The New Under Ground Church-THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD: The Expansion Of Islam In Europe

The Expansion Of Islam In Europe

March 07, 2014 | Tom Olago

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There is growing concern about the increasing recruitment and participation of Europeans in the war in Syria, with counter-terrorism officials intensifying their warnings about the negative security implications surrounding “the return of hundreds—possibly thousands—of battle-hardened jihadists to towns and cities across the (European) continent.” Also of concern is the apparent increase in the recruitment of increasing numbers of Europeans by Muslim extremists in Jihadist groups worldwide.

A report compiled by Soeren Kern of the Gatestone Institute for gatestoneinstitute.org examines related incident and how they have impacted many European nations. Those reviewed in Soeren’s report are France, England, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.

These countries have all reported that many of their own citizens have enlisted to fight in Syria. Just from known statistics, over 1,100 Europeans from these countries have gone to fight in the Syria war, and some have been killed in the process.

This trend has reportedly increased steadily since May 2013. Based on statistics in January 2014 alone, a sharp, alarming rise has been noted all over Europe. European citizens suspected of seeking to become jihadists in Syria have been arrested and are facing due legal process, based on the specifics of each case and their country laws.

Authorities seem to be focusing on whether these jihadist recruits are acting on their own or had help from an organized network or specific individuals. A perpetual concern is that the extremists could also provoke a backlash of increased intolerance and suspicion towards moderate and law abiding Muslims throughout Europe as well.

These developments appear to be clearly facilitated by the large immigrant populations from Arabic countries and Islamic nations, some of whom allow dual citizenship and hence retain closer cultural and religious ties with their original countries of citizenship.

Hence the overall demographic is an ideal and, highly favorable fishing ground for jihadist recruiters especially in sections of Europe which are highly populated and less affluent. The youth from such areas are easily radicalized. Soeren points to an example from France, where car burnings are increasingly commonplace in all French cities and are often attributed to shiftless young Muslims who reside in suburban slums, known as banlieues.

And the push for a wider acceptance of predominantly Muslim immigrants from Arabic nations to Europe can be illustrated from a current Spanish example. Soeren Kern recently reported for the gatestoneinstitute.org:

“Muslim groups are demanding Spanish citizenship for potentially millions of descendants of Muslims who were expelled from Spain during the Middle Ages. The growing clamor for "historical justice" comes after the recent approval of a law that would grant Spanish citizenship to descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492.

Muslim supporters say they are entitled to the same rights and privileges as Jews because both groups were expelled from Spain under similar historical circumstances. But historians point out that the Jewish presence in Spain predates the arrival of Christianity in the country and that their expulsion was a matter of bigotry. By contrast, the Muslims in Spain were colonial occupiers who called the territory Al-Andalus and imposed Arabic as the official language. Historians say their expulsion was a matter of decolonization…”

Soeren concludes: “Spain is unlikely to concede to these demands anytime soon. While few deny there are potentially millions of descendants of Moriscos living in North Africa today, the challenge lies in reconstructing reliable genealogies to determine legitimate heirs… But even if such genealogies could be compiled, calls to naturalize the descendants of expelled Muslims are sure to be opposed for another reason: the fact that the expulsion of the Muslims was part of a war to end the occupation of Spain by North African invaders.”

Separately in Europe, Italy and Malta experienced Muslim immigration surges in 2013 with most of the migrants coming from Syria (11,300), Eritrea (9,800) and Somalia (3,200). Most were accepted on grounds of political asylum and refugee status. In Italy, the Moroccan community forms a major immigration bloc: they are the largest non-European immigrant community in the country, second only to the one from Romania.

A new study examining them reveals that of the 513,000 Moroccans residing in Italy, 300,000 are employable but only 151,000 are actively employed, which is about 50%. These statistics raise the question of how loyal and trustworthy the 50% not seeking to be productive to their adopted country actually are. Being idle and available, temptations to convert into religious radicalism or to engage in crime in general, are likely to be high.

Which is exactly what appears to have resulted lately in Norway: increasing deportations of immigrants not felt to “fit the mold”. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) on January 26 said a record number of immigrants were deported from Norway in 2013, when the country's police began stepping up the use of deportation as a way to fight spiraling crime.

Some 5,198 foreign citizens were expelled from the country in 2013, an increase of 31% over 2012, when 3,958 people were deported. Afghans topped the list of those expelled (516), followed by Romanians (499), Nigerians (373), Iraqis (310), Albanians (187), Iranians (160), Somalis (159), Pakistanis (144), Moroccans (120), Algerians (81) and Turks (67). The majority of the countries that deportees originated from happen to be predominantly Islamic.

Besides immigration, another factor that seems to facilitate rapid Islamic growth and influence throughout Europe is intermarriage between Muslims and non- Muslims. Gatestoneinstitute.org reported that the largest-selling daily newspaper, Irish Independent, published a feature story about Muslim women in the country, where Islam is the fastest-growing religion.

Although much of this growth is due to immigration, at least 500 Irish people convert to Islam every year. Most conversions reportedly take place so that Irish women can marry Muslim men. This outcome also enhances business opportunities within the Irish-Muslim demographic.

Also of concern is that many of the cases reported and reviewed in Soeren’s report point to controversy and tensions arising from areas of conflict between Islamic laws and country laws. Recent examples include the controversial burqa (full-face Islamic veil) ban in France, and claims of “Islamophobia” by aggrieved Muslims.

In Britain, the recurring friction points seem to revolve around the resistance by local non-Muslims to the prevalence and locations of mosques, especially when close to residential areas. In other countries, such as Norway, disputes around diet have also been noted, where Muslim sensitivities to ‘halal’ (Sharia approved) diets were seemingly overlooked in a shared public catering facility.

Failure to satisfactorily resolve these diverse incident types could over time could escalate into local and national jostling for political domination based on religious differences, or even localized religious civil wars in extreme cases.

Another worrying trend all over Europe seems to be the tender ages of some of the recruits for jihadism: for example a growing number of teenagers and minors, both boys and girls, are continually being enticed to join jihadists fighting in Syria and other places.

One reason for this would seem to be their strict Muslim upbringing which in itself would not be an issue, however the danger is that such children are then consequently more easily predisposed towards indoctrination by the more radical and jihadist Islamic activists, as opposed to the more moderate and conservative Muslims.

The effectiveness of upbringing in molding children’s education and social integrations is exemplified well from a Spanish example. An extract from Soeren Kern’s report states: “…An exposé that aired by Catalan Television 3 on January 21 reported that hundreds of Muslim children born in Spain are being sent by their parents to attend madrasas (Koran schools) in Africa to learn Arabic and to study the Koran.

Children between the ages of 7 and 17 are often sent away for periods of up to five years. TV3 visited six madrasas in the Gambian cities of Banjul and Serrekunda where more than 120 Spanish boys and girls were found to be studying the Koran by rote for more than 10 hours a day.

Experts interviewed by TV3 say the phenomenon has increased in recent years. They said they believe Spanish children should be attending school in Spain, and that lengthy stays in Africa represent a detrimental break in learning. They also say such children have difficult time integrating into Spanish society upon their return to Spain.”

The biggest fear though appears to be that radicalized European citizens are likely to try to mount attacks when they return back to their respective European ‘home’ countries. And this is irrespective of how they are recruited: whether through recruitment to fight in Syria, or by indoctrination by jihadists and terror groups. European citizens who have been motivated, indoctrinated and trained on how best to engage in terrorist attacks and general warfare are the ideal ‘home-grown’ terrorists.

Building upon their western education and being technologically savvy, they could also easily conspire to form terror cells and networks both locally and across Europe and beyond, since their primary interests are in attacking Western ‘infidels’ and their allies/interests. Both history and current trends and history show that Christians, no matter their location globally have always been a prime and favorite target.

European law enforcement authorities seem to be sensitive to the ever-growing risks from their radicalized citizens and preparing for any eventualities. An example is the quote made by the spokesman for the Swiss intelligence service NDB, Felix Endrich: “Those who return are very dangerous, as well as those who recruit in Switzerland," he said. "We are monitoring the situation."

And well they should. A recent example from the Westgate Mall attack illustrates this well: Samantha Lewthwaite, suspected mastermind of the horrific Westgate attack in Nairobi, Kenya in September of 2013, left in her wake a trail of death and destruction, with about 70 confirmed dead and the Westgate Mall effectively destroyed. The primary suspect was the ideal European terrorist: A radicalized white woman that on the surface did not fit the expected profile of the average terrorist. Highlighting this, the Huffington Post in a recent report stated:

“She is called the most wanted woman in the world, a suspected terrorist charged with plotting to blow up resort hotels in Kenya packed with Christmas tourists, a Westerner who wrote an ode praising Osama bin Laden, a jihadist who has eluded the law even as she has traveled through Africa with four young children in tow…Samantha Lewthwaite’s saga is one of betrayal and revenge in a murky world where, somehow, a white woman born to a British soldier becomes a Muslim convert and then an international fugitive accused of conspiracy…

Her notebooks, seized in 2011, are filled with lavish praise for extremists who slaughter civilians and hopes that her children will do the same. And yet, since she disappeared some months after the London bombing, no one can say how the "white widow" became radicalized, moving from mainstream Islam to a "holy war" against the West — or why she would embrace a movement that denies a woman's right to education and other basic liberties…”

Such is the risk that Europe is now increasingly being exposed to from her growing number of radical jihadists. And there is no shortage of ideal and ‘soft’ terror targets throughout Europe.