The Idea of Islam's European Conquest

John Griffing published a challenging article today (19/08/09) in American Thinker entitled “Islam’s European Conquest: Is America Next?" Throughout the article, he proposes some examples to support his main premise: "Islam is not designed to co-exist with western civilization. It is designed to conquer it." This is a good example of how the theory of 'clash of civilizations' is applied. This theory has been applied in so many studies. The problem is that once civilizations are seen through a window of clash, the only conclusion we can take is that conflicts define civilizations. We certainly can come with a different conclusion if other theories such as the political theory of recognition is applied. Some studies argue that the future of Islam would depend on the European Muslims who experience the democracy in European society. If this is the case, Europe has contributed to the renewal spirit within Islam. Moreover, the presence of Islam in Europe at least provides a signal that 'religion has come back'. Some religious leaders have publicly acknowledged this. A senior Vatican Cardinal, for example, recently thanked Muslims for bringing back God into the public sphere in Europe.