One World
Western Europe is now home to almost 30 million Muslims. Almost eight million live in France and Germany, although France's Muslim population is more numerous. To the extent that one in every 13 French citizens is Muslim. One in 20 for Germany; they've a bit to go before they manage to catch up. Significant numbers of Muslims live in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and Denmark (4% or greater in those countries).Western Europe was open to immigration for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most compelling was a shortage of workers. Indigenous European birth-rate has declined precipitously. Gaps in the labour market had to be filled somehow, and traditionally that has been by encouraging immigration. That latest wave of immigrants brought some unanticipated baggage with them. Religion-related customs that for one example claim that Islamic law supersedes any others.
With different values revolving around religion, culture and life in general, particularly social mores, a situation of non-immersion in the receiving culture and value system evolved. Ghettoes thrived. Unemployment among immigrants resulted and also thrived. Leading many citizens of European countries to adopt the opinion from observation of realities that immigrants of Muslim stock were too reliant on social welfare.
Tensions were created in the working class districts of such cities as Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels and Vienna. On the streets it has become common enough to view a number of Islamic dress code interpretations. All designed to distance. Europeans have also not been favourably impressed with noting the numbers and ferociousness of Middle East wars and North African conflicts and the rise of militant Islamism.
Nor may they have been comforted by the realization that many of the immigrants living alongside them, but separately, attending mosque and living within their own religious social criteria of obedience to Islam, largely supported the rise of what might politely be termed "assertive" Islam in the greater goal of spreading Sharia law everywhere.
The occasional declaration from within Europe by a Muslim cleric announcing that those city centres would eventually surrender to Islam, chilled.
It cannot have escaped the notice of European soldiers, humanitarian aid workers and journalists who travelled to Afghanistan observing the status of women there and the vulnerability of children, particularly girl children to predation, that the culture that practised these obscenities in human behaviour were now present within their own societies. Disquieting, to say the least.
Chancellor Angela Merkel stated her belief that multiculturalism had resulted in, alas, failure. In France, legislation and rules respecting religious paraphernalia and apparel in schools have arisen to the consternation of some and satisfaction of others. The liberal-minded find it hard to square the rights of the Republic with the 'attacks' on basic human rights and liberties.
Basic human rights and liberties, in fact, are what most concern most civilized countries. They are not prepared to trade them in to satisfy a violently vicious jihad meant to convert Europe to a satrapy of the Middle East.
Human nature is just so predictably restive.
Labels: Europe, Immigration, Islam
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, September 18, 2013
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