by Eric Utter
Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, recently stated of President Trump and the United States, “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.”
I myself have questioned Trump’s endgame strategy, insofar as Iran’s leadership, such as it is, is simply never going to negotiate in good faith.
Even if an agreement is reached with Iran in the wake of U.S.-Israel military action, whatever it may be, Iran will not honor it.
However, if its nuclear program is significantly disrupted and set back, and the rest of its military greatly degraded … and therefore its sponsorship of various terrorist groups greatly curtailed, we can legitimately call it a win and go on with life.
Once proud Germany, on the other hand, is embarrassing itself with great repetitiveness of late. Unwilling to take the side of the Americans against the world’s premier sponsor of terrorism, its leaders preside over a flagging military, sagging economy, ever-growing antisemitism, and French-like ennui.
Worse, the nation is allowing itself to be invaded by hordes of military-aged men from North Africa and the Middle East. And, like much of the rest of Western Europe, it is therefore getting summarily destroyed — economically, culturally, and morally.
To wit: a recent report out of Germany, and a post on ‘X’ citing it, seemed to indicate that a Hamburg public school system may have banned music lessons because the growing population of Muslims there consider them “haram,” or forbidden.
“Factchecking” websites were quick to debunk the story.
For example, leadstories.com claimed that the German news report was really about a joint statement against intolerance and exclusion and that “the Hamburg public schools did no such thing.” The site essentially labeled the story, or the translation of the German used by the reporter, as fake news.
Yet these accounts go on to state that there have been reported incidents where some Muslim students refused to participate in music classes. And that there have been incidents where girls were “harassed” by Muslim students in various schools.
Hamburger Abendblatt, Hamburg’s local newspaper, recently reported on allegations that Muslim students had threatened or insulted classmates and added that there is occasionally some “religious pressure” regarding clothing and behavior. Moreover, a few Muslim students may have been guilty of a few isolated assaults, mostly on German girls, and a handful of students may have been prevented from attending music lessons because, well, they are haram.
Duh.
But the Islamo-apologists duly note that school officials say none of these incidents will be tolerated … whether perpetrated by Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, or even Muslims. And they also solemnly note that there is no proof that German authorities have banned music lessons out of fear of being seen as Islamophobic.
Wait, I thought that this absolutely, unequivocably did not take place. Couldn’t take place. Could never occur. Preposterous in the extreme. That German schools are humming, vibrating, thrumming, and throbbing with music like never before! But have Christians, Jews, Hindus, and Sikhs ever tried to get music banned?
So there’s been some sexual harassment here, a handful of rapes there, and a bit of pressure to ban musical instruction to go along with increasing animus against dogs, alcohol … and Jews. On balance, not a good look for the erstwhile Fatherland.
Germany produced far more than its share of great composers: Bach, Handel, Telemann, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Strauss, Wagner, and the list goes on. (Not to mention Engelbert Humperdinck or Nena!) To see its rapid cultural degradation and loss of identity is honestly heartbreaking, even from the perspective of a nation that twice defeated it in war.
To quote the German band After the Fire:
Don’t turn around,
Der Kommissar’s in town,
He’s got the power
And you’re so weak
And your toleration will not let you speak
Kind of odd that Muslims are now being allowed to act the part of Der Kommisar in Deutschland. But it’s the toleration stupid. And the fact that you’re so weak … ja’?
Or, as The Doors wrote:
When the music’s over,
Turn out the lights.
Let’s hope the music’s not over soon, but the lights are flickering and dimming in Western Europe, the music skipping beats. Can Europe yet save itself? Doubtful. If it does? Cue “Ode to Joy.”