A fourth possibility

Submitted by C. Paul Barreira (Australia), Apr 1, 2007 at 18:45

The location of Europe's Moslems may provide the ground for a response based on a set of ghettos. If indigenous Europeans conclude that Moslems (and Islam) do indeed represent a threat, then the sheer mass of people involved (10 per cent in France, for instance, nor noted for an attitude of pacifism) tends to militate against expulsion. Instead, a series of large, walled, ghettos dotted across Europe seems the most likely response.

Furthermore, regarding the culture of the Europeans, the assumption of Europe having been Christian may be somewhat unfounded, certainly at a popular level. The argument here is dependent upon 'One True God' by Rodney Stark. In this sense much of the United Kingdom may prove to be the exception thanks to the evangelical revolution. Desacralization of life and meaning there takes on especial significance not replicated in the northerly parts of the continent.

The south was always somewhat different. There, proximity to Africa makes for yet another complication which Mr. Pipes mentioned. The issues are extremely difficult to dissect not least for the outsider with limited resources. Yet contemplation of the significance of the past for future direction depends upon an absence of sentiment, thorough grounding in the sources and clear definition of terms.

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