I specialize in 19th century Oklahoma history. Some of the most colorful characters and astonishing anecdotes from America’s historical narrative come from the region that used to be known as Indian Territory (Oklahoma).
It is through my research and reading of what some called “The Indian Problem” during the 1700’s-1800’s that I have become a vocal opponent of multi-culturalism in America. Though difficult to define, multi-culturalism can be described as the acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures applied to people in a specific place.
To be anti-multicultural does not necessarily mean you are an intolerant person. It just means that you believe one culture for Americans is better than multiple cultures. You believe English is a better language for Americans and should be learned by all United States citizens. You believe the Judeo-Christian laws of America are superior to Sharia (Muslim) laws and should be adhered to by everyone granted American citizenship. You believe that the principles of justice established by the courts of America, principles based on Judeo-Christian values, are superior to Islamic courts. Our culture in America is based on belief in the Judeo-Christian biblical God ("In God we trust"), individual freedoms (the amendments to the Consitution), and respect for the dignity of every man ("all men are created equal").
Though we Americans believe in an equality among persons, we should never be ashamed to advocate our belief that there is not an equality among cultures. A culture based on Judeo-Christian principles is superior to one based on Islamic principles. That is precisely what I believe. My beliefs are assisted from my understanding of history.
In the 1600's, 1700's, and 1800's, white Europeans conquered Native Americans in the New World. These "Native Americans" were mistakenly called “Indians” by Christopher Columbus because he believed them to be the inhabitants of ‘India.’ White Europeans expanded their settlements across America believing their Judeo-Christian "civilization" to be superior to that of the savage Indians. From the 1600’s until the end of the 1800’s white Europeans shifted between three views on what to do with the savages who inhabited America.
Isolate them: “Free the Indians from White restraints” was the philosophy of many, including Baptist missionary Isaac McCoy. With the blessing of the President of the United States, Isaac McCoy surveyed the beautiful land of the future state of Oklahoma and deemed it appropriate for an “Indian Canaan.” If relocated and isolated there, the Indians would be, according to McCoy, “beyond where they could be corrupted and exploited by Whites.” McCoy did not believe Indian culture superior, he just believed that Indians should be isolated until they came to see the superiority of Christian culture through Christian missionary influence. The United States government adopted McCoy’s approach and The Trail of Tears occurred as Indians were forcibly moved from the eastern United States to ‘Indian Territory’ (Oklahoma) in the 1820’s and 30’s. However, the White man could not stay away from expansion into the beautiful lands of Indian Territory, particularly with American belief in Manifest Destiny (i.e. “it is our destiny for the United States to stretch from sea to shining sea”) and the need for a transcontinental railroad. The isolation policies became impractical as White settlers began encroaching into Indian Territory.
Exterminate them: “The only good Indian is a dead Indian” became the unofficial policy of some U.S. soldiers during the American Indian Wars of the 1870’s, including U.S. Army General Philip Sheridan and U.S. Cavalry commander George Armstrong Custer. The policy of extermination may seem harsh to 21st Century American ears, but when at war, the death of the enemy is deemed victory, not genocide. Of course, we invaded the Indian lands, not vice-versa. However, a liberal multi-culturalist today cannot have it both ways: If one wishes to condemn early Americans for subjugating Indian culture, then one must be consistent and condemn any Muslim immigrant who seeks to impose Muslim standards and culture on Americans.
Integrate them: "Kill the Indian and save the man". At first glance this philosophy sounds harsh, but in reality, it is the most compassionate view. To "kill the Indian" does not mean "kill the man." It's the opposite. You save the man by taking Indian culture and values from the man. It’s the belief that the ‘savage’ has dignity as a human being, but what is missing is a proper moral framework. Thus, a Plains Indian (Comanche, Apache, Cheyenne, Kiowa, etc…) needed “civilized” through learning the English language and the principles of the Bible and adopting the Christian culture of America. A strong advocate of this view that Indians should be integrated into American civilization was Captain Richard Henry Pratt. I have written on this founder of the Carlisle Indian School previously, but after reading more about this remarkable man Richard Pratt, I have become convinced that his views, though considered controversial by some liberals, have extraordinary application to the issues we face today with Muslims. Captain Pratt believed in the dignity of Indians as human beings, but what was missing was their adoption of Christian culture and values in order to become productive citizens of America. He taught the Indians English, the principles of the Bible and the free market, and put them to work learning trades and crafts at his Carlisle Indian School.
One might argue that European colonists had no right to impose Western civilization on American Indians, and frankly, you will find sympathy from me regarding your argument. However, we now have America. Americans who now form American society and culture include descendents of those Plainsmen Indians, many of whom are now in leadership positions across our nation.
I have little sympathy for the argument that immigrants to America should be allowed to impose their cultural beliefs and ethics on Americans. Multi-culturalism in America will one day destroy our country. America was founded on Judeo-Christian laws and the belief that Western civilization was superior to the culture of Native American Indians. It makes no sense to allow immigrant cultures, including Islamic culture based on Sharia law, to be established in America today. That kind of thinking might sound extreme, but ironically, European leaders of nations that Americans consider to be "liberal" believe the same thing I do.
Last year German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “The so-called ‘multikulti’ (multi-cultural) concept - where people would ‘live side-by-side’ happily - has not worked. Immigrants to Germany need to do more to integrate themselves into our society – including learning German.”
Likewise, French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared this past February (2011) that “Multiculturalism has failed in France.” In a television interview President Sarkozy opined: "We must all respect differences, but we do not want... a society where communities coexist side by side. If you come to France, you must accept to melt into a single community, which is the national community, and if you do not want to accept that, you cannot be welcome in France. The French national community cannot accept a change in its lifestyle, equality between men and women... freedom for little girls to go to school. We have been too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the country that was receiving him."
In short, like Captain Richard Henry demanded of Indians in the late 1800's, civilized countries today must insist that Muslims fully adopt the culture of the country in which they live. This would require acknowledging that Shariah law is subordinate to the laws of the land. There can be no demands that extreme Muslim religious practices be accommodated by Americans. Muslims cannot pray in the streets and block traffic. Muslim women cannot wear hijabs (the female headdress) in public to hide their facial identity. Muslims who fund terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah should be exiled and/or imprisoned. Any Muslim in America who declares jihad against Muslim infidels should be immediately imprisoned. There can be no honor killings, no arranged marriages, no mutilation of female genitalia, no sex with nine-year-old girls, and no gang rapes of white infidel women.
Radical Muslims must become civilized. Muslims must live according to the standards of Judeo-Christian American civilization or have no part of America.
The greatest danger among us is the steady adoption of multi-culturalism from leaders like President Obama, a philosophy that will one day, if left unchallenged, rip apart the foundations of our country.
