Europe begins to appreciate the reality of Islamic terrorism
Until recently, most European governments avoided confronting the reality and true nature of Islamic terrorism by burying their heads in the sand…writes Isi Leibler.
Isi Leibler
The usual government response after each terrorist incident was to appease their Muslim constituents by playing down the fact that it was inspired by Islamic fanatics and repeatedly chanting the mantra that “Islam is a religion of peace.”
Although all religions include both peaceful and aggressive components, an attempt to portray the dominant features of Islam today as peaceful is simply denial.
While most Muslims living outside Islamic-controlled nations are lawful citizens, a significant proportion endorse the terrorist cause and only a handful pay lip service to condemn and distance themselves from the radicals. Genuinely moderate Muslims require great courage as they are not merely treated as pariahs but frequently face violent reprisals from their own kinsmen.
For many years, Muslims in Europe have resided in self-imposed ghettoes where, in many cases, they have become a law unto themselves and police are fearful to intervene. Prior to the current mass migration, all efforts to integrate them had failed. Indeed, a good proportion of indigenous Muslim terrorists were second-generation offspring radicalized by local imams, many of whom, far from being impoverished, were educated and had decent jobs.
The problem escalated when Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, in what many considered was a symbolic atonement displaying Germany’s remorse for the Holocaust, provided a haven and virtually unlimited entry to millions of Syrian and North African refugees. This backfired because the clear majority were more radical, anti-democratic and antisemitic than the existing Muslim communities. In addition, those who were rejected asylum were, in the vast majority of cases, never deported, which encouraged Islamists and economic migrants to come in ever-increasing numbers. Many with terrorist records operated freely. For example, Abdelbaki Essati, the imam who orchestrated the Barcelona and surrounding area attacks, had previously been convicted of terrorism and drug dealing. Yet an order for his expulsion was overturned by a judge in 2015 and yet he freely pursued his terrorist objectives.
Not only are massive numbers of Muslims pouring into Europe, but their birth rates are considerably higher than those of the host population and threaten to alter the demography of Europe.
Now with ISIS virtually defeated on the ground, the situation is likely to deteriorate further. The organization can be expected to intensify efforts to send large numbers of its murderous disciples, initially as sleeper cells, to await orders to perpetrate acts of terror in Western cities.
Aside from suffering terrorist incidents, many Western Europeans have been shocked at the extent to which their quality of life has been undermined by these refugees. Violent crime, rape and theft abound, especially in Germany, France, the Benelux countries and the U.K. Yet, every effort has been made to understate the fact that this crime wave emanates overwhelmingly from the “refugees” and pressure has been exerted to prevent public discussion of the issue.
Anyone criticizing practices in Islamic states, whether the oppression of women, execution of homosexuals, stoning of adulterers, honor killings, child marriages, or female genital mutilation, will immediately be accused of Islamophobia. The same applies to those condemning the behavior of local Muslims.
The far Left, which claims to champion human rights but which has paradoxically allied itself with the Islamists, refuses to acknowledge and condemn their barbaric practices.
Muslims in Europe now represent a formidable force and have become politically influential in many key electorates, pressuring their representatives to promote their interests and frequently promoting Sharia law.
Needless to say, the intensified epidemic of terrorism has finally obliged Europeans and the West overall to confront the fact that they are now on the front lines facing barbaric Islamic militancy. Until now, they criticized Israel for defending itself and fawned over terrorist leaders Mahmoud Abbas and Hassan Rouhani, even giving the former standing ovations at the United Nations.
It may now be dawning on them that as Europeans, they too must fight to retain the civilization they nurtured and that Israel is justified in its self-defense. Indeed, the wave of terror currently pervading Europe is an extension of the Palestinian terrorism against Israel, understated by most Europeans and referred to as “resistance.” They are now beginning to recognize that the threat from militant Islamic fundamentalism is a far greater danger to their way of life and even their survival than other sources of tension such as Russia, whose territorial ambitions cannot compare to Islamic extremism seeking global domination and threatening to undermine humanity.
But if Europe is to turn the tide, it must implement major strategic changes.
First, the threat must be recognized and the enemy identified. The obsession of prioritizing multiculturalism over security and the self-flagellation of Europeans troubled by their colonial past must cease. The ludicrous accusations of Islamophobia by local Muslims and the delusional Left must be dismissed.
Second, there should be a drastic review of migration policies to prevent entry to Muslims that are even suspected of having sympathy for radical Islamists. This will be condemned as discriminatory but the goals of diversity and liberalism must be considered secondary to security concerns, which must always be the overriding priority. The same rationale applies to racial profiling. After all, if red headed people were identified as representing the preponderance of terrorists, would anyone object to profiling them? The same surely applies to Muslims.
Third, mosques and Islamic schools must be tightly monitored. Any imam or educator preaching extremism or radicalizing young Muslims should be immediately arrested and either deported or jailed. It is noteworthy that many terrorists on so-called “watch lists” were not prevented from perpetrating acts of terror.
The police should break down the radical control of the Islamic ghettoes, even if it requires military backup. Demonstrations promoting extremism or terrorism must be banned, even if civil liberties are compromised. When they recognize the threat and realize the issue is to protect the lives of innocent civilians, most people will support such action.
Fourth, a major educational campaign should be launched to enlighten all citizens about the threat they face and explain the reason why civil liberties may need to be compromised, as was the case in England during World War II, in order to deal effectively with the danger and save lives.
Fifth, every effort must be made to integrate the existing Muslim communities into mainstream society. Discrimination against law-abiding Muslims must be ruthlessly eradicated and the moderates should be encouraged and provided with maximum support. In contrast, radicals such as those who support the Muslim Brotherhood or other extremist Islamic groups, should be considered pariahs.
Many will recoil in horror at these suggestions and argue that this would amount to undermining democracy and promoting fascism. They should be reminded that we are engaged in a global war with powerful religious fanatics nurtured in a culture of death who are determined to impose their will, unhesitatingly using terrorism to achieve their goals.
There are some parallels between the current situation and the demise of the Weimar Republic in Germany and Hitler’s historic rise to power. The leaders of Weimar did not appreciate that when democracy is under siege it cannot battle unscrupulous totalitarian forces with kid gloves. Europeans must learn from history and be prepared to act forcefully in this crucial struggle to protect the Judeo-Christian culture upon which their civilization is based.
Isi Leibler lives in Jerusalem. He is a former president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
