Headline July 26, 2015/ ''' EUROPEAN MUSLIMS AND FUTURE '''

''' EUROPEAN MUSLIMS AND 

FUTURE '''

THE NOTION THAT EUROPE is in trouble is hardly new. It suffers from slow growth, high unemployment and a welfare state that saps competitiveness and pushes up taxes.

The European Union has been stumbling since its constitution was rejected  -at one time by the French and Dutch voters in 2005. 

But Walter Laqueur, a veteran historian, has lit on two longer-term issues: demographic decline and the rise of Islam.

*Unfortunately he falls into the lazy lap trap of extrapolation, which leads him to unduly apocalyptic conclusions*.

Yes, the European  population is shrinking, with the rate of decline rising into as one travels east. Europe's global weight must shrink too: Mr Laqueur notes that its share of world population,  one quarter in 1900, may fall below 5% by 2050.

But it is a mistake to believe other, dramatically over-gloomy projections. Already there are sign of  revivals in birth rates in France, Sweden, Britain and even Italy.

Nor need demographic decline imply economic decline. Much of Europe may be too densely populated. Bangladesh is not in better shape than Belgium because its population is growing faster.

An ageing population makes cuts in welfare and pensions more urgent, but European countries have to tackle this anyway.  

As for the EU, Mr Laqueur is right that it is having mid-life crisis, but he exaggerates its gravity.

In truth, the drive to a federal Europe petered out two decades ago. Yet the EU still functions, the single market and single currency both work. More reform by national governments is needed, not least because their public are otherwise unsustainable.

But, as the late Herb Stein used to say, things that are unsustainable always come to a stop. Reform will come in Europe. sooner or later. 

The most controversial bit of Mr Laqueur's book concerns immigrants and the rise of Islam in Europe. He makes no bones of being against both.

He believes that, unlike immigrants to Europe, the millions of Muslims in Britain, France and Germany and other EU countries are not assimilating. They find it too hard to get work, too easy to get welfare and too tempting to breed.

Combining this with the EU's demographic decline, Mr Laqueur goes on to echo the fears of some of the wilder American neocons that Europe risks becoming a Muslim-dominated Eurabia, to the extent of adopting.....Sharia Law.

Many EU countries have problems with their Muslims. Neither assimilation [French style]  nor multiculturalism {British-style}  seems to have worked well. Unemployment is high-

Islam is spreading and there are groups of young men, who are at least sympathetic to terrorism. But Mr Laqueur offers no answers beyond saying that it wrong to tolerate uncontrolled immigration in the first place.

Even this conclusion is not convincing: given its demographic outlook, Europe needs more not fewer immigrants. 

Mr Laqueur is too gloomy about the prospects of Muslims playing a more constructive role.

In Europe's own history Islam has often been a more tolerant, civilising force than, say, the  Roman Catholic church.

Today's Turkey offers a current example:

Devout Muslims with a passion for secular democracy. In truth, European cities such as London and Berlin have acquired a new zip thanks to immigrants from around the world, including those from Muslim countries.

It is a shame that the tone of Mr Laqueur's book:

''The Last Days Of Europe : Epitaph  for an Old Continent. By Walter Laqueur''.... is so hostile that it slips into outright intolerance.

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of Europe. See Ya all on !WOW!   -the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless:

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