Islam and Europe

Submitted by David Sternlight (United States), Mar 30, 2007 at 03:32

As an economist I have to observe that social systems are self-equilibrating and self-adjusting; that is the normative case. Just as with such social and generational trends, political trends behave rather like a pendulum.

What does this mean? It means that if present trends in Eurabia continue, we could likely see a violent wave of reactionary anti-Muslim behavior in Europe, including totalitarian-style legislation, the rise of intolerant political parties, and perhaps even deprivation of citizenship and expulsion. Even in my own country (the US) we are seeing increasing calls in the mainstream for the abandonment of "political correctness" and the selective focusing on Muslims because "that's where the terrorists are". As for what law enforcement already does in the privacy of its investigative discipline, deponent knoweth not, but I haven't seen too many stories of little old ladies from Boston having their phones tapped.

Do not misunderstand my comment; I do not take an advocacy position on this--it is an analytical observation.

I will say that if it happens, the Islamists (islamo-fascists) will have only themselves to blame. And what is worse, those extremists outside of Europe who are busy beheading Westerners and murdering civilian women and children will have as much causal social influence on this European counter-Islamic swing as do European Muslims. The losers will, of course, be the large number of moderate European Muslims who are going quietly about seeking a better life and earning a living.

And the cathartic is for such moderate Muslims to rise en masse, denounce radical Islam, cooperate with law enforcement authorities pro-actively, and move quickly to lance the Islamist cancer in their midst before it is too late. The occasional dissident voice, which receives so much Western press because it is so rare, won't do the job.

To paraphrase Father Niemoller: they murdered Israelis, but I said nothing because I wasn't an Israeli; they murdered Americans but I said nothing because I wasn't an American; they murdered Moslem dissidents but I said nothing because I wasn't a Moslem dissident; they murdered vocal Moslem moderates but I said nothing because I wasn't a vocal Moslem moderate. By the time they came for me, there was no one left to protest.

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