The standoff between Christianity and Islam in European countries is becoming more and more dangerous each year. According to some experts, today the European community is facing a harsh choice: if the islamization of Europe continues, one might soon have to say good-bye to Christianity in the countries of the Old World, the Voice of Russia said.
For a number of years on the eve of Christmas various European countries are shaken by scandals. In an increasing number of states the authorities refuse to put up in public places that integral attribute of the holiday, a Christmas tree, decorated with a nativity scene. The politicians explain their actions by their fear to insult the religious feelings of those who don’t believe in the Biblical stories. The demand to take off the Christian attributes primarily comes from Muslim communities, which are more and more aggressively trying to impose on the West their moral and religious values and view of the world.
Back in 2005 the Russian writer and journalist Elena Chudinova published her anti-utopian novel called “The Mosque of Notre Dame: 2048”. Back then that warning book appeared to most Western politicians to be an impossible fable. But today it has become clear that the present standoff between Christianity and Islam in European countries is caused by nothing other than the crash of the ideology of tolerance and multiculturalism, Elena Chudinova thinks.
“Over half a century that ideology ruled the minds of Europeans, but as a result has led to fairly complex problems, which now have to be solved this or that way. Unfortunately, nobody knows yet the correct solution to those problems, as there has never been a similar situation in the history of European countries. However, in any case European politicians will have to give up their position as an ostrich hiding his head in the sand saying that there is no religious standoff at all”.
If in the past Muslims living in the EU did not like the presence of dogs in the streets and public places in Europe, they demanded the authorities to issue special laws that would limit the breeding of such “impure animals”, now they are demanding that Sharia Law be introduced at the state level. Some laws of Islamic law are already used in Belgium and the Netherlands in reviewing civil cases. The European Christian communities also try to put forward their demands to the followers of Islam: not to wear hijabs and other religious clothing, not to pray outside mosques, not to build minarets over a certain height and in general limit the construction of their houses of prayer. Sometimes the situation turns absurd: a year ago the culinary college of Copenhagen announced a ban on Muslim students inside its walls.
It has not come to the open conflicts between the believers yet, although it was getting close to that already in 2008 after the so-called caricature scandal. Back then a number of European secular publications published a few impartial drawings related to the Prophet Muhammad. In response to that, Bibles were publically burned in several Muslim countries and threats against the entire EU were pronounced. A spark of grudge slowly but surely turned into a real fire. It can be clearly observed if France is taken for an example. Here is the commentary of Nikita Krivoshein, a social and political figure among the Russian emigrants in Paris.
“There are no massacres, but there are separate cases of mutual desecration of mosques and churches. So far the standoff is latent, but very noticeable. The indigenous population of France has already stopped going to a number of districts and suburbs of large cities, such as Paris, Marseille and Lyon populated by Muslims simply not to be robbed and beaten. These are the so-called outlaw zones, the order in which is set by the local population and drug trafficking organizations. Mutual hostility and lack of acceptance are growing every moment”.
According to preliminary calculations, by 2025 about 40 million Muslims will live in the EU. In some countries the number of mosques has already surpassed the number of Christian churches. The Old World has no longer the opportunity to choose one or the other, thinks Alexander Rar, a German political scientist.
“Islamic migration to Europe has reached such levels that it cannot be banned or cancelled. That is why it is necessary to find some forms of co-existence of the two worlds. It is hard to tell how Europe will look in 30-40 years, how much stronger or weaker the Islamic factor will be then than now. But it is an indisputable fact that the majority if not all European countries have no other alternative than a multicultural society.”
There is only one path from a standoff to peace: a friendly dialogue between religious communities and their leaders, willingness to listen to each other in solving the acute problems and a close cooperation without any conditions or demands. But the main thing is the constant effort towards making life comfortable in their countries for all EU citizens, no matter what faith they belong to.