Wake up, Europe

By DAVID ALTMAN
Anti-Islamic rally in Denmark_370 (photo credit: Fabian Bimmer/Reuters)
Anti-Islamic rally in Denmark_370
(photo credit: Fabian Bimmer/Reuters)
It’s been almost two years since the dawn of the “Arab Spring,” and since then then we’ve seen hardline Islamists coming to power, increased movement toward fundamentalist government and pan-Arab riots in response to a YouTube video.
Given this trend and the anti-Western vitriol spewed daily by Muslim clerics the world over, it is hard to believe how many Europeans continue to live in a state of denial with regard to the growing Islamic population around them. Yes, it is no secret that there is a population shift taking place. And yes, most people are aware that there is unrest among immigrant populations and a pronounced desire to change their host environment to suit their cultural sensibilities.
But the notion of fascist Islamist forces taking over Europe has routinely been dismissed as fanatical and extreme. Various riots and violence, like the French Muslim youth riots in 2005 and 2010, seemed contained to specific neighborhoods and suburbs, and appeared to have little affect on the centers of power. The cases of murder or mayhem in response to an art exhibit or cartoon seemed limited and containable. This is no longer the case.
Today the threat of Islamist violence is felt in the houses of parliament and government. Europe has changed, and in as little as five years it could look very different. Yet, most Europeans seem unable to recognize the severity of this phenomenon objectively.
As a writer and academic, I have observed and written about these changes over the past number of years, and feel no satisfaction in seeing many of my ominous predictions come true. The European approach to human rights and democracy is falling apart as an ideology of intolerance, conquest, religious law and coercion takes root.
THERE ARE two types of conquest that can destroy sovereign states: the first, military conquest, is comprised of armed conflict from beyond a state’s borders. This is the traditional form of war. The second, internal conquest, is comprised of a certain segment of society taking over that society, drastically altering its lifestyle and guiding worldview. Today, Europe is under threat of both types of conquest.
Islamists are attempting to conquer non-Muslim countries through war. This is complemented by immigrant populations, some of whom are fourth-generation immigrants, who advance an ideology of intolerance and coercion upon their host societies.
Islamic migration to Europe was previously considered innocuous, a small-scale process that would not affect the general demography of European states. Today, a very different picture has emerged. According to the German Central Institute of Islamic Archives, the total number of Muslims in Europe (including Russia) in 2007 was about 53 million, and the numbers have only grown since then.
Furthermore, the number of Muslims in large European cities presents an even more dramatic picture. In Stockholm, for example, 20 percent of the population is Muslim; in Amsterdam, 24%; in Brussels 25%; in Marseille, 25%. What will these statistics look like in 10 years? 15 years? The Times of London claims that the Muslim population in Great Britain is growing at a rate 10% higher than any other minority. From 2004-2008, the number of Muslims in Great Britain grew from 500,000 to 2.4 million. And while Britain’s Christian population is aging, its Muslim population is young and certain to impact the demography even more dramatically in the next decade.
Indeed, this concept of parallel conquest – from within and from without – appears to be the strategy of Islamic radicalism today. Initially, the public viewed Islamic migration as stemming from the desire for greater opportunity and quality of life. While this may have been true for the first generation of immigrants, the third and fourth generations of immigrants show little interest in adapting to their host countries, but rather insist their host countries adapt to their Shari’a law.
The introduction of Islamic law in Great Britain is already being felt. Posters have been hung in various areas warning people against entering Islamic neighborhoods wearing “immodest” clothing. Islamic religious leaders preach to the public to convert to Islam and some have even pronounced that the UK ought adopt Islam as its official religion.
Sound crazy? Various interest groups are attempting to advance this very goal by increasing their influence in the parliament and exploiting the very tools of democracy they wish to abolish.
These changes are occurring quickly, leaving policy makers unable to strategize in an effective manner. As Europe approaches the iceberg, there is a need to change course, before it commits ideological suicide. Nothing less than a public outcry will provide decision makers with the support necessary to put an end to the exploitation of the free and open society Europe currently enjoys. If it continues to be exploited as it has been, it will literally change the face of Western society as we know it, and all too soon.
The writer is senior vice president of Netanya Academic College and author of the book Six Years Later, a novel about an attempted Islamic take over in Great Britain, available on Amazon.com.