Response to Slater

Submitted by joe (United States), Jan 13, 2009 at 15:03

How does Slater's vision differ from what existed in Europe prior to the advent of the modern nation state? Political Europe once consisted largely of small kingdoms and principalities. Ironically, I would argue that the Ottoman threat catalyized the development of modern political Europe, especially in the century before Lepanto in 1571.

I don't believe that contemporary Europeans, aged and content as they are, have the stomach for a genocidal fight against a youthful Islamic population. The Muslim city-state model allows Europe to avoid such an outcome, while insuring the continued existance of a modern, secular, politically-liberal post-Christian Europe (at least for awhile). Secular Muslims (or ex-Muslims if you will) might very well choose to live outside the city-state boundaries.

We have seen already seen the development of these separate Muslim enclaves not only in Europe, but increasingly in the US and Australia as well.

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