By Steve Kramer
KFAR SABA, Israel — I attribute much of the animus towards Israel, Israelis, and Jewish citizens around the world to the apparent ‘open borders’ policy of so many European countries. Perhaps too late, the indigenous citizens have belatedly recognized the disastrous consequences of demographic changes to their homeland, caused by wholesale legal and illegal immigration from the Levant (eastern Mediterranean) and North Africa. This is at least partly responsible for the turn against Israel by most Western European states, from Finland to Portugal to Italy.
“Some Nordic nations, once considered global models, are now grappling with crime rates that surpass even Turkey, a country often criticized for its own social issues. Sweden, with a combined crime rate higher than any other country represented, [is] dwarfing nations like Turkey, Serbia, and Montenegro. This surge in crime, according to a recent Politico article, is closely tied to the rise of juvenile gangs, often composed of second-generation immigrants, predominantly from Middle Eastern and Muslim-majority countries. The article quotes Sweden’s Justice Minister, Gunnar Strömmer, who candidly admits that the problem of gang violence has exploded and will take ‘at least a decade’ to resolve. The once-lauded Swedish model of generous social welfare and open immigration is now facing intense scrutiny.” Too generous? Too late?
Norway has a similar soaring crime rate, as do other Scandinavian countries. The same applies to Denmark.
“Radio Europe published a comparison of reported rape cases in four European countries between 2000 and 2023. In England and Wales, reports surged from 8,593 in 2000 to 68,109 in 2023 — a nearly seven-fold increase. In Germany, the number rose from 8,133 to 39,029, an almost fourfold rise. France also saw a dramatic escalation, with reports jumping nearly fivefold from 7,500 to 42,400.”
Inexplicably, Western Europe mostly sides with an anti-West, jihadist, would-be state of Palestine-Gaza, while accusing Israel of wreaking genocide on the Gazans. For the Europeans, whose continent have been wracked by war for millennia, war = genocide, at least when a strong Israel is involved.
My question is, How has the appreciation of Western European culture been so diminished by such a relatively small percentage of the population? I think those Europeans, primarily the better educated ones, have become tired, weak, and overly-refined. They have extremely low fertility rates, ranging from 1.2 births per mother in Lithuania to a “high” of 1.64 in France. It’s accepted that a 2.1 birthrate is necessary to maintain a level population. For comparison’s sake, Israel’s birthrate is 2.9, which includes the secular, religious, and ultra-Orthodox populations. This is the highest and only positive birthrate in the OECD, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Muslims, however, are known for having a high birthrate. The total fertility rate (TFR) for Muslim women in Europe is approximately 2.6 children per woman, according to the Pew Research Center. With statistics like these, one understands that Europe is being dramatically changed, as the late, great dean of American Middle East scholars, Bernard Lewis, forecasted: “Europe will be Islamic by the end of this century at the latest.”
In Israel, the birthrates between Jews and Muslims are about equal, although the Muslim birthrate has lately trended downward. Israeli Arabs make up about 21% of the population. Yet, their influence over government policy is relatively minor, while in Europe Muslim influence is much greater than their numbers would predict. Though a movement against the flood of immigrants is growing, Europeans seem to be unable to stand up to Muslim political pressure.
Examples of this abound. In the UK, many towns have “no go” neighborhoods where unassimilated Muslims live. Birmingham, the UK’s second largest city, has a population of 1.1 million, with about a 30% Muslim share. Many tourists to London remark that they see few ‘typical’ Britons during their visits.
Recently, seasoned Middle East pundit Elliot Abrams wrote in Mosaic Magazine: “President Emmanuel Macron’s move to recognize a State of Palestine at the UN in September, and those of Prime Ministers Keir Starmer of the UK and Anthony Albanese of Australia [also Canada and Belgium] are largely domestic policy matters – responses to low approval rating and large Muslim populations. It seems to have escaped their attention that they are contributing to a Palestinian conclusion that only brutal [jihadist] violence will produce a path forward. In an effort to defend himself from such criticism Macron stated ‘there is no alternative’ to Palestinian statehood…. It apparently never occurred to President Macron to suggest that Palestinians [themselves] must build the state of Palestine and guarantee its viability. The Israel-Palestinian conflict and the wide support for violence in Palestinian society will not be solved by the magical incantation of recognition, and will in fact be worsened by it.”
Conclusively, the impact of legal and illegal immigration from the Middle East and North Africa on Western European countries has resulted in rising crime rates. The very high birth rates of the Muslim newcomers, coupled with the dwindling birth rate of native Europeans, has shifted the population to the point that international and local politics have been affected. Hatred of Jews and of Israel is practically mainstream – or maybe it is already mainstream. But Israel does have allies among the Central European and Balkan nations.
Immigrants are the lifeblood of the US and many countries. But those who enter a country illegally are often problematic. Perhaps worse are those who immigrate legally but have no intention of joining the fabric of their new home. That type often leaves a society that is failing them, but instead of attempting to assimilate, they recreate the society from which they fled.
The disaster of creating yet another terror state will make things worse, not better. Israel will continue its fight against the jihadists, especially Hamas, until it is eradicated. Good things may then occur with Israel’s more Western-leaning neighbors, who may partner with Israel for a better future.
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Steve Kramer is an American-Israeli freelance writer based in Kfar Saba, Israel.
Good that you are in Israel now because you know what the Indigenous Americans said about your grandparents – or whoever came to America, look who moved in without asking and is ruining the neighborhood. Dude what a specious argument.
There is nothing remotely “specious” about the increasing crime rates in Western Europe which are directly attributable to recently arrived Muslim immigrants.