Al-Sisi to Muslim Migrants: When in Europe, Do as the Europeans

Considering the source the statements are remarkable. Coming from the leader of one of the world’s largest Muslim nations, they are especially remarkable. In truth, they are so remarkable that the mainstream press has, to my knowledge, ignored them. Thus, we found them in The Daily Mail (via Maggie’s Farm).

Coming in the midst of our own great debate about immigration, aimed especially at Muslim migrants in Europe, Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered them some sound and sane advice. Defying the gods of multiculturalism, al-Sisi echoed a remark attributed to none other than St. Ambrose. In its most common form it states: when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Al-Sisi, the man who caused considerable dismay in the Obama administration because he overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood president of Egypt, has now struck out against the madness of multiculturalism. One remarks in passing, for whatever it’s worth, that al-Sisi is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. One wonders whether his statement echoes sentiments of those governments and shows a movement within Islam. One also notes that he is distancing himself from the concept of jihad, of holy war, which suggests that Muslims must impose their religion on others and that others must submit to Islam. He is taking a step toward bringing Islam into the modern world.

If you want to resettle in the West, al Sisi told his largely Muslim audience, you should assimilate. You should integrate into their culture.

The Daily Mail reports:

Egypt's President has told his people they should not expect the West to 'open their doors' to migrants who refuse to integrate.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that 'every country has the right to protect its people and their interests.'

Speaking at a World Youth Forum in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, the country's leader told guests they had to 'completely abide by the laws, customs, traditions and culture' of a country they moved to.

His comments came last month but have only now been reported by U.S.-based research institute MEMRI.

Not only should Muslims embrace the culture of the nations they want to inhabit, but they should understand that Western nations have a right to keep out people who cannot get along with each other, who are constantly fighting among themselves:

The Egyptian President told the audience that the West could not be expected to allow in people from countries who 'fight amongst ourselves'.

He said: 'Every country has the right to protect its people and their interests. It must generally respect human rights in a framework that preserves its national interests.

'Instead of asking me why countries [in the West] close their gates to us, you should ask yourself why the people of Afghanistan don't take better care of their own country.  

'Why have they been killing one another for 40 years?

Shifting the emphasis away from Angela Merkel’s open armed empathy mongering toward the question of why the peoples of the Muslim world cannot produce a functioning culture of their own… is worth noting.

This happens in other countries as well – in Pakistan, in Egypt, in Syria, in Libya, in Iraq, in Yemen, and in Somalia.

'We fight amongst ourselves in our own countries, and then we expect countries that work day and night to achieve progress to protect their people and to maintain a certain standard of living for them – we demand that they let us in so we can have part of their [success].'

Sisi, 64, told the audience that the leaders of 'Germany, England, Italy or any other European country' would protect their borders 'in order to protect the achievements of many long years'.

He said: 'Do you expect them to open their doors so that we can go there demanding to keep our own culture?

Shouldn’t we also notice that these remarks apply rather well to migrant refugees from Honduras and el Salvador, who want to enter America in order to profit from success that they did not produce themselves.

He continued:

'We demand to keep our culture, which could be very different from the work ethic in those countries.

'You demand to go there with your culture which you consider to be non-negotiable. You say, "this is how we are and you must accept us [because of] human rights". No.

'By the way, if you go to another country as a guest, you must completely abide by its laws, customs, traditions and culture. You must abide by them completely. If you are not willing to do this, don't go.

'Don't expect them to open the door for you so you can go into their country and cause trouble. No.'

So, for those refugees who are high school dropouts, who cannot contribute meaningfully to the American or the European economies, al Sisi is recommending that they adopt the Western work ethic.

If the media was semi alert and semi conscious, it would have noted these remarks and offered them as a contribution to our own debates about immigration.