Is Europe lost already?

With a history of lax immigration policies and emphasis on tolerance, has Europe already been lost to radical Islam? Is the United States headed in the same direction?




KJW: Europe is not lost, yet.

The French riots last November, and the controversy and violence related to the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, make clear that the ongoing struggle with radical Islamism is, if anything, more of a problem presently for Europe than it is for America.

The United States only has a Muslim population of less than 1 percent. For Europe, however, it is much different. In the Netherlands, 6 percent to 7 percent of the population, and as much as half the population of large cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam, are Muslim. In France, the percentage is around 10 percent.

Many of the organizers of recent terrorist incidents—including Mohammed Atta, the Sept. 11 ringleader; the March 7 Madrid bombers; Mohammed Bouyeri, assassin of the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh; and the July 7 London bombers—were radicalized not in the Middle East, but in Western Europe. Many were second-generation citizens who spoke their adopted country's language fluently.

There is no question that what has come to be called "Eurabia" constitutes a major problem for European democracies. One major factor is that European Muslim communities are mostly located in isolated ghettos, which have become fertile breeding grounds for the growth of a highly intolerant version of Islam. A number of British opinion polls over the past year have found that a substantial minority would like to see Islamic law instituted in heavily-Muslim areas of Britain and that nearly half identified themselves as Muslim first and British second.

European governments have only recently begun to respond to this problem. The Dutch speak of the van Gogh murder in November 2004 as their Sept. 11, and the political transformation since then has been astonishing. The government has cut off virtually all new immigration into the country and given the police Patriot Act-type powers to pursue potential terrorists.

Following the London bombings, the British government has initiated a significant campaign to crackdown on the Islamic extremists.

The question looms - is it too little, too late? Europeans should have started a discussion about how to integrate their Muslim minorities a generation ago, before the winds of radical Islamism had started to blow. The United States needs to pay attention to Europe's situation and not wait until the point of critical mass has been achieved at home. This generation of Americans need to address this situation within our borders so that someday we will not be referred to as "Amerabia".

It appears now that the European governments believe their only solution to this problem is to crackdown on the Islamist extremists. This may indeed be their only short term answer; however, history tells us that when crackdown is the only option, problems aren't solved and usually ends up getting worse. You know, maybe Europe is lost.

EJS:

Perhaps all is not lost, yet. Europe is on a collision course with Islam, and it is largely due to their own policies and political correctness. Immigration laws and the policy of inclusion above all else has allowed the enemy to crawl in the back door and sit at the dinner table. Now they are pounding on the table and want the same prosperity that Europeans enjoy. This policy of inclusion has been limited though. While European states have policies of acceptance, the people themselves still harbor their own prejudices. This has led to a kind of de facto segregation within Europe, where a ceiling in society does exist for immigrants. This has led to widespread frustration within the immigrant community, particularly among the younger second generation, which were born and raised in Europe. Their feeling of resentment combined with the rise of radical Islam has caused a perfect storm. This has proved to be a fertile ground for Al Qaeda and other radical groups to recruit from, with the internet playing a leading role in recruitment. By just planting the seed of radicalism, an actual Al Qaeda representative isn't required to show up and sign them up.

The Europeans strive to have religious tolerance at all costs as well. Islamists have been allowed to infiltrate the countries, then set up mosques and madrassas which teach a particularly ruthless strain of Islam called Wahhabism. This strain originates in Saudi Arabia, and the House of Saud sinks millions into propagating their beliefs across the world. The Europeans' problem arises because they are so incredibly politically correct, they fail to see when religion crosses the line and becomes a threat to national security and their basic way of life. Britain has finally started to crackdown on radical mosques, and recently a protester from the Mohammed cartoon incident was convicted of inciting violence when he led a protest calling for the beheading of anyone who dare to insult Islam.

France is probably the country most at risk. Approximately 10% of France's population consists of Muslim immigrants. The riots in the Paris suburbs in 2005 first brought the problem to light, and while the large-scale rioting has subsided, a low-grade "intifada" has persisted ever since. Over 2,500 French police have been injured fighting Muslim youths in the streets of Paris this year. Recently, attacks have grown more brazen, with packs of youths donning all black clothing and masks, ambushing police and city buses in coordinated attacks. The problem in France may be too far out of control already.

Here in the United States, we haven't gotten to the point where Europe currently is. Muslims don't have the numbers here yet. Also, government crackdown after 9/11 has not created a good climate for radicalism to thrive in. America's culture is much more focused on assimilation of immigrants, whereas in Europe, immigrants are encouraged to still practice their own cultures and ways of life. It is a MUST for our law enforcement agencies to closely monitor mosques and imams in this country who may be preaching hate and violence. There is a fine line between freedom of speech and endangering others, and we cannot allow that to happen in our backyard.