Europe's New Jews

They inhabit self-imposed ghettoes, subject tohas a Muslim Council.Both Vladimir Putin, Russia's
derision and worse, the perennial targets ofpresident and Yuri Luzhkov, Moscow's mayor,
far-right thugs and populist politicians of allnow take the trouble to greet the capital's one
persuasions. They are mostly confined to menialmillion Muslims on the occasion of their Feast of
jobs. They are accused of spreading crime,Sacrifice. They also actively solicit the votes of
terrorism and disease, of being backward andthe nationalist and elitist Muslims of the
violent, of refusing to fit in.Their religion, atavisticindustrialized Volga - mainly the Tatars, Bashkirs
and rigid, insists on ritual slaughter and maleand Chuvash. Even the impoverished,
circumcision. They rarely mingle socially ormuch-detested and powerless Muslims of the
inter-marry. Most of them - though born innorthern Caucasus - Chechens, Circassians and
European countries - are not allowed to vote.Dagestanis - have benefited from this newfound
Brown-skinned and with a marked foreign accent,awareness of their electoral power.Though divided
they are subject to police profiling andby their common creed - Shiites vs. Sunnites vs.
harassment and all manner of racialWahabbites and so on - the Muslims of Europe
discrimination.They are the new Jews of Europe -are united in supporting the Palestinian cause and
its Muslim minorities.Muslims - especially Arabin opposing the Iraq war. This - and post-colonial
youths from North Africa - are, indeed,guilt feelings, especially manifest in France and
disproportionately represented in crime, includingBritain - go a long way toward explaining
hate crime, mainly against the Jews. ExclusivelyGermany's re-discovered pacifistic spine and
Muslim al-Qaida cells have been discovered inFrance's anti-Israeli (not to say anti-Semitic)
many West European countries. But this can betilt.Moreover, the Muslims have been playing an
safely attributed to ubiquitous and trenchantimportant economic role in the continent since the
long-term unemployment and to stunted upwardearly 1960s. Europe's postwar miracle was
mobility, both social and economic due largely tofounded on these cheap, plentiful and
latent or expressed racism.Moreover, theoft-replenished Gastarbeiter - "guest workers".
stereotype is wrong. The incidence of higherObjective studies have consistently shown that
education and skills is greater among Muslimimmigrants contribute more to their host
immigrants than in the general population - aeconomies - as consumers, investors and
phenomenon known as "brain drain". Europeworkers - than they ever claw back in social
attracts the best and the brightest - students,services and public goods. This is especially true in
scholars, scientists, engineers and intellectuals -Europe, where an ageing population of early
away from their destitute, politically dysfunctionalretirees has been relying on the uninterrupted
and backward homelands.The Economist surveysflow of pension contributions by younger laborers,
the landscape of friction andmany of them immigrants.Business has been
withdrawal:"Indifference to Islam has turned firstpaying attention to this emerging market. British
to disdain, then to suspicion and more recently tofinancial intermediaries - such as the West
hostility ... (due to images of) petro-poweredBromwich Building Society - have recently
sheikhs, Palestinian terrorists, Iranian ayatollahs,introduced "Islamic" (interest-free) mortgages.
mass immigration and then the attacks ofAccording to market research firm, Datamonitor,
September 11th, executed if not planned bygross advances in the UK alone could reach $7
western-based Muslims and succored by an odiousbillion in 2006 - up from $60 million today. The
regime in Afghanistan ... Muslims tend to comeBank of England is in the throes of preparing
from poor, rural areas; most are ill-educated,regulations to accommodate the pent-up
many are brown. They often encounterdemand.Yet, their very integration, however
xenophobia and discrimination, sometimes madehesitant and gradual, renders the Muslims in
worse by racist politicians. They speak theEurope vulnerable to the kind of treatment the
language of the wider society either poorly or notold continent meted out to its Jews before the
at all, so they find it hard to get jobs. Theirholocaust. Growing Muslim presence in stagnating
children struggle at school. They huddle in poorjob markets within recessionary economies
districts, often in state-supplied housing ... Theyinevitably generated a backlash, often cloaked in
tend to withdraw into their own world, (forming a)terms of Samuel Huntington's 1993 essay in
self-sufficient, self-contained community."ThisForeign Affairs, "Clash of Civilizations".Even tolerant
self-imposed segregation has multiple dimensions.Italy was affected. Last year, the Bologna
Clannish behavior persists for decades. Marriagesarchbishop, Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, cast Islam as
are still arranged - reluctant brides and groomsincompatible with Italian culture. The country's
are imported from the motherland to wedprime minister suggested, in a visit to Berlin two
immigrants from the same region or village. Theyears ago, that Islam is an inherently inferior
"parallel society", in the words of a Britishcivilization.Oriana Fallaci, a prominent journalist,
government report following the Oldham riots twopublished last year an inane and foul-mouthed
years ago, extends to cultural habits, religiousdiatribe titled "The Rage and the Pride" in which
practices and social norms.Assimilation andshe accused Muslims of "breeding like rats",
integration has many enemies.Remittances from"shitting and pissing" (sic!) everywhere and
abroad are an important part of the gross nationalsupporting Osama bin-Laden indiscriminately.Young
product and budgetary revenues of countriesMuslims reacted - by further radicalizing and by
such as Bangladesh and Pakistan. Hence theirrefusing to assimilate - to both escalating
frantic efforts to maintain the cohesive nationalanti-Islamic rhetoric in Europe and the "triumphs"
and cultural identity of the expats. DITIB is anof Islam elsewhere, such as the revolution in Iran
arm of the Turkish government's office forin 1979. Tutored by preachers trained in the most
religious affairs. It discourages the assimilation ormilitant Islamist climates in Saudi Arabia, Yemen,
social integration of Turks in Germany. TurkishSomalia, Pakistan and Iran, praying in mosques
businesses - newspapers, satellite TV, foods,financed by shady Islamic charities - these
clothing, travel agents, publishers - thrive onyoungsters are amenable to recruiters from
ghettoization.There is a tacit confluence ofevery fanatical grouping.The United Kingdom
interests between national governments,suffered some of the worst race riots in half a
exporters and Islamic organizations. All three wantcentury in the past two years. France is
Turks in Germany to remain as Turkish asterrorized by an unprecedented crime wave
possible. The more nostalgic and homebound theemanating from the banlieux - the decrepit,
expatriate - the larger and more frequent hispredominantly Muslim, housing estates in suburbia.
remittances, the higher his consumption of TurkishSeptember 11 only accelerated the inevitable
goods and services and the more prone he is toconflict between an alienated minority and hostile
resort to religion as a determinant of his besiegedauthorities throughout the continent. Recent
and fracturing identity.Muslim numbers are notchanges in European - notably British - legislation
negligible. Two European countries have Muslimopenly profile and target Muslims.This is a
majorities - Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania.remarkable turnaround. Europe supported the
Others - in both Old Europe and itsMuslim Bosnian cause against the Serbs, Islamic
post-communist east - harbor sizable and growingChechnya against Russia, the Palestinians against
Islamic minorities. Waves of immigration and birththe Israelis and Muslim Albanian insurgents against
rates three times as high as the indigenousboth Serbs and Macedonians. Nor was this
population increase their share of the population inconsistent pro-Islamic orientation a novelty.Britain's
virtually every European polity - from Russia toCommission for Racial Equality which caters mainly
Macedonia and from Bulgaria to Britain. One into the needs of Muslims, was formed 37 years
seven Russians is Muslim - over 20 millionago. Its Foreign Office has never wavered from
people.According to the March-April issue ofits pro-Arab bias. Germany established a Central
Foreign Policy, the non-Muslim part of Europe willCouncil for Muslims. Both anti-Americanism and the
shrink by 3.5 percent by 2015 while the Muslimmore veteran anti-Israeli streak helped sustain
populace will likely double. There are 3 million TurksEurope's empathy with Muslim refugees and
in Germany and another 12 million Muslims -"freedom fighters" throughout the 1960s, 70s and
Algerians, Moroccans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis,80s.September 11 put paid to this amity. The
Egyptians, Senegalese, Malis, or Tunisians - in thedanger is that the brand of "Euro-Islam" that has
rest of the European Union.This is two and onebegun to emerge lately may be decimated by this
half times the number of Muslims in the Unitedpervasive and sudden mistrust. Time Magazine
States. Even assuming - wrongly - that all ofdescribed this blend as "the traditional Koran-based
them occupy the lowest decile of income, theirreligion with its prohibitions against alcohol and
combined annual purchasing power would amountinterest-bearing loans now indelibly marked by the
to a whopping $150 billion. Furthermore, recent'Western' values of tolerance, democracy and civil
retroactive changes to German law haveliberties."Such "enlightened" Muslims can serve as
naturalized over a million immigrants andan invaluable bridge between Europe and Russia,
automatically granted its much-coveted citizenshipthe Middle East, Asia, including China and other
to the 160,000 Muslims born in Germany everyplaces with massive Muslim majorities or
year.Between 2-3 million Muslims in France - halfminorities. As most world conflicts today involve
their number - are eligible to vote. Another million -Islamist militants, global peace and a functioning
one out of two - cast ballots in Britain. These"new order" critically depend on the goodwill and
numbers count at the polls and are not offset bycommunication skills of Muslims.Such a benign
the concerted efforts of a potent Jewish lobby -amalgam is the only realistic hope for reconciliation.
there are barely a million Jews in WesternEurope is ageing and stagnating and can be
Europe.Muslims are becoming a well-courted swingreinvigorated only by embracing youthful,
vote. They may have decided the last election indynamic, driven immigrants, most of whom are
Germany, for instance. Recognizing their growingbound to be Muslim. Co-existence is possible and
centrality, France established - though not withoutthe clash of civilization not an inevitability unless
vote-rigging - a French Council of the Islamic Faith,Huntington's dystopic vision becomes the basic
the equivalent of Napoleon's Jewish Consistory.policy document of the West.
Two French cabinet members are Muslims. Britain