The Rise of Populism in Europe: Learning from History

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A Warning to Osama bin Laden: Heed the Lesson of History!
Wann Arbeit nicht so frei macht!
Europe has been established on Judeo-Christian principles. Islam has played almost no part in it. This is an undeniable fact. Further, today, Islam is the antithesis of all Europe stands for: Europe is synonymous with liberal democracy; Islam, by contrast, is synonymous with backwardness and totalitarianism.

In the Twenties and Thirties in Germany, the Jews became the scapegoats of the Germans. Hitler rose to power in the Thirties and demonized them. He managed to convince his fellow Germans that they, the Jews, were the root of all evil in Germany. When in power, he set about his plan to exterminate them. The so-called ‘Final Solution’, die Endlösung, was put in place.

Concentration camps (Konzentrationslager) were set up in Germany, and in occupied countries such as Poland. Such concentration camps as Chelmno (Kulmhof), Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzek, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, Stutthof and Dachau were set up with one sole purpose: to exterminate the Jews.

This was racism in the raw!

Many today find it unbelievable that the Holocaust happened. Many Muslims, in particular, deny that these atrocities happened at all! But they did! That they did is well documented. This is historical fact. No sane person need spare a moment to deny any of it. If you are in any doubt, ask one of the survivors of those death camps! His testimony will be heart-rending indeed! It will show the depths to which man can sink.

This all happened in Europe little more than sixty years ago. Do you think this could not happen again? You would be mistaken if you do! History has a nasty habit of repeating itself. Human nature doesn’t change, as much as we would like to believe that it does. Circumstances change; human nature does not.

If it were to happen again, would the Jews be the ones to be persecuted? Probably not!

In those days, Jews were perceived as the bogeymen of Europe. These days, if any group of people is perceived as the bogeymen, if any group is perceived to threaten Europeans and their way of life, it is Muslims, not Jews. At the moment, there are far too few Jews in Europe to worry about their existence there. Muslims, on the other hand, live in Europe in millions; further, their numbers are growing apace. Today, these are the people Europeans worry about, not Jews.

Islam calls its adherents to live a very different way of life – a way of life quite alien to the way of life of Europeans. Many Europeans therefore feel quite naturally threatened by their growing existence in their midst, especially so because their politicians are too timid to stem Islam’s growth on European soil.

There is no doubt that Osama bin Laden has pushed the cause of Islam in the West. In fact, he has been hell-bent on making Europeans cower to the wishes of Muslims worldwide. European politicians, so far, have shown little will to resist his calls. Indeed, many would say that European politicians have been spineless and have shown little resolve to tackle the very urgent issues that face Europe today vis-à-vis Islam.

This spinelessness is very troubling. This lack of resolve is very troubling, too. Our politicians are appeasing Muslims. They are showing their weakness in the face of Muslims’ apparent strength. This weakness will not lead to any good place! When governments are perceived to be weak, politics is headed for a turn to extremism. We saw this recently in the United Kingdom, when the far right made substantial gains at the polls because of the perceived weakness of the Blair government.

With the present political climate, one might be forgiven for concluding that Europeans are weak, and are therefore ripe for take-over. This would be a wrong conclusion to make, even though it appears that way. What has happened in Europe once, can happen again. Might it, perhaps, merely be a matter of time?

No sane person, no kind person, no sensible person would wish to see a repeat of the Holocaust in Europe. Those were extremely sad times indeed; they should never be repeated. But, to avoid them, we need to learn the lessons of history. Learn why they happened in the first place. Learn why they happened at all. Osama bin Laden and his cronies need to learn these lessons, too.

The root of harmony is tolerance. Today it is believed – erroneously in my opinion - that tolerance can be legislated for. It cannot be. When a people perceives that its way of life is under threat, these people become capable of any act of evil. Our politicians would be wise to realize that people have not become more tolerant, have not become more understanding, and nor have they grown weaker. Deep down, people are the same today as they have always been. They can be pushed so far; but they will be pushed no further!

As abhorrent as the names Treblinka, Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau sound to the modern ear, the atrocities committed in those camps could happen again. Make no mistake about it! Circumstances might have changed; but man has not changed his nature. Nor has he lost his appetite for evil deeds!

If something isn’t done about the Muslim problem in Europe in the near future, the names Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Dachau will not be far from the minds of many Europeans. What happened once can happen again. Osama bin Laden would be wise to take heed!

© Mark Alexander

All Rights Reserved

Originally posted on Sunday, May 28, 2006 >>>

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A Warning to Osama bin Laden: Heed the Lesson of History!
Wann Arbeit nicht so frei macht!
Europe has been established on Judeo-Christian principles. Islam has played almost no part in it. This is an undeniable fact. Further, today, Islam is the antithesis of all Europe stands for: Europe is synonymous with liberal democracy; Islam, by contrast, is synonymous with backwardness and totalitarianism.

In the Twenties and Thirties in Germany, the Jews became the scapegoats of the Germans. Hitler rose to power in the Thirties and demonized them. He managed to convince his fellow Germans that they, the Jews, were the root of all evil in Germany. When in power, he set about his plan to exterminate them. The so-called ‘Final Solution’, die Endlösung, was put in place.

Concentration camps (Konzentrationslager) were set up in Germany, and in occupied countries such as Poland. Such concentration camps as Chelmno (Kulmhof), Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzek, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, Stutthof and Dachau were set up with one sole purpose: to exterminate the Jews.

This was racism in the raw!

Many today find it unbelievable that the Holocaust happened. Many Muslims, in particular, deny that these atrocities happened at all! But they did! That they did is well documented. This is historical fact. No sane person need spare a moment to deny any of it. If you are in any doubt, ask one of the survivors of those death camps! His testimony will be heart-rending indeed! It will show the depths to which man can sink.

This all happened in Europe little more than sixty years ago. Do you think this could not happen again? You would be mistaken if you do! History has a nasty habit of repeating itself. Human nature doesn’t change, as much as we would like to believe that it does. Circumstances change; human nature does not.

If it were to happen again, would the Jews be the ones to be persecuted? Probably not!

In those days, Jews were perceived as the bogeymen of Europe. These days, if any group of people is perceived as the bogeymen, if any group is perceived to threaten Europeans and their way of life, it is Muslims, not Jews. At the moment, there are far too few Jews in Europe to worry about their existence there. Muslims, on the other hand, live in Europe in millions; further, their numbers are growing apace. Today, these are the people Europeans worry about, not Jews.

Islam calls its adherents to live a very different way of life – a way of life quite alien to the way of life of Europeans. Many Europeans therefore feel quite naturally threatened by their growing existence in their midst, especially so because their politicians are too timid to stem Islam’s growth on European soil.

There is no doubt that Osama bin Laden has pushed the cause of Islam in the West. In fact, he has been hell-bent on making Europeans cower to the wishes of Muslims worldwide. European politicians, so far, have shown little will to resist his calls. Indeed, many would say that European politicians have been spineless and have shown little resolve to tackle the very urgent issues that face Europe today vis-à-vis Islam.

This spinelessness is very troubling. This lack of resolve is very troubling, too. Our politicians are appeasing Muslims. They are showing their weakness in the face of Muslims’ apparent strength. This weakness will not lead to any good place! When governments are perceived to be weak, politics is headed for a turn to extremism. We saw this recently in the United Kingdom, when the far right made substantial gains at the polls because of the perceived weakness of the Blair government.

With the present political climate, one might be forgiven for concluding that Europeans are weak, and are therefore ripe for take-over. This would be a wrong conclusion to make, even though it appears that way. What has happened in Europe once, can happen again. Might it, perhaps, merely be a matter of time?

No sane person, no kind person, no sensible person would wish to see a repeat of the Holocaust in Europe. Those were extremely sad times indeed; they should never be repeated. But, to avoid them, we need to learn the lessons of history. Learn why they happened in the first place. Learn why they happened at all. Osama bin Laden and his cronies need to learn these lessons, too.

The root of harmony is tolerance. Today it is believed – erroneously in my opinion - that tolerance can be legislated for. It cannot be. When a people perceives that its way of life is under threat, these people become capable of any act of evil. Our politicians would be wise to realize that people have not become more tolerant, have not become more understanding, and nor have they grown weaker. Deep down, people are the same today as they have always been. They can be pushed so far; but they will be pushed no further!

As abhorrent as the names Treblinka, Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau sound to the modern ear, the atrocities committed in those camps could happen again. Make no mistake about it! Circumstances might have changed; but man has not changed his nature. Nor has he lost his appetite for evil deeds!

If something isn’t done about the Muslim problem in Europe in the near future, the names Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Dachau will not be far from the minds of many Europeans. What happened once can happen again. Osama bin Laden would be wise to take heed!

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)