Jihad Watch Board Vice President Hugh Fitzgerald discusses the EU's thirst to destroy Israel in light of Bat Ye'or's predictions:
Bat Ye'or is a scholar of Islamic history, and her specialty has been the study of how non-Muslims -- Christians and Jews (she does not deal with those parts of Asia, beyond the Middle East, that succumbed to Muslim rule) -- have been treated in lands conquered by Islam.She is also a student of current events, as in her recent Eurabia.
And she is also, one realizes, a scriptwriter: for Eurabia and her other books, especially Islam and Dhimmitude, provide a script for the behavior of those caught in a trap of their own making, which is what the Europeans are today. The trap consists of several parts.
There was the initial indifference to what Islam was all about, and an ignoring of the misgivings and fears of the real experts (such as Charles-Emmanuel Dufourcq) and instead, a heeding of the bought-and-paid for apologists, or the ideological children of this age, examples of whom can be found in Gilles Kepel and Olivier Roy. This indifference led to permitting millions of people who possess an ideology that teaches them to despise Infidels, and to wish to subjugate them as is only proper, and certainly not to accept or admire or wish to be anything like them, to settle deep behind what they themselves regard, essentially, as enemy lines -- in the Infidel lands that will someday, through Da'wa and demographic not military conquest, fall to them.
There has been every kind of refusal to see, every kind of refusal even to study the matter for fear of what may be found out, for then what? How can the elites of Europe, and especially of France, admit to their colossal error -- to those over whom they have lorded it, in whose name they presume to rule? How can they even admit to themselves what an error, over so many decades, has been made?And there is a refusal even to begin to consider how to put a stop to this, and even to reverse the Muslim presence in Europe. Measures which were once considered perfectly acceptable in order to protect a country from what was deemed to be a permanent security risk are now considered beyond the pale -- see the Benes Decree of 1946 in Czechoslovakia, or similar measures by Poland and other governments in Central and Eastern Europe. They were attempting to put paid to the threat, as they saw it -- and had had certain experiences to justify that feeling -- of large discrete communities of ethnic Germans, Volksdeutsche, within their borders.
Instead, it is far easier especially for the panjandrums to meet at the E.U. and find ways to appease the Arabs and Muslims -- as if somehow, without the slightest evidence, this will do the trick. And the easiest coin to offer is Israel. The rights of Israel as a successor state to Mandatory Palestine, which would have to be based on all sorts of things, including the intent and words of the Mandate for Palestine as set out by the League of Nations' Mandate Commission (and the U.N. inherited the Mandate, as it did all of the League's Mandates, and was not free to change them), the study of the demographic data and the cadastral records of the area under the Ottomans in the 19th century and 20th centuries, the comprehension of what had been the fate of the Jews living under Islamic rule, and continued to be right up through the 20th century -- all of this escapes these appeasers who will not be saved, will not for a moment be saved, from whatever fate it is that they are preparing for Israel. They do not make the connection, because in order to do so they would have to understand the unchanging contents of the canonical texts of Islam, and what the evidence of 1350 years of Muslim conquest and subjugation of non-Muslims would tell them. And that would be entirely too upsetting.
So it's the mixture as before. Forget about historic rights. Forget about the League of Nations. Forget about the Arab and Muslim rewriting of history, whether it be the claim that Jesus was a "Palestinian" Arab, or the Canaanites were Arabs, or that Muslims were in England in the 8th century greatly affecting all of English culture, and of course without the Muslim influence European civilization could scarcely be said to exist, and what about all those Muslims who not only were in Columbus' crew, but apparently were on shore, speaking Arabic, waiting to greet that same crew?
Forget about the spectacle of murders in Amsterdam, and the Allahu-Akbar rioters and looters and arsonists in France and the twelve churches they attacked in their "Nothing-to-do-with-Islam" riots. Forget about the death threats to political leaders in Norway, the death threats to publishers of a newspaper in Denmark, the vandalism of cemeteries, the attacks on synagogues and on churches outside of France as well. Forget about the bombs in the Madrid subway and the London underground. Forget about the permanent security threat that that Muslim population now represents, because the texts cannot be changed, and one can never be sure who fully believes those texts, and is willing to act on them, or who, unobservant at one time, for any number of reasons, including the purely personal, may become observant.
So the all-purpose answer is to throw Israel to the wolves. But that will not sate their appetite. It will whet it -- and meanwhile, in Europe itself, where some will continue to allow themselves to believe that abandoning Israel, ignoring its case and its rights and the minimum demands of justice, will help Europe somehow escape the same fate (how, exactly?). They fail to understand the nature of Islamic triumphalism. Compromise makes no sense in Islam. How could it? How can Dar al-Islam ever accept the permanent existence of Dar al-Harb, much less an Infidel state where once Muslims ruled (Israel, Spain, India, Sicily, the Balkans, Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary)? It goes against all of Islam. A victory anywhere simply encourages the push forward elsewhere. This has to be understood.
Bat Ye'or has written the script. She has predicted exactly what Europe would do, how it would behave.
Her view is bleak. Understandably so. But one is sure that she would be delighted to be proven wrong. She would be delighted if only, in Europe, there were those who would behave otherwise than as she has so grimly predicted
They should try to do Bat Ye'or a favor. The only thing she wishes for, in Europe, is to be proven wrong.
A fantastic situation.
a grim situation in EU-land but it could not have happened if the enlightened and superclever EU political leadership had not aided it. And let's bear in mind that so-called right-wingers, like Giscard d'Estaing, were very instrumental in this process. Did you see Giscard on one of the international news networks like CNN, etc., in which he sits at his Louis XIV or Louis XV desk in a baroque study [possibly on the Ile St.Louis] writing in front of a book case and complains about Chirac's mistakes?? He is tens times more at fault than the superslimey Chirac.
I've drafted some scenarios myself:
http://fjordman.blogspot.com/2005/11/second-fall-of-rome.html
The Second Fall of Rome
The Jihad-riots in France look more like the fall of the Roman Empire several centuries later, when the barbarians immigrated in huge numbers and caused the now weakened civilization to collapse in large parts of Western Europe. The population movements we are witnessing now are the largest and fastest in human history. In Europe, they can only be compared to the period often referred to as the Great Migrations, following the disintegration of the Roman Empire. However, during the 4th and 5th centuries, the total human population of the world was in the order of 200 million. Today, it is 30 times larger than that, and still growing fast. We also have communications that can transport people anywhere on earth within hours, and media that show ordinary people how much better life is in other countries. On top of that, the Romans didn't have human rights lawyers advocating that millions of barbarians be let into their lands. Is it a coincidence that the last time we had migrations like this was when large parts of the European continent suffered a complete civilizational breakdown? Is that what we are witnessing now? The second fall of Rome?
I must admit there are certain parts of Europe that do seem to be beyond hope, or very close to it. ALL of the largest Dutch cities are projected to have a Muslim majority within a generation, as will several English, French, Belgian, Scandinavian and Spanish cities. I foresee several possible scenarios:
1. Eurabia.
The EU continues its transformation into a continent-wide organization with clear totalitarian leanings, and a very pro-Islamic stance. Europe's fate is sealed when Turkey is allowed into the Union, and becomes its largest member. Freedom of speech will be shut down, and any criticism of Islam banned. Eurabia will become a global center for Jihad activities, as the dhimmi taxpayers and infidel Western technology give a boost to the Ummah. For this reason, the Americans, the Israelis, the Indians, the Russians and maybe even the Chinese will have to crush Eurabia by brute force, as it will represent a grave security threat to them.
2. War.
Personally, I think this alternative is at least as likely as the above "Eurabia" scenario. It also contains several sub-scenarios, partly depending upon when the eventual war starts, and partly on whether there is still some Western pride and resistance left in Europe underneath the self-loathing and Multiculturalism:
The Pakistanization of Europe.
Muslims aren't numerous enough to control the entire continent. In the event of war, there will be mutual ethnic cleansing and Muslims will seize parts of Western Europe. For instance, a belt stretching from parts of Germany via Belgium and Holland to France, but maybe even regions within certain nation states. All of Europe will not be lost, but some parts will, and many others will de deeply damaged by the fighting. Many of our cultural treasures will burn.
Reconquista - The Second Expulsion of the Moors
Muslims strike too early, before they are ready to seize control over major chunks of Europe. It is possible to view the Jihad riots in France in this light. They overestimate their own power, and underestimate the strength that, despite everything, is still left in Europe. It will start, as these things always do, before anyone is ready. Everyone, the Islamists, the proto-dhimmis, the neo-nationalists, the sleepwalking middle class, thinks they have more time than they do. It may start more or less by accident, like WWI, through the act of a fringe player unaware of the forces involved or the stakes of the game.
Global Civil War
Europe has been the primary staging ground for one cold and two hot world wars. It could become a major battlefield in an Islamic world war, too. Or perhaps we could call it the Multicultural world war, just as WW2 was a Fascist war and the Cold War was a Communist war. A world war is already simmering, with Muslims clashes against Russia, Europe, Israel, China, India, the USA and Southeast Asia. Once the fighting starts in Europe, it could spread outside the continent and ignite a world war. This is the scenario of "global civil war". It would become the worst and most destructive war in human history, involving nuclear weapons on both sides. It could completely destroy the Middle East and North Africa, deeply damage Europe, the Indian continent, and parts of Southeast Asia, and inflict serious casualties on the USA, Australia and Africa. Its secondary and economic ripples will be felt on all corners of the planet, including the ones least involved in the actual fighting, such as Latin America and East Asia.
3. A Second Renaissance - Western Rebirth in Europe
Although I must admit that I find this scenario to be the least likely at this point, we should discuss the possibility of whether the Islamic threat will force the West to rethink its values and regain its strength. Can this be done, and how would this take place? Is it possible to avoid both major war and Eurabia or is this wishful thinking by now? The growth of Eurabia is closely tied to the growth of the EU. Perhaps we could derail Eurabia by dismantling the EU? Is there something we can do to avoid the breakdown of European democracy, either to an increasingly totalitarian Eurabia or to a resurgence of neo-Fascism?
not entirely off topic-
Hugh mentioned Gilles Kepel & Olivier Roy as the sort of pro-Muslim intellectual favored by EU govts.
I just saw a CNN special on democratizing the Arab world. During the segment devoted to Egypt, who was the one and only academic expert to give his interpretation of events there and elsewhere in the Middle East? Of course, John Esposito of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Geo'town. [Note that Understanding with Jews is not part of the program].
By the way, CNN [26 Nov 2005] showed some of the realities of Egyptian life that are of course "traditional" there, but that have been habitually overlooked by big TV networks for as long as I can remember. A woman talked of being stripped of her clothes and sexually handled when "thugs" [probably plain-clothes cops] suppressed a demonstration. A man shows welts on his back from beatings. This glimpse of reality in Egypt is a new phenomenon. What is CNN trying to accomplish now? Anyhow, the beaten and stripped demonstrators got off pretty easy. Peaceful Anwar Sadat once mowed demonstrators for cheap bread down with machine guns [in the 1970s], and the event was barely reported in the West in the print press, not on TV as I recall.
Presumably, despite global warming, there will be another ice age, and much of Europe will be covered in ice as it was in the last ice age.
Let's not count on an ice age to save us -- shall we?
The Student and the Professor. The professor's response can be found in message four of the "Discuss this article" link:
http://solohq.com/Articles/Lewinter/Academia_is_so_Open-Minded,_Its_Brains_Fell_Out.shtml
Whoops! My mistake: it's the, Maths Professor and the Philosophy Professor.
Re: Let's not count on an ice age to save us -- shall we?
It's not that another Ice Age will save us, but the realization that ultimately much of Europe as we know it will be destroyed anyway. Compare the size of Western Europe with the Continental United States. Western Europe is so much smaller. Countries like Holland and England are already very overcrowded. It's dark and cold for a sizeable proportion of the year. It makes more sense for white Europeans to move to fairer climes.
Europeans are infatuated with "tolerance".
Meanwhile they don't realize that Islam is just interested in their silly tolerance as a removal of barriers for invading and taking positions.
Before, when Europe had faith, it knew how to defend itself. Now it lays there with its belly exposed thinking these Muslims want to play.
Let's hope that the blows that will awaken Europe from its imbecility will not be fatal ones.
(Mar 13:7) And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
(Mar 13:8) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
The word nation here is "ethnos" referring to a foreign ethnic groups. Kingdom is "basiliah" meaning royalty or rulers.