix Ducret, editor-in-chief of Historia Nostra, the accusation of "crime" is not valid. The journalist emphasizes, in Myths and Polemics of History, that "France proved to be an essential support for the country through the allocation of 660,000 francs in credit and in the supplying of massive quantities of wheat, rice, and potatoes. Without these provisions, the mortality rate would have been considerably higher."

Note: Myths and Polemics of History provides a fresh look at some misguided or mistaken beliefs that have entered into the public consciousness. French readers can click here for the link, if they wish to purchase the text.


A companion article from Novopress quotes the general secretary of the FLN, Abdelaziz Belkhadem (left), who is also a minister of State and a personal representative of Algerian President Bouteflika. Belkhadem demands:

"(...) apologies and reparations for the barbaric and genocidal crimes committed during 132 years by colonialism in Algeria. (...) The period of colonial destruction was the most difficult and the most horrible ever experienced by our people. (...) Algeria will not cease to demand the recognition by France of her colonial crimes against the Algerian people."

Novopress points out that French colonialism:

(...) contributed to the building up of Algeria from the end of the 19th century: construction of infrastructure: roads, bridges, railroads, ports, airports; development of modern cities, development of agriculture and industry, creation of sanitary systems, creation of quality educational systems, etc... Progress which, rather than being a genocide, permitted the population of Algeria to grow seven times over during the 132 years of colonization!

(Algerian accusations) are also an insult to the memory of Europeans who were for centuries subjected to a particularly bloody slavery in North Africa, a slavery that only ended with... French colonization. But Algeria has not expressed the slightest repentance to the the Europeans!

Attack On London?

An item posted at Lawrence Auster's VFR links to this Times Online article about a possible threat to London in the coming weeks. The article begins:

Scotland Yard has warned businesses in London to expect a Mumbai-style attack on the capital.

In a briefing in the City of London 12 days ago, a senior detective from SO15, the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism command, said: “Mumbai is coming to London.”

The detective said companies should anticipate a shooting and hostage-taking raid “involving a small number of gunmen with handguns and improvised explosive devices”.

The warning — the bluntest issued by police — has underlined an assessment that a terrorist cell may be preparing an attack on London early next year.

Read more.

Read VFR also, for some insights into why the British police can do nothing about it.

Twenty Inches of Snow!

We're having a huge snowstorm. I spent yesterday in preparation, stocking up on food and supplies. Right now there is so much snow at the front door - and it is not melting - that if I had to get out quickly I would not be able to.

Above is a gorgeous scene of Ocean Grove, New Jersey. It looks more like a painting than reality. From Blogfinger.

For your listening pleasure, here's The Little Drummer Boy sung by the late John Denver at the Vatican, sometime in the 1990's. There are many versions of this song on video. This one stands out because of the unusual venue and the unapologetic faith of the singer. I know little about John Denver, but I've always enjoyed his songs. The Italian host who introduces him points out that he is playing a twelve-string guitar.



O Holy Night (Minuit Chrétiens), sung in French, recorded in 1916 by Enrico Caruso, considered by many to be the greatest tenor of all time. He came along when the phonograph was just being developed. His rare voice and the new technology made history.



A favorite old carol (actually not that old - 19th century), sung by the Mormon Tabernacle choir. 



Below, scenes from the storm. First the White House. It's never more beautiful than in the snow.
  Air Force One returns from the Copenhagen conference on climate change!!!
Below A City Fairyland by American impressionist Childe Hassam.

Total Divestiture?

Few have heard about this new law on finances, but according to François Desouche and his sources, it is a matter of great urgency:

If you take time to read the law on finances for the year 2010, you will see that there is a clear indication of the destruction, by the French State under Nicolas Sarkozy, of more than two centuries of protection of our national heritage.

It was in 1794 that Abbé Grégoire, attacking revolutionary vandalism (...), affirmed the existence of a collective patrimony that the Nation was duty-bound to protect: "public respect must surround in particular national objects which, since they belong to no one, are the property of everyone."

Immediately thereafter the Convention decided to protect "objects relating to the arts, history and instruction". Guizot, in 1830, created the first post of inspector of historic monuments, a post that Prosper Mérimée occupied with passion from 1834 to 1853, establishing the foundations for State protection of important monuments and instituting a classification of buildings.

The article then describes how successive regimes continued this policy and how the buildings themselves grew in number, especially in the 20th century.

In 2003, Jean-Jacques Aillagon (former minister of culture) had already authorized the ceding of certain monuments to the regions, but besides the fact that few were anxious to buy buildings that required expensive maintenance, the minister of culture had at that time very precisely limited the possibilities for the State to divest itself of its patrimony.

Now, article 52 of the law on finances extends the perimeter of the transferable monuments and sites, which will no longer be limited to a list fixed by decree, but which will include, starting in 2010, the totality of monuments belonging to the State and to its public establishments. Moreover, the State will now be able to transfer classified properties.

On first reading the law, one could say that ceding the patrimony to the regions is merely the lesser evil. Except that the law is silent on this point: nothing bars the regions from making another transfer to a commercially oriented cultural enterprise, or even to an individual.

Finally, it is essential to point out that only the prefect will be able to rule on these transfers, the minister of culture, though involved in the beginning, will not have to be consulted.

Some UMP party members are openly happy about this, and the special rapporteur of the finance committee reveals the underlying logic of the plan when he says: "It is in line with the "désétatisation" (i.e. withdrawal of the State) of the heritage that was recommended in a 2002 report on historical monuments. In truth, it is the job of the whole society to preserve and maintain the national patrimony. The State cannot have any monopoly in this matter."

Note: I can't help noticing that the State divests itself of anything that recalls the monarchical and Catholic past, the artistic and architectural past, etc... But the State is omnipotent and ubiquitous in all matters of the present: affirmative action, hiring practices, métissage, school curriculum, bio-ethics, immigration, etc... The French State wants no monopoly over issues relating to the preservation of its cultural heritage, only over those issues relating to the destruction of that very heritage.

The extreme gravity of this decision explains the troubled reaction of a few deputies from the Right, like Nicolas Perruchot, special rapporteur of the finance committee in the National Assembly, who, though unwilling to oppose the free-market logic of the plan, proposes that there be at least, within a "negative list" those properties that are "non-transferable", such as the Arc de Triomphe, Versailles, las Invalides and the Louvre, to cite his examples. But it is easy to imagine that a prefect might agree to unload Chartres Cathedral, the Vendôme Column, or the Pont du Gard, even Mont-Saint-Michel, so dear to the heart of Nicolas Sarkozy.

At a time when the president is wallowing in national identity, evoking the carnal link of the Frenchman with the earth and those who have died on it, and demanding that a museum devoted to national history be built, it is clear that the free-market logic wins the day, for him and his party, over any attachment of the Nation to its patrimony, that he couldn't care less about French traditions, and that, in truth, his so-called attachment to our past is nothing more than a source of campaign financing.

Note: I strongly oppose any argument that says that this is MAINLY a free-market issue. While he may make some money on this immoral deal, he would make infinitely more money if he kept the State monopoly over the national patrimony and stopped his policies of immigration, welfare benefits, free housing to invaders, affirmative action jobs, phony (and ultimately costly) diplomas to people who hate France, and so forth. The Welfare State, when it spills out beyond the precinct of entitlements to ethnic Frenchmen, becoming entitlements to ANYBODY who happens to land in France, is the costliest of all boondoggles.

The truth is, as I have indicated in my note above, and as the author of the article says in a somewhat roundabout way, is that Nicolas Sarkozy WANTS to divest French territory of any trace of the past (except a few tokens for tourists) while pursuing his extravagantly prohibitive and destructive policies of immigration/Islamization/"deculturization"/re-formation of identity.

A school full of State-indoctrinated teachers and violent pupils who receive State diplomas is a million times costlier than a good old-fashioned school next to an old Catholic church that has to be repaired or repainted.

Or, to put it differently: he wants to make money in any way he can WITHOUT disrupting his anti-French programs. Thus the free-market logic is put into the service of nation-destroying government policies, but this free-market logic COULD be put to good use FOR the French people in the context of traditional France, all the while keeping the social legislation they want.

Never forget what Sarkozy said to Philippe de Villiers years ago:

"You're lucky, Philippe, you love France, her history and her countryside. But all of that leaves me cold. I'm only interested in the future..."

French readers may be interested in this companion piece from Le Monde.

I have dealt with this topic before. Here is one example.

Photo is of the rose windows of Reims cathedral. As of now it is not for sale.

Insuperable Imbecility

Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party has a branch for younger members - "Jeunes Populaires". These young persons are "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed", trendy as today's news, oh-so-optimistic, and terminally adolescent (like Sarkozy himself?). A video has been posted at their website that gives an excellent idea of what they are about, but it also shows the ministers of Sarkozy's government as well as UMP party leaders engaging in a ludicrous political pep rally that can be qualified as an embarrassment at best, and voluntary prostitution at worst, without any fear of exaggeration. To watch key figures in the government behave like this should make us laugh, but in fact, it is nauseating, and if you really look at the underpinnings, terrifying. Especially on examining the words to the lip-synched ditty they jubilantly "sing" in our faces:

All who want to change the world
Come march and sing with me
All who want to change the world
Sing along with me.
Let all our voices meld
In a song of fraternity
I hear the rumble of revolt
In the heart of humanity
So that the earth may be fertile
For all who were born on it
It's necessary to create
A new society.

All who want, etc...

If the roots are deep
We will transplant them
And let flourish everywhere
The roads to freedom
So much the better if the earth is round
We won't be able to stop it
There will be no end of the world
Life is an eternity

Note: They are saying that the deeper the roots of the older culture, the more determined they are to pull them out of their native soil and transplant them - a reference of course to métissage, forced multi-culti, multi-ethnic relationships and a value-free, tradition-free, nation-free new society. We might add that it will also be a world without reference to excellence in art, music, movies and poetry. The teen-age mentality will rule. The "roundness" of the earth is taken as a sign that everything is borderless, open, and without restrictions, and that once these transplants get going, NOTHING and NO ONE can stop the process.

Joyous propaganda, bursting with "life", but underneath, a DANCE OF DEATH for France.

All who want, etc...

Live from love and die from hope
Each day the future begins anew

All who want to change the world, etc...

At one point in the video you will see what appears to be a scrabble board (above). On it, horizontally, is the word "populaires". Vertically you see "jeunes" and "yallah". "Yallah" is Arabic for "join us", but it also invokes Allah (Oh, God), as Bernard Antony explains. Moreover, the criss-cross implies inextricable integration.

The ministers are identified, but the print may be too small. Among them, gesticulating like puppets, are Rama Yade, Patrick Devedjian, Rachida Dati, Xavier Darcos, Christine Lagarde, Valérie Pécresse, Xavier Bertrand, Eric Besson, Eric Woerth et al...

You will also see a couple. She is pregnant, his hand is on her belly. Followed by a girl who lifts her tee-shirt to reveal another tee with the UMP logo. Even though she does not expose nudity, the gesture is unmistakable.

The video ends with Sarkozy's campaign slogan "Together let's change the world."

LipDub Jeunes UMP 2010 - Officiel
Uploaded by Jeunes-Populaires. - News videos from around the world.

Turkey To Use Confiscated Church Property

Here is the entire text of an article from Asia News on Turkey's plans to use as its Secretariat for entry into the EU buildings that were confiscated from the Orthodox Church:

Unbelievable but true: the headquarters of the Secretariat for the entry of Turkey into the European Union is a building confiscated from the Orthodox Christian community in the 90s. The building is located in Istanbul, in the well-known area of Ortakoy, under the first bridge over the Bosphorus.

Before the seizure, the building was used as a primary school for children of the minority Orthodox in Ortakoy. Here, once lived a thriving Orthodox community, now non-existent because of past purges against minorities, executed by the "secular" Turkish State.

Thanks to the policy of purging, the building and many other schools, at one point found themselves without students, unused and then confiscated. The forfeiture rule however prevented foundations - owners of buildings - from allocating them to different uses. The community of Ortakoy appealed to the administrative courts in Istanbul, which have yet to rule on the issue. In case of a ruling to the contrary, the Orthodox intend to apply to the court in Strasbourg. The inauguration of the Secretariat took place in the presence of Prime Minister Erdogan, accompanied by Minister for European Affairs Bajis and by various authorities and European representation.

The event has aroused unease in diplomatic circles in Brussels, so much so that on the eve of the inauguration, a senior government official visited Patriarch Bartholomew I to let them know that the courts decision will be respected. The question also arises whether the current Turkish government aware of the building’s history.

Meanwhile in Brussels some discomfort is spreading towards politicians who are champions of Turkey’s entry into the EU. Ankara has not yet shown a convincing European orientation, it is believed that the "champions" are tied to the country by economic and financial interests.

One suggestion for resolving the issue comes from Lakis Vigas, representative of minorities in Turkey in the General Directorate of Foundations. Interviewed by the newspaper Milliyet on the case of Ortakoy, he says a possible solution would be if the Ortakoy foundation were granted the possibility to lease the building to the Turkish nation. This gesture would have a noble purpose: the entry of Turkey into the EU the "source of our hopes."

H/T: Orthodoxie

Note the unrealistic hopes of the Orthodox community that Turkey's entry into the EU will be a salvation for them. Are they totally uninformed, or pretending not to see?

The People, No!

There are still repercussions of the Swiss vote. Those outraged by the referendum are sputtering that the people must not be allowed to voice their opinions, that referendums lead to pogroms, that the majority is not right and must not be heeded, and similar examples of hysteria triggered by a simple act of honesty by which an Islamic symbol of conquest (minarets) was rejected in a free election. Of course, this is because the vote did not turn out to their satisfaction. When voting goes their way, they have a completely different opinion.

The cartoon above is by an artist named Chappatte whose work appears in Le Temps of Geneva. This particular cartoon was also published in France by Yahoo. Chappatte spoke with Le Monde about the referendum:

"What will it mean to say you are Swiss tomorrow? This Switzerland is one of a kind, a red stain on the planet. (...) I'm lashing out at the Swiss in order to show them in an unflattering light. (...) Islam is one of the main religions of the country. Switzerland finds itself at the head of a European phenomenon - of course, I hope it isn't so - it finds itself the world's beacon of Islamophobia."

In the cartoon, the man says (in the bubble): "You must not touch the sacrosanct rights of the people."

In his hand he holds a list of these rights: initiatives, referendums, pogroms.

Notice how he is depicted - a bit of a slob with dirty fingers and lower class work clothes. Maybe the equivalent of a "redneck"?

Source: Novopress

Catholic Students Attacked

There was an eruption of violence in Bordeaux on Thursday (December 10). Novopress posted this brief:

Serious confrontations occurred outside of Grand Lebrun Catholic High School in Bordeaux on Thursday late in the afternoon. Around 6:30 p.m. several dozen North Africans, some of whom were wearing hoods and carrying iron bars, attacked high-schoolers leaving this well-known private high school in Bordeaux. According to a witness who contacted Novopress from the scene, two groups engaged in violent conflict before being separated by police. It seems that a love affair was the motive for the violence. According to witnesses, 150 persons were involved in the attacks.

Bordeaux had been until then free from ethnic confrontations. But times have apparently changed. Some of the youth who contacted Novopress have made clear that they will not allow this matter to end there. The winter promises to be warm in Bordeaux.

Solesmes Abbey

A while back a reader sent me this photo of the Solesmes Abbey in the department of Sarthe, in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire. The map below shows the location of Sarthe. I was struck by the size of the building and by the silvery green foliage that seems to have been there for thousands of years.

However, the building itself is not ancient. Though the original structure dates from 1010, it was damaged considerably during the Hundred Years' War, then restored, only to be partly destroyed during the Revolution. The buildings that escaped demolition were purchased and again restored by a local priest, Prosper Guéranger in 1831. Inspired by a vision of renewed monastic life in France, he brought in a Benedictine community that settled and flourished there. It was elevated to the rank of an abbey by the Pope in 1837. The abbey is noted for its crucial contribution to the advancement of the Roman Catholic liturgy and the revival of Gregorian chant. (Source: Wikipedia)

With so many mosques and unattractive edifices being built today, it's a pleasure to behold this grand example of religious architecture, set in an almost primeval landscape. And as we approach Christmas it's always reassuring to return to something that comforts the weary soul.

Here is a wonderful six-minute video that presents first the history of the abbey (in French, but very similar to Wikipedia's summary), then a series of lovely images of the abbey, both indoors and out, with Gregorian chant in the background. You do not really need to know French to appreciate it.

The monk who speaks in the video stresses the community's need for silence and the requirement of obedience - to the abbot and to the Pope. There are about 50 monks in the abbey.




Here's another view.


Thanks to zazie.

Awaiting a Royal Birth

An article in Le Salon Beige links to Royauté, the website devoted to news about the House of Bourbon. There we learn the welcome news that Prince Louis de Bourbon, duke of Anjou, and his wife Marie-Marguerite are expecting twins next spring. The couple already have one daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Eugénie (left), born on March 5, 2007.

Turn to this web page for the Latin text of the prayers being offered during the pregnancy of Marie-Marguerite. The page opens with these words:

On November 25, 2009, the Secretariat in France of Monseigneur le Duc d'Anjou confirmed through an official communiqué the rumor that Princess Marie-Marguerite is expecting a happy event. The birth of twins has been announced for late Spring 2010. While awaiting this birth, we are publishing the text of a prayer to obtain for Princess Marie-Marguerite a problem-free pregnancy and, if it please God, the birth of a Dauphin.

The image of the Black Madonna (below), featured on the web page cited above, is from the altar of the church of Notre-Dame-du Puy, in Le-Puy-en-Velay. Those interested can click here for another website administered by a superb photographer named Timothy McCoy, and work your way to the page of photographs of Black Madonnas in France. I counted 15 different statues, each one fascinating in its strangeness and exoticism. Check out his other photos too - truly amazing photography.


A lively debate at Le Salon Beige erupted on news of the future royal birth. It is impossible to translate all the comments, but most of them are jubilant. And everyone hopes and prays for at least ONE boy. But as of now, no one knows if the sex of the babies is known. As you would expect, the debate centers on the issue of legitimacy and the claims of the House of Orléans vs those of the Bourbons. Most LSB readers tend towards the Bourbons:

- It all depends on what you mean by "legitimate heir". The so-called "dynastic quarrel" is mostly about an antagonism between two types of monarchy. It's an either/or situation: either you restore the most Christian monarchy, with its principles, its rules and the one designated by those rules: the eldest Capetian, Louis de Bourbon; or you establish a different monarchy, in the form of a compromise with modern principles, and then, you can put whomever you like at its head. No need to point out to which side coherency and experience push us.

- Bravo!!! Hurray!! I hope it's two boys! After the deaths of François de Bourbon in 1982, Prince Alphonse de Bourbon in 1989, and Prince Gonzalve de Bourbon in 2002, Prince Louis de Bourbon is the only prince of the eldest branch of the Bourbons (after him come the Bourbons-Spain, the Bourbons-Seville, the Bourbons-Sicily, the Bourbons-Parma, the Bourbons-Luxembourg, then "last and least" the house of Orléans). Two boys would ensure the continuity of the legal and legitimate heirs of Prince Henri de Bourbon, Count of Chambord, grandson of Charles X, the last legitimate and consecrated king.

All my wishes to the Royal House of Bourbon. Long live the eldest Capetians. Long live French Christian France!

- (...) The antagonism between Orleans and Legitimists is still as alive as ever, because it is based, as it was in the 19th century, on the antagonism between heteronomy and autonomy, that is, on the recognition (or not) in theory AND in practice of the reign of God over society.

Note: The author goes on to explain how the Orleans dynasty accepts the political autonomy of the Nation, its sovereignty and its national representation, as well as universal suffrage, etc...

All these things come directly from the Revolution, and have always been contrary to God and to the King, in the four corners of the globe.

So, the antagonism is indeed that of two monarchies, an antagonism that is as alive and as well-founded as ever.

Note: Very briefly "heteronomy" refers to the notion that laws are not made by man, but by a higher being, while "autonomy" means that the nation acts in a self-sufficient way, makes its own laws, without reference to God. Hence the Monarchy is "heteronomous" and the Revolution (including all entities that support it, even some monarchies) is "autonomous" - not beholden to God. It's much more complex than that, of course, but for purposes of brevity, that seems to be the issue. Some LSB readers insist Jean d'Orléans has nothing to do with his family's revolutionary past, but others disagree:

- (...) I don't know how old you are, but personally, I have lived long enough to know that this argument is brought out with each new generation: the latest Orleans is fine, better than his father, nothing like his ancestors, etc... (...) At any rate, that is not the question, because if we are all royalists, we are faithful to the principle that we do not choose our king, but we recognize the one who is designated as heir by the basic laws of succession. This heir, as you know, is Louis de Bourbon, the eldest Capetian, the head of the Royal House of Bourbon, the head of the House of France. It is an incontestable biological and juridical fact: he was born first, he's the eldest through the legitimate male line. To debate this principle by referring to foreign or revolutionary rights, is to undermine the very foundation of the monarchy, and to be no longer a royalist.

Long live the most Christian king, the queen, and the twin princes who, I hope, will be handsome boys!

Well, I don't know if any of this is incontestable. And we won't know for a while if there is one prince, two princes, or (Heaven forbid!) no prince, but two princesses. But it is something I love to talk about, however futile or frivolous it may seem to some.

It occurred to me, as I read through this, that when we speak with ardor about "restoring France's sovereignty", we are actually speaking of a REVOLUTIONARY value, not a monarchichal one. A sovereign nation is autonomous, hence does not accept God as the maker of the laws of the Nation. We should, instead, speak of restoring the belief in the reign of God over society. I suppose that in the absolute sense only God is sovereign. The king is God's lieutenant, while the Nation lives in humble deference to the king, who in turn is beholden to God. We speak of "sovereign" today in terms of breaking away from Brussels, but in 1789, it meant breaking from the divine right of kings, and ultimately, breaking with God.

At top, the grand royal coat of arms of France.

Mosques and Minarets

While minarets - one of the most visible signs of the Islamic presence - continue to give the French media grist for their mill, other plans are afoot throughout France to build no fewer than 200 smaller scale mosques, with or without minarets. Le Figaro published this report last month:

Several large mosques - "cathedral mosques" have appeared in France over the past several years. These costly and labor-intensive edifices only exist because they are supported by mayors who see them as a way of bringing together worshippers who would otherwise be scattered in smaller places difficult to control.

But these large mosques must remain exceptions. They are costly to build and to maintain according to the Interior Ministry. In Créteil, outside of Paris, several years and energetic efforts by the mayor were necessary before the 5.5 million euros to construct the vast edifice with its minaret could be raised. Foreign donors also contributed to the project. In Toulouse, the great mosque is still in need of financing, three years after the start of the work. Several huge projects, in Poitiers and Reims await donations so the work can begin.

From now on, "these cathedral mosques will be replaced by more modest, municipal projects, that can be built quickly, especially in Seine-Saint-Denis," the Interior Ministry explains. Almost 200 building sites are active.

The ministry, having decided that the law of 1905 on the financing of religions would not be modified (sic!), the Muslim organizations and the city officials have settled for other solutions currently in use, notably the long-term lease. As for the muezzin, no Muslim group has ever asked for one. But it would be up to the mayor to decide, as in the cases of church bells.

Note: The "sic" above refers to my surprise at Le Figaro's naïveté (or feigned naïveté). For in fact the law of 1905 has already been modified, many times, possibly hundreds of times, in order for the mosques that have sprouted up everywhere in France to be built. It may be true that the law has not been officially rewritten, but by providing land for Muslim associations, by accepting a symbolic rent - usually one euro a month - the French State is in fact subsidizing the construction of religious buildings, a complete violation of the law.

Note, too, that by switching from giant mosques to smaller ones, it becomes easier to cover up the number being built, and, as the article points out, they can be built faster, an indication of the growing Muslim presence.

The map below shows the major big mosques. The white circles are those in existence, the red circles are those projected. Marseilles will soon have the largest mosque in France, as I reported in February of this year. It is set to open in 2011 for the Eïd holiday when sheep are slain in a bloody ritual. Most fitting, since the mosque itself is built on the site of a what was once a slaughterhouse. Is it possible that this is not just a coincidence, but a way of declaring the victory of Islam over the infidels?



H/T: Bivouac-Id

Le Figaro has some more recent news on this Marseilles project:

(...) Nonetheless the opponents of the mosque are not giving in. The MNR and the Front National are appealing court decisions that refused to hear their arguments against the long-term lease. Moreover, the Ligue du Sud, headed by the mayor of Orange, Jacques Bompard has announced a new appeal. "The rent, which is too low, is the same as a subsidy towards the construction, and this is contrary to the law on laïcité (i.e., the law of 1905). There are no grounds for granting such a lease. If the lease is nullified, the building permit is also," insists Ronald Perdomo, an attorney for the Ligue du Sud.

Note: A reminder that the Ligue du Sud is a new right-wing political party formed especially for the upcoming regional elections in June. The Ligue is basically an alliance between members of the MPF (Philippe de Villiers' party) and the Bloc Identitaire - the identitarian movement that defends regional interests and that actively protests the Islamization of France. The video below shows the Nice branch of the Bloc, known as Nissa Rebela, protesting the building of a mosque in that city. It does not require translation, but you can see that they protest in front of the headquarters of the Socialist Party. However, they also regard as equally guilty the Sarkozy-backed mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, who has actively supported the mosque. The banner they hold contains a quote from the Koran: "Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam will not be accepted." The speaker with the mike says at one point: "They do not want to be French. We don't want them to be French either."



Regarding minarets in France, Islamisation, the website administered by Joachim Véliocas, has published a list of cities with minarets, both existing and projected. Those cities include:

Poitiers, Cholet, Nevers, Villeneuve, La Roche-sur-Yon, Mulhouse, Toulouse, Reims, Epinal, Herouville-Saint-Clair, Genevilliers, Saint-Etienne, Evry, Massy, Tours, Charleville-Mézière, Venissieux, Stains, Montigny-les-Cormeilles, Nantes (2 minarets), Créteil, Mantes-la-Jolie, Nanterre, Tarbes, Lyons, Paris, Nice.

Véliocas also has a file on projected mosques, with or without minarets. This file is a work in progress, and cannot be regarded as complete, since the building of mosques proceeds apace.

The sketch at the top is of the projected minaret on the mosque in Massy (outside of Paris).

Below is the projected mosque of Annecy. There's no minaret, but the image is striking and the caption reads: "The Dawn of a New Future". Indeed it is

"Let Us Understand..."

Nicolas Sarkozy has expressed his views on the Swiss vote to ban minarets. His statement was published in Le Monde. Since it is rather long, I have condensed parts of it. It is interesting to follow his thinking as it progresses from a condescending understanding of the Swiss reaction to a reaffirmation of his own major goals for France: "métissage" and "living-together" in some kind of Utopian, republican and wholly artificial construct:

Through a referendum, the Swiss people have just voted against the construction of new minarets on their territory. This decision legitimately raises many questions. A referendum forces you to answer a question by a yes or a no. Can you answer yes or no to such a complicated question, that touches on so many profound things? I am convinced that you can only arouse painful misunderstandings, a feeling of injustice, that you can wound souls when you give such a definitive response to a problem that ought to be resolved on a case by case basis that respects each person's convictions and beliefs.

Note: Right from the start he questions the validity of referendums themselves. A subtle way of saying that he does not approve of the Swiss response. But he certainly approved of the Irish response - the second time around, when they voted as ordered.

He then expresses his shock at the excessive reactions in the media to the Swiss vote that he qualifies as "caricatures".

Behind the violence of these positions hides the reality of a visceral mistrust for anything emanating from the people. Reference to the people, for some, is the beginning of populism. But when you become deaf to the cries of the people and indifferent to their problems and their aspirations, then you do feed populism. This contempt for the people, and it is a type of contempt, always ends badly. How can anyone be surprised at the success extremists have when the sufferings of the voters have not been taken into account?

Note: It is hard to keep a straight face. Sarkozy, of all people, has shown total indifference, if not contempt, for the cries and aspirations of the French and the Irish when they voted against the EU Constitution in 2005 and against the Lisbon Treaty in 2009.

So, instead of condemning the Swiss because we do not like their response, it is better to ask ourselves what is revealed by this vote. Why has Switzerland, a country with a long tradition of openness, hospitality, tolerance expressed such a rejection with such force? And how would the French people respond to the same question?

Answer: Why don't you let the French tell you how they feel. On with a referendum!

He then says that we must try to understand what the people were trying to say, because to go into denial would be the worst thing.

Let us understand that what happened in Switzerland has nothing to do with freedom to worship or freedom of conscience. Nobody, in Switzerland or anywhere else, is questioning these fundamental freedoms.

Notice how he now tries to exclude religion from the debate. As if Islam had nothing to do with it.

The peoples of Europe are welcoming, they are tolerant, it is in their nature and their culture. But they do not want their daily lives, their way of thinking and their social relationships denatured. And the feeling of losing one's identity can be a cause of profound suffering. Globalization contributes to the aggravation of this feeling.

Globalization renders identity problematical because it seeks to shake it up, and in so doing it increases certain needs. This is because the more the world is open, the more movement and mixing together of ideas, men, capital and merchandise are intensified, then the greater the need to be anchored, with a system of values, the greater the need to feel one is not alone in the world. This need to belong can be fulfilled by the tribe or the nation, by communitarianism or by the republic.

National identity is the antidote to tribalism and communitarianism. That is why I wanted a great debate on national identity. (...)

He repeats that an open discussion is necessary in order to prevent a repression of feelings that will lead to "a terrible rancor". He goes on to describe Switzerland as a country that knows it has to change, as a country that has practiced, like no other, the mixing together of cultures throughout its history.

"Métissage" is the willingness to live together. Communitarianism is the choice to live separately. But métissage is not the denial of identity. It is, for each person, the recognition, understanding and respect of the other.

For the one who welcomes it is the recognition of what the other can bring. For the one who arrives it is the respect of what was already there. For the one who welcomes it is an offer to share his heritage, his history, his civilization and his art of living. For the one who arrives it is the willingness to enter without brutality, but in a natural manner, into this society that he is going to transform (...)

The above is a typical Sarkozy exercise in vapid repetition. Totally empty words based on a totally unrealizable goal. He goes on to repeat his tiresome litany that "laïcité" means respecting all religions.

I address my Muslim compatriots and tell them that I will do everything I can so that they feel they are citizens like the others, enjoying the same rights as everyone else to live out their faith, to practice their religion with the same freedom and the same dignity. I will fight all forms of discrimination.

But I want to say as well that in our country, where Christian civilization has left such a profound trace, where the values of the republic are an integral part of our national identity, anything that appears to challenge this heritage and its values would doom to failure the necessary implantation of an Islam of France (...)

Note: Christianity is now just a "trace".

Christian, Jew or Muslim, a man of faith, whatever his faith, a believer, whatever his belief, each must refrain from all ostentatiousness and from all provocations and, conscious of the opportunity he has to live in a land of freedom, he must practice his faith with humble discretion - not from lukewarm convictions but from the fraternal respect he feels towards one who does not think as he does, and with whom he wants to live.

Here is a reader's comment from the website Juif that also published the text:

- This Monsieur Sarkozy is priceless... perhaps when you open your eyes one day, you will see that the Islam that has settled in France does not have any of the same aspirations as the other preceding waves of immigration into France - Jews, Poles, Spaniards, Italians and others, integrated themselves entirely and without conditions into the life and history of this land, France, that they love unto death, and even unto dhimmitude. They also participated in the cultural richness and in all domains without insult to the values that reign in this wonderful France that we love so. The immigration we were a part of never burned cars, or spat on the flag or offended the national anthem that thrills us.

Our indignation today focuses on this latest massive wave of immigrants that respects nothing, through its violence, anti-Semitism, and the denial of the country in which it lives and from which it profits. And so Mr. President, do not take a chance on a referendum; you would be surprised at the outcome that might be contrary to all the politically correct formulas that you dispense in your great speeches of no real substance.

With all due respect to your office...

Note: In the above comment his reference to "dhimmitude" is a bit puzzling, but he is clearly indicating that dhimmitude is worse than death: "unto death, EVEN unto dhimmitude". He seems to be saying that some people may love their country too much, so much that they allow Islam in to destroy it, lulled into believing they are doing the right thing.

In the video below, one of several that are now online of the Barbès quarter of Paris, where they pray in the streets on Friday, we see how Sarkozy's lofty words match the reality of what Frenchmen see on an every day basis, at least in parts of France.