Since the beginning of time, humans have allowed themselves to get consumed by hatred and involved in bloody conflicts. Although the West, where descendants of faithful churchgoers have largely dispensed with God, imagines that it has put Wars of Religion behind it, there are others who think otherwise: The Islamists. (The dispute is not about “race,” to be sure, but religion and ideology as in Political Islam.)

History tells us that Muslims have been at war with us for centuries, originally invading our ancient lands in the Levant, Africa, and Anatolia. Later, they took the war to the Iberian Peninsula and the Balkans.

In the twentieth century, unable to raise an invading army like the Moors and Ottomans, Arabs have profoundly humiliated the West by raising the prices of crude oil. Watching their own wealth accumulate beyond belief, they have resorted to economic blackmail to obtain political concessions. Intermittently, both Arabs and Turks have sent hordes of illiterates to our shores, playing on our Christian mercy; given the present standoff, this compassion truly disagrees with cynical self-preservation. In addition, Islamists have massacred us in our own cities (e.g. New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, Madrid on March 11, 2004, and London on July 7, 2005).

Under blasphemy laws based on Sharia, Muslims persecute our fellow believers in Muslim-majority societies. Followers of religions other than Islam (e.g. Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists) are considered second-class citizens (dhimmis). When exposed to savage attacks from the Muslim mob (e.g. spurred on by zealous imams or — under false pretenses — people involved in private disputes), they are defenseless. Neither law enforcement nor the courts protect them.

However, it is as if we, who are at a safe distance from the daily harassment and massacres, have refused to accept the declaration of war. We, who enjoy the benefits of Western prosperity and a highly developed civil society, are being remarkably stubborn and persistently act as if we simply cannot believe it. Apparently, we put our own peace of mind above compassion for our Christian brothers and sisters.

Younger generations of Westerners without religious ties or historical insights refuse to take the religious war seriously. Afraid to appear “reactionary” in the political environment at home, they agree to the wildest absurdities of identity politics, but cannot themselves identify with those from the Third World who share — and die for — the faith (and morality) of their own ancestors.

Susceptible to false narratives about “peaceful coexistence,” which usually obscure the precedence of one religion over the others on closer inspection, we put up with daily “micro-attacks” by members of the Muslim diaspora on our customs — and very identity as Westerners. Every single day, there is a slight shift in the way people interact as private individuals— and the way public institutions cooperate.

The abrogation of the social contract that applies in the “open society” is taking place right before our eyes. Social cohesion — the defining characteristic of a high-trust society — is corroding at an alarming rate. Instead of setting themselves up for assimilation, Muslims adopt a self-segregating, presumptuous wait-and-see attitude. Nonetheless, changes are barely visible from day to day. Adding up over time, they only become obvious when we take a long-term perspective.

Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we insist on the inherent peacefulness of our enemy. In the progressive elite, they literally compete for the right to assert themselves as apologists. As if we are afraid to be in touch with our own (righteous) anger, we close our eyes to the realities of the world. Apparently, we find it difficult to imagine that others might hate us for “what we do” and “who we are.” It is nothing less than counterintuitive in our view. It challenges our complacent, hypocritical modern-day image of ourselves. Therefore, we turn a deaf ear to all the so-called “wake-up calls.”

The very term “War on Terror”, coined after the attack on the Twin Towers in Manhattan, testifies to our hypocritical attitude towards our own fear or — strictly speaking — cowardice. First, war is not waged against the psychological effect of acts of terrorism, namely “terror,” but against terrorists — perpetrators of terrorism. Second, the terrorists who give themselves up to martyrdom with contempt of death are not simply individuals who have been “radicalized” in some indefinite sense. They are ardent Muslims who follow the call of their prophet.

In political circles, there is an obvious reluctance to name the enemy, although he triumphantly celebrated the attack on New York with noisy motorcades, flags, and fireworks — both in the Middle East and in Western Europe (i.e. the so-called “Eurabia”). A powerful indication of the times to come.

In the event of major terrorist attacks, we hasten to reassure each other that the terrorists will never succeed in changing our way of life. The reassurance sounds like the parodying echo of a religious spell rather than a prediction, though. An embarrassing ritual of yesterday, it fails to do the trick. As the attacks increase in frequency and scope, people lose heart. Of course, we prepare for other times.

In cases, where a perpetrator commits terrorist acts on his own (a so-called “lone wolf”), we gladly excuse him with mental illness and refuse to interpret his despicable behavior in the proper context: The war on the West. Other interpretations that were more in line with reality could force us to take precautions.

The Islamists persistently fight us as our hereditary enemies. They have put the perspective of eternity on this war. Never does it occur to them to doubt the goal or the final victory. On the contrary, they are persistent and patiently lurk on the weakness of their enemy. They continue the struggle generation after generation. Very tellingly, they do not hesitate in the face of temporary adversity. Their historical sense of purpose characterizes them.

Our response, by contrast, is ambiguous, not to say contradictory. On the one hand, we do not believe that they really hate us. How could they, bearing in mind our extensive willingness to confess our (colonial-racist) sins and repair the damage? On the other hand, we cannot bear the thought that they hate us and go to great lengths to placate them. Thus, we actually prefer to appease our enemies, giving in to their demands for special privileges one by one, rather than insist on our way of living. 

Current projections suggest that the demographic balance may tip in favor of Muslim majority within a shorter number of years in several Western countries. Once they feel strong enough, emboldened by Islamists, which actively oppose cultural integration and lead the way, Muslims may unfortunately assume an arrogant attitude towards people of other faiths, as if social dominance is a prerogative of theirs.

The infiltration of the West is pervasive. While hot-tempered mobs rule the streets, propagandizing genocide and hailing the caliphate, Arab oil money buys up news media and universities, leading to suppression of critical thinking, persecution (i.e. defamation, cancellation) of anti-totalitarian heretics, and enslavement of the defeatists.

Unless we intend to face a future as second-class citizens, we need to stand firm on Western values and pick up the gauntlet in our parliaments. It is incumbent on our legislators to keep guard over our societies in the West and save them from the disintegration and anarchy that result from unrestricted immigration from the Middle East and North Africa.

A reasonable concern is whether our parliamentarians are up to the task. As the public debate has been reshaped by social media, elected officials only think in the short term. The younger of them have practically no insight into world history, but are preoccupied with personal profiles, “likes,” and social events. Meanwhile, the enemy is gathering strength for the final push. Even if we act like spoiled, silly children, there is still a war on.

The truth of the matter is, of course, that our enemies continue to wage war every single day of the year. However, we for our part refuse to accept the challenge, unwilling to believe what lies ahead. This amounts to a distinct phenomenon of Western “war denial.”

Image: Public domain.