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Is Islam Dying? Europe Certainly Is
The Brussels Journal ^ | 09/20/2006 | Paul Belien

Posted on 09/21/2006 3:05:07 AM PDT by Republicain

Dr Koenraad Elst, one of Belgium’s best orientalists and an occasional contributor to this website (if I had time I would translate more of his Dutch-language contributions into English), told me last week that he thinks “Islam is in decline, despite its impressive demographic and military surge” – which according to Dr Elst is merely a “last upheaval.” He acknowledges, however, that this decline can take some time (at least in terms of the individual human life span) and that it is possible that Islam will succeed in becoming the majority religion in Europe before collapsing.

I am not a specialist of Islam. Hence, I do not know what to think of this analysis. Perhaps it can be argued that Islam is in agony, and that this is precisely the reason why Muslims reacted so sensitively to twelve, mostly inoffensive, Danish cartoons earlier this year and why they respond in a fury beyond all reason to the words of a 14th century Byzantine Emperor quoted last week by Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope emphasized that he did not approve of the quote, but the reactions of Muslims to the Emperor’s words “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman,” only lends credibility to what the Emperor said.

If a person is incapable of tolerating criticism, including mild criticism, and especially if he perceives criticism where there is none, this is often a sign of this person’s deep psychological insecurity. Rude aggression and wild rage, too, are usually not the normal behaviour of a self-confident person, but rather of someone who knows that he will lose an argument unless he can bully others into silence. Last Sunday, Catholics going to Holy Mass in London’s Westminster Cathedral were confronted by Christophobic Muslims, carrying hate posters such as “Pope go to hell,” “Benedict watch your back,” “May Allah curse the Pope,” “Jesus is the slave of Allah, “Islam will conquer Rome,” and the like. An English blogger has some photos here. What must one make of these Muslim protestors? Do they look like self-assured people?

It looks as if Muslims cannot cope with an open society and the modern globalized world. Should we interpret their aggression – the result of their inability to cope with the world – as a token of strenght, or rather as a sign of inherent weakness – a sign, as Dr Elst says, that the decline of Islam has visibly begun?

Last weekend a 24-year old Moroccan woman was assaulted in Antwerp by a group of male Moroccan youths. They began by reproaching her for not wearing a headscarf. When she answered back, they beat her up. When the police intervened to protect the woman the officers were attacked by about thirty youths hurling stones. Fortunately, the officers were able to relief the brave woman and escort her to hospital. She has meanwhile been discharged from hospital, though one dreads to think what may await her when she returns to her own community.

“We have no figures, but we notice that there are more and more incidents of verbal abuse towards Muslim women by male immigrants who cannot stomach that they do not wear the veil,” says Sven Lommaert of the Antwerp police, in one of today’s papers: “Often the abuse is limited to insults, but sometimes the women are attacked.”

However, Dominique Reyniers, the spokeswoman of the Antwerp judiciary said: “If violence is used a complaint is sometimes lodged. Verbal abuse, however, is obviously not a crime. Hence, we cannot say that there is a rise in this kind of incidents.” Ms Reyniers is saying that intimidating and bullying people is not a crime, unless one beats them up. If Dr Elst is right, and the intimidation of adversaries by the islamists is a proof of Islam’s inherent weakness, the refusal of the West to stand up to the bullies and to defend and protect their victims is proof of an even greater weakness.

I am inclined to suspect that the intolerance of radical Muslims, even if directed against the ‘enemy’ in the West, such as Danish cartoonists and the Pope, is primarily intended to intimidate and terrorize people who grew up in Muslim societies and families, in order to prevent their apostasy. It is intended to show the latter that they need not hope for any support from the West, i.e. from authorities such as those represented by Ms Reyniers.

Perhaps, as Dr Elst fears, Islam in its stage of decline might, by the mid-21st century, succeed in conquering Europe and becoming the old continent’s dominant religion. In this knowledge one slogan of last Sunday’s Islamic hatemongerers in London may be more than just hate speech: “Islam will conquer Rome” may be prophetic. Here, however, we ourselves are to blame, because Islamists will not find it difficult to conquer Europe. Christianity in Western Europe has virtually ceased to exist. The spirit of secular relativism that originated from the French Enlightenment has persuaded Europe (including Europe’s churches) to commit a protracted, two centuries long suicide, the symptoms of which were visible in Communism, National-Socialism and moral relativism in general.

Man is a religious being and needs religious faith. If European Christianity had still been healthy today it would have proselytized, it would have reached out with missionary zeal to the millions of Muslims who migrated to Western Europe since the 1970s, it would have offered them Christ. Instead, it’s churches became bastions of religious relativism. Europe offered the newcomers only cultural decadence, from which decent people want to shield their children, and spiritual emptiness, which one can only despise.

The Europeans, who lost the missionary zeal to reach out to the immigrants, also lacked the zeal to pass on their own civilization to their offspring. Worse still, they lacked the zeal to have offspring. Since demographics is the mother of all politics, it is, barring a miracle, certain that Islam will become the old continent’s dominant religion.

Unless Europe rediscovers its will to survive – and it may already be too late (though as a Christian I do not exclude miracles) – soon furious Islamists may be holding sway over Europe in much the same way as the Taliban did over Afghanistan, removing all visible remnants of pre-Islamic culture. The Cathedrals of Europe may share the fate of the Buddhas of Bamiyan. Christian works of art may be destroyed. Surely, a faith that forbids the depiction of human figures will be offended by the Christian art of medieval Europe and the nudes of the Renaissance. Perhaps it is wise to seriously consider salvaging as many European cultural treasures as one already can, before it is too late, and bringing them to safety elsewhere.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: clashofcivilizations; europe; islam; islamevilempire
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1 posted on 09/21/2006 3:05:07 AM PDT by Republicain
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To: Republicain
much the same way as the Taliban did over Afghanistan

Past tense, I note.

2 posted on 09/21/2006 3:08:35 AM PDT by Glenn (Annoy a BushBot...Think for yourself.)
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To: Republicain

Great Article... Europeans can't blame Bush or the Americans or even Martians about that coming fate (hopefully not) if they keep being passive about Islam... they should act now while they still have the majority...


3 posted on 09/21/2006 3:31:19 AM PDT by ChristianDefender (Never Give Your Enemy (ROP) A Foothold.)
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To: Republicain

Ummm....so which is it? Are they on the rise or in decline?


4 posted on 09/21/2006 3:36:54 AM PDT by 03A3
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To: Republicain

Europe is losing this war.


5 posted on 09/21/2006 3:37:16 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Brilliant
Europe is losing this war.


6 posted on 09/21/2006 3:38:47 AM PDT by StoneGiant (Power without morality is disaster. Morality without power is useless.)
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To: Brilliant
Europe is losing this war.

I hope not...

7 posted on 09/21/2006 3:42:15 AM PDT by ChristianDefender (Never Give Your Enemy (ROP) A Foothold.)
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To: Republicain
When I lived in Europe, the churches were 95% empty. The only ones who attended services at all were very old Catholics, and/or evangelical Christian young families.

Islam knows it is a lie, because Paul wrote that God has written His law in our hearts, so that we have no excuse.

I agree with the author's premise that much of the bluster and violence of the Muslims is directed at the subjects under the yoke of Islam's boot. They dare not hope for help from the West, so they must remain slaves to Muhammad's Death Cult.

8 posted on 09/21/2006 3:42:51 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: 03A3

Islam is in decline, but Europe is declining faster?


9 posted on 09/21/2006 3:43:51 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
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To: FreedomPoster

Islam is in decline with 1 billion plus and growing?


10 posted on 09/21/2006 3:45:49 AM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: Republicain
Perhaps it is wise to seriously consider salvaging as many European cultural treasures as one already can, before it is too late, and bringing them to safety elsewhere.

Looks like we will be getting millions of more refugees. One could make the case that France Politically is already lost. Italy and Spain will be followed by Germany where the skinheads will probably put up a good fight. Poland and England could survive isolated again, but Poland will probably be stabbed in the back as Europe is carved into two halves reminiscent of WWII. The main problem of course will be the nuclear weapons. France has a few nuclear submarines, which really should be viewed as hostile towards the west politically.

11 posted on 09/21/2006 3:48:10 AM PDT by justa-hairyape
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To: Republicain

Europe is in decline (and denial) because it has allowed the Muslim murderers to kill what was once the foundation and fountain of civilization, art, literature (arguable, I concede) and grand architecture. If Islam is in decline, no one will know it for millenia because reasonable public figures continue to cave to the public tantrums performed on cue by "angry" Muslims incapable of handling anything that appears to be a "slight" against their "religion".

When an institution such as Islam is unable to contend with an "outsider" like the Pope holding up a mirror to them and quoting the 600 year-old words of a Byzantine Emperor and, rather than respond with introspection they respond with violence (the very act of which only confirms that nothing has changed in the 600 years since the Emperor uttered those words), there is a problem. And, that problem is with Islam, itself. This religion, like an ancient stopped clock, has frozen itself in a period of time that is over 1200 years out of step with the rest of the world. Its practitioners are, by and large, poor and ignorant, and resent the fact that the rest of the world has passed them by. Many of them are "educated" only in what a madrassah wants them to know aabout the Koran. They are, in every aspect, the product of their civilization and environment. This is not to suggest that I feel any sympathy for them, only to emphasize that it is Islam, itself, that is at the root of today's evil, because Islam cannot and will not adapt to the modern world, unlike Judaism and Christianity and other religions around the world.


12 posted on 09/21/2006 3:48:55 AM PDT by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: onyx
Islam is in decline with 1 billion plus and growing?

He is using the following theory - A light bulb burns its brightest just before it fails.

And yes, people who cannot handle criticism are typically the kind of people who really need to be criticized. They are in denial. Just like the Clinton Fascists tried to deny the 'Path to 911'. The main problem however is that once a society or civilization becomes nuclear capable, it apparently wont ever go away. Witness the Russian Chekists. The best hope, assuming Islam is or will go fully nuclear, is that Islam is reformed from within. Unfortunately, we have close to 1,300 years of proof that reformation will not happen on its own.

13 posted on 09/21/2006 3:55:06 AM PDT by justa-hairyape
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To: Republicain
G8 Female Fertility Rates (Source: CIA World Factbook)

Children born per woman:

USA - 2.08

France - 1.85

UK - 1.66

Canada 1.61

Germany - 1.39

Japan - 1.39

Italy - 1.28

Russia - 1.27

Either "majority Muslim", or a "vast, open-air museum."

I'll bet on "majority Muslim".

14 posted on 09/21/2006 3:55:31 AM PDT by Sooth2222
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To: justa-hairyape

It can't reform. It's whole basis is that state and religion are inseparable.


15 posted on 09/21/2006 3:58:10 AM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: Republicain

The truth is that the Christian faith is now growing faster. Look at the global south, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Not only in new members to the Catholic Church, but the much more conservitive Anglican Church, ( the church that will in time suceed the ECUSA down the road ), and the Bible based evangelical churches. The dirty little secret is that up to 6 million Muslims leave Islam to become Christians. What we are seeing right now is a religion that just cannot cope with the 21st century.

Christanity, 2.1 billion, and growing.


16 posted on 09/21/2006 4:09:08 AM PDT by Biggirl (A biggirl with a big heart for God's animal creation.)
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To: Biggirl

"What we are seeing right now is a religion that just cannot cope with the 21st century. "

It means the Muslim religion.


17 posted on 09/21/2006 4:13:00 AM PDT by Biggirl (A biggirl with a big heart for God's animal creation.)
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To: onyx
It's whole basis is that state and religion are inseparable.

Very true. Also explains why Marxism has failed during modern times. The 'state and religion' becomes one under Marxism.

There are literally thousands of religions on this planet. Which one may have gotten the whole story right is perhaps irrelevant. We need freedom of religion. It helps to define our cultures and helps to establish morals that in many cases are fairly good. When the state denies freedom of religion, we end up with a single state mandated moralistic view, a state religion.

18 posted on 09/21/2006 4:15:25 AM PDT by justa-hairyape
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To: Republicain
"Jesus is the slave of Allah"? At least he isn't the slave of Santa Claus.


19 posted on 09/21/2006 4:15:50 AM PDT by dr_who_2
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To: onyx

Depends on how fast the MTV bomb is working.


20 posted on 09/21/2006 4:16:03 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
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