The demographics of radical Islam
I have heard Samuel P. Huntington make the argument that very high birth rates is what is fueling the current unrest in the Islamic world. I think that's nonsense, Islam is fueling it. But demographics are helping, yes:Spengler: The demographics of radical Islam
Demographics still provide vital strategic information, albeit in quite a different fashion. Today’s Islamists think like the French general staff in 1914. Islam has one generation in which to establish a global theocracy before hitting a demographic barrier. Islam has enough young men - the pool of unemployed Arabs is expected to reach 25 million by 2010 - to fight a war during the next 30 years. Because of mass migration to Western Europe, the worst of the war might be fought on European soil. Although the Muslim birth rate today is the world’s second highest (after sub-Saharan Africa), it is falling faster than the birth rate of any other culture. By 2050, according to the latest UN projections, the population growth rate of the Muslim world will converge on that of the United States (although it will be much higher than Europe's or China's). Excluding Indonesia, the Muslim’s world literacy rate stands at only 53%, against 81% for China; Arab literacy is only 50%. Only 1% of the population owns a personal computer. It is delusional to believe that the Arab world, which now exports (net of oil) as much as Finland, might come to compete with China, India and the rest of Asia in the global market for goods and services. Just as the Muslim population peaks, the one bounty that nature has bestowed upon the Arabs, namely oil, will begin to diminish. In short, the Muslim world half a century from now can expect the short end of the stick from the modern world. But at the moment it has 25 million idle young men. A great many of them are likely to emigrate to Europe, including Eastern Europe, where populations are stagnant and about to decline. A Muslim takeover of Western Europe surely is a possible outcome.
posted by Unknown @ 9:48 AM
4 Comments:
Bjoern,
You say you need proof. I would recommend you read Eurabia by Bat Ye'or to understand the background of what is happening in Europe. Be more open to other ideas about Islam than your own. You don't have to buy it. If your library does not have it, ask to get it through your interlibrary loan.
Pedestrian Infidel
The Pedestrian Infidel Blog
Bjoern,
Besides the above mentioned Bat Ye'or, read the works of Ibn Warraq and Robert Spencer. You might also try reading the writings of bin Laden and his spiritual mentors, and for good measure, try a sampling of the plethora of writings from current and past Wahhabi leaders. Of course, it goes without saying that you should read the Koran and Haddiths before anything else. When you have read all of that, look at the current economic, cultural and educational state of all countries that are Islamic or that have areas under Islamic control. Then ask yourself if there something more than what one sees on the surface (as if that is not enough).
BTW, you have a great blog.
Irene,
I treat him the way I do people like Bill O'Reilly. When they discuss a subject they obviously know little about, I just ignore them on that subject. For example, O'Reilly knows science no better than the average 3rd grader, so when he speaks on a scientific subject I just skip over to the next one. No use throwing out the baby with the bath water! Of course, when someone shows their ignorance in a lot of areas (e.g. Michael Moore, Jimmy Carter, Pat Robertson), I just add them to the "don't bother" list and hope that I don't accidentally get exposed to them!
Bjoern seems to prefer ridicule instead of engagement. But, Bjoern, here are some links if you want to read about Islam’s nature as a supremacist ideology that some might even consider a version of racism, given how the word is sometimes used today. By the way, I have no doubt that moderate Muslims exist. The question is does moderate Islam exist?
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