Those So-Called European Muslim ‘No-Go Zones’ Aren’t A Thing, But Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal Talked About Them In A London Speech Anyway

Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal today invoked so-called Muslim “No-Go Zones” in Europe, which don’t actually exist and never have.

Delivering a speech on foreign policy in London Monday, Jindal condemned European governments for allowing the existence of certain enclaves, populated densely by Muslims, where Sharia Law takes precedence over democratic European law, referred to by some conservative media outlets as “No-Go Zones,” according to NBC News.

“It is startling to think that any country would allow, even unofficially, for a so-called ‘no-go zone’.”

The problem is, there is no such thing as a Muslim “No-Go Zone,” at least, not anywhere in Europe.

The term “No-Go Zone” entered the vernacular a few weeks ago, following the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris. On January 10, terrorism analyst Steve Emerson appeared on Fox News Channel’s Justice with Judge Jeanine program. During the broadcast, he spoke of neighborhoods in European cities where even the police fear to tread.

“[There are] places where the governments, like France, Britain, Sweden, Germany — they don’t exercise any sovereignty so you basically have zones where Sharia courts are set up, where Muslim density is very intense, where police don’t go in.”

The over-the-top allegation was quickly met with criticism, and Fox News later retracted parts of the story, according to this Inquisitr report. Anchor Julie Banderas admitted that the so-called Muslim “No-Go Zones” don’t exist.

“To be clear, there is no formal designation of these zones in either country and no credible information to support the assertion there are specific areas in these countries that exclude individuals based solely on their religion.”

Regardless, Jindal stuck to his words when pressed by CNN reporter Max Foster.

“I’ve heard from folks here that there are neighborhoods where women don’t feel comfortable going in without veils. That’s wrong. We all know that there are neighborhoods where police are less likely to go into. I think that the radical Left absolutely wants to pretend like this problem is not here. Pretending it’s not here won’t make it go away.”

When asked to provide a specific example of a No-Go Zone, Jindal was unable to do so.

“I think your viewers know absolutely there are places where the police are less likely to go. They absolutely know there are neighborhoods where they wouldn’t feel comfortable.”

In some places in Europe, and indeed, even in the United States, so-called “Sharia Courts” have gotten notice by conservatives who think their existence is proof that Sharia Law is inching its way into Western legal systems. In fact, what is happening is that some jurisdictions in Western countries, including the U.S., have set up systems that allow certain matters to be decided by a Sharia judge if both parties agree. Usually, these courts intervene on matters of family law or business disputes. This is hardly new, according to the Economist. Rabbinical tribunals have existed in Britain for decades, and Christian arbitration exists in the U.S. However, legally-binding arbitration, agreed to by both parties beforehand, is not the same thing as a civil or criminal court. So just because two parties in, say, Dearborn, Michigan (which has a heavy Muslim population) or Paris, France, have the option of having their dispute settled by a Sharia court, that doesn’t mean that public floggings for insulting Islam, or stoning of women who decline to wear Burqas, is coming to a Western city near you.

Couple the existence of Sharia courts with the existence of densely-populated Muslim neighborhoods, and you have a recipe for a situation that could be interpreted as Muslim enclaves devoid of Western law, when in fact no such thing exists.

However, such subtleties are either lost on Bobby Jindal, or they don’t make for as salacious and attention-getting a device as invoking Muslim No-Go Zones.

[Image courtesy of: Mad World News]