Europe’s Christmas under Siege
European liberals’ strategy against Islamist terror — pre-emptive surrender.
This year saw the destruction of some of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the Middle East.
As predominantly Christian Europe braces itself to accommodate millions of new Muslim migrants this year alone, Christianity takes its last breath in region where it was first revealed to the world. Israel remains the only glaring exception to this dismal rule.
The armed war against Christians is accompanied by a cultural war on Christmas. This year, Muslim countries like Somalia, Tajikistan and Brunei joined the long list of Islamic nations banning the Christian festival — in many cases making Christmas celebrations even in private settings a punishable offence.
With the rising tide Islamist terror, even in the Christian heartland of Europe the Christmas is now under siege.
British newspaper The Guardian wrote, “[Christmas markets in Germany] a symbol of an ancient idyll – but this year armed police are out in force to counter the threat of violence.” Just like President Obama, the liberal British newspaper won’t name the source of this ‘violent threat’ and you would have to read the article to the end to find out that local German “al-Qaida sympathisers” calling themselves “Mujahideen” are behind these “concrete threats.”
The newspaper further describes the beefed up security measures at the Christmas markets:
Suitcases and rucksacks have been banned from Germany’s largest winter ritual and vendors have been warned to look out for anything suspicious. Plain-cloths police are said to be mingling with the crowds.
Wall Street Journals also has a similar report:
In Nuremberg [Germany], home to one of the best-known Christmas markets that attracts many tourists from the U.S. and other European countries, police will be present in higher numbers, according to a police spokesman. In Berlin, the popular Christmas market on the Gendarmenmarkt, one of the few closed-off markets, decided to ban people from bringing suitcases or large backpacks and will conduct checks at its entrance.
But no other city in Europe has been hit worst than the city of Paris. A city still recovering from last month’s Islamist terror attack that killed 130 people. The city has returned to normalcy despite heavy security presence, but the Christmas spirit has failed to recover this year. Financial Times writes:
The Paris Christmas market on the Champs Elysées has all a tourist could hope for. There are snails in garlic butter, wild boar pâté, mulled wine and local cheeses, all set to a soundtrack of jaunty Georges Brassens songs.
The problem is that more than a month after the terrorist attacks in Paris that left 130 dead and a nation in shock, there are few there to enjoy it. (…)
Hotel occupancy fell 30 percentage points after the attacks, according to the mayor’s office, making hotels only half-full for many weeks. New reservation rates are still down 15 per cent.
The number of new flight bookings to Paris are down 30 per cent as well, according to figures from analytics group ForwardKeys, with countries such as Japan and Brazil among the most affected. (…)
At the sharp end of this are restaurants and clubs, where sales are down 30-40 per cent compared with the same period last year.
But in the face naked Islamist aggression, European liberals have rolled out a brilliant strategy — it’s called pre-emptive surrender.
Not only schools, hostels or gymnasiums, but even already dwindling active churches in Germany are being turned into shelter for predominantly Muslim migrants. Public schools have renamed the traditional Saint Martin’s day celebrations to “Festival of Light and Lanterns”, so as not to ‘offend’ the newly arriving Muslim migrants to Germany. First there were fictional novels or newspaper cartoons that were deemed offensive for Muslims, now its Santa and Easter Bunny.
No one can question the spirit of generosity and accommodation that Christians across Europe have shown towards Muslim migrants in recent decades. But thousands of young European-born Muslims joining the ranks of Islamic State is a resounding slap on the face of this unreciprocated spirit of benevolence. As Canadian commentator Mark Steyn puts it, instead of taking on the the Islamist aggression — Europe has chosen to play the “battered wife in denial.”
Video: France tightens security around Churches ahead of Christmas
(Cover image courtesy EuroNews, YouTube screenshot) (The author is an Indian journalist based in Europe)
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Not only does nobody have Europe’s back, nobody’s got their front either.
The chains of dhimmitude will grow heavier on the shoulders of the West as Islam gains a larger and stronger presence. This is fact, not bigotry, racism or a misguided “phobia.” That road to hell, it is said, is paved with good intentions. Here is the unvarnished proof.
As most of you have probably noticed, I’ve been promoting, among other things, my church group’s website page on revival in America ( http://www.unshackledaction.com/#!revival-in-america/c1iot ), but it is pretty clear that Europe needs revival a lot more if there is to be any hope for them. The trouble is, to call Europe ‘Christian’ is a bit of a stretch. What Christians there are in Europe (and the US) really need to stop apologizing for our faith and grow some … uh, intestinal fortitude.
As alaskabob says, we are slowly accepting the chains of dhimmitude (so we won’t be called bad names). The road to hell, both literally and figuratively, is being paved – with good intentions on the part of some, with evil intentions on the part of many.
On the other hand, it is Christmas. Many of us are celebrating possibly the most important event in history (I’ll accept that Easter might be more important, but without Christmas ….). Our website has a little page on Christmas for any who are interested ( http://www.unshackledaction.com/#!christmas/c1ywp ). I embedded Linus’s Luke speech (what more do you need to know about the true meaning of Christmas?) – the first time I’ve managed to include a video on the site – Yeah!
Nice site! I also suggest “The Gifts of the Child Christ” by George MacDonald.
http://www.online-literature.com/george-macdonald/3641/
Gibbie – Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve read some MacDonald, but hadn’t even heard of that one. I’ve started reading it and will add it when I’m done. I think I’ll leave the Christmas page around for a while. I originally thought I’d take it down soon after Christmas, but ….
Quiz: What is the longest period in European history in which they have not killed each other in the millions (or at least hundreds of thousands)?
This will not end well.
Kinda the same question could be asked of Asians, Africans of all different ethnic groups, Native Americans, other indigenous peoples everywhere else, and of course, those infamous disease ladened Conquistadors from Spain and Portugal. Perhaps your statement is true of all the various ethnic groups of humans everywhere; we are kinda a contentious bunch, you know!
Still, this craven European surrender by default will hasten the end of European society.
Europeans are the only ones who industrialized the killing of other people. They sought and discovered a way to kill millions scientifically, quickly, effectively, efficiently, efficaciously, and profitably. The Muslims are pikers, dependent on Western technology because they are too damn backward because of Islam. They want to top the Germans, but good luck with that. Homicide bombing is a foolish waste of human resources.
The Euros bent their minds to their purpose and produced the requisite machinery. Think I’m kidding? Look at the manufacturer names on those ovens. It was good German technology, not outsourced to the Russians or Indians but only to German businesses.
The way most progressives think, we will have a front seat to watch Europe burn and all that time listening to progressives say that, “if Europe had only been more accommodating” to Islamic immigration this would not have happened.” A perverse, give them everything they want and maybe they won’t hurt us, mentality that is all too common today.
Vijeta, read up on theology, history, and world affairs before you say things like this: “Christianity takes its last breath in region where it was first revealed to the world.”
Christianity was not revealed to the world; Christ was and is. He is the revelation, the light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of His people, Israel.
Christ came to the House of Israel; we the grafted in are but dogs eating crumbs from the children’s table.
The locus of the revelation was pinpoint specific. It was not a wide open region or world but in Bethlehem, amongst the Jews, the city of the legendary Jewish King David.
Christianity, the earliest reformation of Judaism (what say you, Milhouse, once you e finished gnashing your teeth at me?), thrives on persecution. We are not dying out in the wider MidEast. We are being tried, tested, and refined, like good gold. We are a faith made for persecution; it is what keeps us on our knees before God’s mercy seat—a great place to be. For every one of us the Muslims kill, ten of theirs have a Saul on the road to Damascus moment. Therefore, it is Islam, the vile and satanic death cult, that is in its death throes, and, in the course of its final paroxysms, will wreak as much devastation as possible.
Finally, Christianity, the reformation of Judaism to the stark clear truths of the TNK, is alive and well in the land in which Christ was revealed, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, God in man made manifest. (Milhouse, recent archaeological discoveries in Israel support this and are likely behind the rabbis—in Israel, the USA, Europe—signing a document that pretty much embraces Christ and Christianity). It’s not a last gasp alive; it’s a thriving and kicking alive, in ISRAEL, to whom Christ was sent. That is only fitting.
It’s not all doom and gloom here in the UK. Away from liberal strongholds you will be surprised by just how strong chritian practices are still these days.
Pretty much all of the local villages celebrate Christmas without a thought for political correctness. Earlier in the week the family and me went to cjarols in our local pub that was ABSOLUTELY rammed and led by the local vicar. The crowd was a real mix of people’s and ages and everyone had a great time.
Other local villages have their own highly attended Christmas events as well. Further more, as I’m near the Fenlands, many villages have taken back up old harvest celebrations and have gotten all of the schools involved so that the children are involved in practicing their old traditions (and breathing new life in to their ancient heritage).
So while the media may portray things as all doom and gloom if you get away from liberal centres controlled by the left leaning MFM you will be pleasantly surprised by just how strongly supported Christian activities are in Europe.
Mailman