The Future of Europe?

I have been reading a lot about Europe lately. Specifically the role of the growing Muslim minority, and its effect on the indigenous culture (when's the last time you heard Europeans referred to as 'indigenous?').

I have been reading one book in particular called "America Alone." It is written by a very conservative Canadian author, Mark Steyn, who sees a very bleak future for Western civilization.

My gut reaction is that he is overstating the problem. As he sees it, Muslims in Europe, with the complicity of the roll-over-and-surrender-at-the-first-sign-of-trouble leftist ruling elite, will fundamentally change the culture and government systems of the continent, in a process he calls "re-primitivization." Liberal democratic institutions will be undermined in the name of multiculturalism, and anyone who opposes this will be called "racist" or "fascist." And that this process is going to happen much sooner than anyone expects because Europeans simply aren't having enough kids. Unless they happen to be Muslim Europeans.

I don't want to believe that this is true. But he cites several compelling examples, the most alarming of which is some poll data showing that not only do Muslims, in large part, have different values, but many ascribe to a different version of reality. And that instead of becoming assimilated, they are actually becoming more segregated and more radical in their beliefs.

Anyway, I was reading the BBC website today, and I found this story: click here. From what I can gather from this short article is that some English folks were showing a little pride in their country (heaven forbid!), and expressing concern over the influence of Islamic fundamentalism. Then a bunch of anarchists and Muslims showed up (an interesting and diametrically opposed mix, it seems to me) and trouble ensued.

As a big fan of Western Civilization, I find this trend very disturbing.

[For an intro to Mark Steyn, see a video about multiculturalism here. It has some great sound bytes.]