French rioters engaging in “civil disobedience”

From USA Today contributing editor Souhelia Al-Jadda comes this, shall we say, ‘interesting’ description of the rioters who are killing and injuring people, as well as looting and burning massive amounts of property (emphasis added):

The riots in France that started in the Parisian suburbs are ringing alarm bells throughout Europe. These incidents of civil disobedience should serve as lessons to neighboring countries on how not to treat a minority population.

The entire editorial is a fascinating read, as it blames the French – but not in the manner you might think. Here’s more:

For more than 50 years, France has done little to assimilate its nearly 6 million African and Muslim minorities, leaving them forgotten in impoverished ghettos, where there are 21% unemployment, few services and virtually no government representation.

Now, this neglect has come back to haunt the French republic. It did not take much — the perceived police killing of two teenage boys — to spark a two-week wildfire of fury by disenfranchised youth. Rather than address the root of the young people’s discontent, however, the French government has taken a hard-line approach, treating the riots as a bout with organized crime. The government’s actions confirmed what these minorities have known all along: The state treats them with contempt. When French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy referred to rioters as “scum,” the movement grew even more defiant with calls for his resignation.

The truth of the matter is that France has done *too much* to cater towards the Muslim population, and only recently changed course but only slightly (with the headscarf ban which caused quite a stir). Yet this editor blames France for not doing enough to ‘help’ Muslims assimilate there?

Hat tip: Little Green Footballs

In other news regarding odd descriptions, just why are news outlets describing the terrorists (including the leader of the pack: a Muslim man by the name of Mohamed Abdi Hassan ), who attempted to hijack a cruise ship off the coast of Somalia “pirates” rather than “terrorists”? Newsbusters has more linkage on this.