There have been many warnings that the collective skin complexion of Europe will one day look more like Asia or North Africa, and that the predominate religion will be Islam. The reason is simple mathematics. “Native” or White Europeans aren’t having nearly as many children as mostly Muslim immigrants who came from countries like Pakistan, Algeria or Morocco are having.
The blog Islam in Europe pulls from a Dutch language news article which says that in the Belgian Flemish port city of Antwerp, 56% of children are now of immigrant origin. “Immigrant” includes East European but is predominantly North African and West Asian. This means that eventually, perhaps half of the voting population will be immigrants from Islamic countries. It’s similar story in cities across Europe.
I have sat and listened to depressed Europeans lament this demographic time bomb. They feel as if the barbarians are gathering at the gate, and that their children or grandchildren will have to make a choice between fleeing to America or living under Islamic law.
That may be. But world events almost never unfold as neatly as predicted, and there are other factors at play. And by the way, when I remind Europeans of these, they usually roll their eyes in disbelief — convinced their doom is sealed and that I as an American don’t understand. But here goes.
Immigrants are not only changing Europe, Europe is changing immigrants. Modernity and democracy are the arch enemies of backward, oppressive, fundamentalist Islam. The Ayatollah Khomeini didn’t call the U.S. “The Great Satan” just because we were, in his eyes, bad; but because American culture ”tempts” Muslims.
Likewise, European culture is highly appealing to Muslims and highly corrosive to strict adherence to Islam. It "tempts" Muslims, especially women and children, who are the permanent underclass in the social and family strata of fundamentalist Islam. Even if the collective complexion of Europe is one day beige or brown, it doesn’t necessarily equate to Islamic government.
As the children and grandchildren of immigrants become wealthy and assimilate, they have fewer and fewer children than their parents. They also become patriotic and begin to adopt the political and cultural values of their country of residence rather than the family’s country of origin. This is not true in all immigrant settings. But those groups of “homegrown radicals” like second and third generation Pakistanis who go back to Asia to fight Jihad or who want to commit acts of terror in Europe are the exception in places like Britain, where most Muslims want nothing to do with terrorism or radicalism. Look no further than the spike in honor violence. A cultural rebellion is underway in the homes of Muslim immigrants who try to keep their children from adopting western ideas and practices.
And then there is the growing political backlash against Islam and immigration in Europe. I am not at all convinced that White Christian Europeans will just hand over the keys to Islam. Yes, plenty of leftists in positions of power would. But watch for the continued growth of the anti-Muslim right. There’s a huge disconnect between Europe’s elite and the masses, which is why right wing politicians like Geert Wilders, who wants a crackdown on immigration, may someday be the prime ministers remaking immigration policy.