Reflections on the Revolution In Europe

May 11, 2009
Caldwell frames the issue of Muslim immigration to Europe as a question of “whether you can have the same Europe with different people.” The author, a columnist for the Financial Times
and a senior editor at the Weekly Standard
, answers this question unequivocally in the negative. He offers a brief demographic analysis of the potential impact of Muslim immigration—estimating that between 20% and 32% of the populations of most European countries will be foreign-born by the middle of the century—and traces the origins of this mass immigration to a postwar labor crisis. He considers the social, political and cultural implications of this sea change, from the banlieue
riots and the ban on the veil in French public schools to terrorism across Europe and the question of Turkey's accession to the E.U. Caldwell sees immigration as a particular problem for Europe because he believes Muslim immigrants retain a Muslim identity, which he defines monolithically and unsympathetically, rather than assimilating to their new homelands. This thorough, big-thinking book, which tackles its controversial subject with a conviction that is alternately powerful and narrow-minded, will likely challenge some readers while alienating others.

May 15, 2009
A specter is haunting Europe, writes Weekly Standard senior editor and Financial Times columnist Caldwell—a theocracy about to overwhelm a tolerant, relativistic society.

The revolution referenced in the title is sometimes so quiet as to be unnoticed—if one is not living in Germany, England, Spain or France. Those countries are being transformed by increasing numbers of Muslims radicalized to despise the very democracies into which they have immigrated—or, increasingly, have been born."Scale matters," writes Caldwell. If the United States had proportionate numbers to France,"it would have close to 40 million Muslims, concentrated in a handful of major cities and poised to take political control of them." The author's tone is not alarmist, but it is urgent, and the question of political control lies at the heart of his argument. What happens to Europe if its institutions are dismantled by those who believe in an authority other than the will of the people? Caldwell gives specific weight to the view that Islam in its current iterations is hostile to assimilation and instead bent on overwhelming other ways of thought."When an insecure, malleable, relativistic culture meets a culture that is anchored, confident, and strengthened by common doctrines," he concludes,"generally the former…changes to suit the latter." The author examines Western responses to the demographic and ideological shift, none of them completely adequate—though Nicholas Sarkozy's idea that Muslims doff the veil when entering secular society just as he removes his shoes on entering a mosque is a start.

Caldwell's analysis is calm and forceful, and it provides excellent background for a much-needed discussion.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2009
Respected conservative journalist Caldwell (senior editor, "Weekly Standard") writes with deep skepticism about Europe's future relations with the Islamic world. He most clearly expresses his attitude when arguing that immigration has had unintended consequences, "importing not just factors of production but factors of social change." More specifically, Caldwell is concerned about what he sees as Islam's tendency to "trump" other social identities and ultimately form a single identity contrary to the values of democratic rule; at its peril, Europe neglects religion as the "anchor" of this identity. The values and culture of secular Europe are dependent on "ethical survivals of Christianity," says Caldwell, but the same is not true of Islam, despite the number of European converts. Caldwell also rejects American-style assimilation as a model for European immigrant "integration." VERDICT Regardless of one's attitude toward immigration, Caldwell interprets an important European policy debate and illuminates why anti-immigrant sentiment cannot be dismissed as simple bigotry. Recommended for informed readers.Zachary T. Irwin, School of Humanities & Social Science, Penn State, Erie, Behrend Coll.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2009
The issues of undocumented (read illegal) workers and a porous southern border remain a hot button topic in the U.S. According to Caldwell, a columnist for the Financial Times and a senior editor at the Weekly Standard, the mass immigration of Muslims into Western European nations in recent decades has created problems that dwarf those in our country. Caldwell acknowledges that he is treading on tricky, even incendiary, political ground here. Yet he is no racist or xenophobe, and strives to describe the problems in a restrained but blunt manner. He asserts that the dramatic influx of Muslim immigrants, combined with the low birthrate of native Europeans, is transforming their societies in unexpected and undesirable ways. Unlike Latin American immigrants to the U.S., Muslim immigrants to Western Europe have not shown an ability, or even an inclination, to assimilate; in fact, many reject the values of the majority culture. Caldwell provides warnings without offering solutions, but his provocative work merits serious discussion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)