Ever since the US began its so-called war on terror billions of dollars of investments belonging to Arabs and Muslims have fled the US economy. The main beneficiaries of this capital flight have been European countries.
In addition, billions of euros in contracts for goods and services that previously went to the US were diverted to the EU.
A consumer boycott of American products began and still remains until today with varying degrees of effectiveness.
Given all this, it is rather odd that the EU countries insist on their right to insult Muslims around the world with their defiant defense of the Danish newspaper that published those cartoons denigrating the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Much has been written about the effects of the Muslim consumer boycott of Danish products on the Danish economy. We have read articles dealing with the loss of jobs in Danish factories and the growing amount of goods that are going to waste due to loss of markets.
But nobody has written about the losses on the Muslim side.
Many Muslims are now unemployed due to their association with Danish goods and services. Billions of dollars have been lost to Muslim businesses around the world for the same reason.
All of this, under the increasingly worried regard of their fellow businessmen and women, who must be saying to themselves, “there, but for the grace of God, go I”.
We have a saying in Arabic “Capital is a coward”. What it means is that business is risk-averse.
The Muslim business communities around the world have now observed how those of them that depended on business with Denmark have had their livelihood destroyed, almost overnight. It is a lesson that they will not forget soon!
Many Muslim businessmen and women will regard with dread the prospect of their livelihood and that of their children being at the mercy of the whims of Dutch pornographers or Italian ministers.
Common sense dictates that in situations such as this people look for alternatives. It hardly takes rocket science to expect Muslims around the world to divert a growing part of their business relationships away from countries that they now regard as unreliable, untrustworthy and irresponsible to those that do not have a chip on their shoulders when dealing with Muslims.
Many countries around the world do not feel they have something to prove vis-à-vis Muslims and are quite happy to do business with them and without the overwhelming need to provoke them from time to time displayed by many Westerners.
These economic shifts will be gradual and discreet. Business people will avoid attracting attention to their actions — especially from Western businesses they are currently involved with.
Ironically, Jacques Chirac, the president of France has chosen this time to lead a large delegation of French businessmen and women to Saudi Arabia.
The French, it seems, are eager to benefit from our growing disenchantment with the US.
Let us receive our French friends and allies with warmth and friendship. After all, diplomacy is the art of saying, “Nice doggie!” while looking for a rock.
