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The Oriana Factor
By Stefania LapennaEurope's economic decline is now well documented. But the Continent suffers from a more deadly disease, one the psychologists might call "lack of self-esteem". This comes to mind when certain countries make life unbearable for anti-Islamist freedom fighters such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- forcing them to flee. Sometimes, as in the Hirsi Ali case, it is not only a government, but a majority of the population who support these de facto exiles. Holland is just one of the European countries that seem ashamed to defend their own values when challenged by the Islamists in their midst. Some day ago, several pubs and business centers in the United Kingdom even declared they will not fly the British flag out of fear of the Muslim reaction by fanatics who claim the St. Andrew's cross element of the Union Jack symbolizes "crusaders". In Italy, the new center-left government led by former European Commission Chief Romano Prodi is known for its soft stance with respect to the immigration and Muslim issues. One of the first decisions taken just one month after taking office, is to soften the immigration policy by increasing the number of those who can enter the country, even illegally, and granting citizenship more easily. This policy has proven to be not only a failure, but a threat to the national security of those nations in Europe, such as the Netherlands, where it has been applied. Posted by: ryuge 2006-06-09 |
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