September 19, 2008 ... Muslim migrants, they do protest too much.

In the UK, Islamic radical teenager Hammad Munshi has been sentenced to two years in a Young Offenders' Centre. In Köln, an anti-Islamic protest congress is under severe pressure by the German authorities and Iran to not be permitted to proceed. And the German authorities are yet again beating themselves up over how to promote greater Muslim integration.

In the case of Hammad Munshi it would be most likely that his inspiration is predicated on the virulent anti-Israeli propaganda too prevalent in both the middle east and across the western world at government and academic levels, with unstinting moral and huge financial support for the so-called Palestinians, suffering sustained and vicious attacks and deprivations from Israel. This would also include charges of a similar campaign against Muslims throughout the middle east and Eurasia. Rarely is it honestly pointed out that Muslims are suffering at the hands of Muslims-cum-Islamists, and very rarely Israelis or other western forces acting in self-defence.

As for the anti-Islamic congress, so long as its members and supporters refrain from acts of violence and/or wilful intimidation they are as free to express their arguments as Muslims. There is no such entity as a Muslim by race, so the congress cannot be charged with inciting racism, even though there may be a predominantly middle east component to Islam in Köln. It is up to the Muslims to avail themselves of their right to free expression, so as to argue their position, and not be reliant upon anti-Israeli provocateurs like Iran who are also bent upon a strategy of subverting Saudi Arabia as the preeminent expression of Islam. It is also incumbent upon Muslims not to be a part of the ridiculous levels of violence and intimidation unleashed by their radical Islamist counterparts, since guilt by association and failure to denounce, only serves to make the anti-Ilslamic congress' arguments all the more plausible to those with a mind made up, and/or those not too hard to persuade.

For the German authorities and/or other organisations to thwart the right of the anti-Islamic congress' right to free expression is, as per the 1970s film Chinatown, to become unwittingly complicit in a multitude of conflicting sociopolitical agendas, which only serve to undermine the sound principle of free expression and foster dissent and discontent, where such an outcome does not need to occur. Or create victory for those who are everyone's enemy. 'It's Chinatown, Jake.'

With regard to better integration of Muslims in Germany, this is akin to John F Kennedy posing the rhetorical question: 'ask not, what can your country do for you, but ask, what can you do for your country'

Muslims-cum-migrants have voluntarily sought a life in Germany and other EU member-states. No one forced Muslims-cum-migrants to relocate to Germany or the EU. Thus, it is imperative that the migrants clearly demonstrate a willingness to make use of what Germany and/or the EU has to offer in terms of the opportunities unavailable in the migrants' former homeland.

As for Germany, specifically, this will involve learning German and acquiring skills that are in demand by employers. or skills which may be put to use as the underpinnings to their own lines of business.

It will also be an imperative that such voluntary migrants do not regard Germany as somewhere from which to exploit benefits in terms of payments, services and housing, etc., and/or be thought of as a convenient staging post from which to conduct a campaign of terrorism in order to promote extreme Islamic values as a substitute for German values. The most recent example being Kurds and their infiltration by the PKK and its sympathisers who prey upon Kurdish migrants, for significant amounts of money and other support. This would be much less of a problem if the German authorities upheld the law in the face of violence and intimidation from non-Muslims and Muslims who are intimidating the Muslims who do want to integrate. Same applies across the EU.

Therefore, the travails and complaints of Muslims, are predominantly of their own making, despite dangerous and wilfully misguided advocacy of alternative arguments from others with an axe to grind and/or self-serving agenda to promote.