.... What is going on in Belgium? About 6 percent of the country’s population is Muslim, predominantly North African and Turkish immigrants living in isolated neighborhoods in major cities. As the Belgian blogger and freelance terrorist tracker Pieter Van Ostaeyen writes, “The Belgium government over the last several decades never really succeeded integrating the Islamic communities.” Moroccan and Turkish immigrants and their children are far more likely than other Belgians to live in serious poverty. Many in the Muslim community were also angered by bans on the public wearing of hijabs in Antwerp in 2009 and nationwide in 2011.
[TOP RATED COMMENT] European notions of multiculturalism are at least, in part, to blame. Rather than foster tolerance, multiculturalism may have only exacerbated isolation of ethnic/religious sub-groups in Europe. This problem is compounded by the fact that obvious friction exists between Islamic social and cultural values and European ideas of secular liberalism.
.... This puts Europe in a terrible predicament. A genuine threat exists to European culture that as a matter of demographic reality may only increase.
.... Certainly, not all Muslims — not even most Muslims — are responsible for terrorist attacks. However, there is sufficient active and passive support within the Muslim community for the Jihadist ideology to pose a serious threat to Europe and other Western nations. And it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between those who might kill us from those who won’t. The Muslim community might be able to make this distinction, but European or American policeman cannot. And the Muslims either can't or won't police themselves. Therefore, we are left in a state of war. [Slate] Read more
