Saturday, June 28, 2008

Demographics in Europe; European Islamdom III

The question of demographics is very important. The reason that Islam is growing faster than Christianity is entirely demographic. Worldwide there are more converts to Christianity each year than to Islam. But when Muslim families are having upwards of three or four children, and Christian families are hovering around one or two, maybe three, it does not bode well at all.

The IHT has an article on the topic here, though they try to spin the decline of Europe positively. Also, they make the same error as the secular liberal press always makes, which is to say that the main danger for Europe is economic. It is not. It is civilizational. What is the fate of Europe? I have proposed three options here:

European Islamdom I


And there is some more good info here: European Islamdom II

But for your pleasure, a section from the IHT article:

...The figure of 2.1 is widely considered to be the "replacement rate" - the average number of births per woman that can maintain a country's population level. But according to the report, for the first time on record, birthrates in southern and Eastern Europe had dropped below 1.3.

For the demographers, this number had a special mathematical portent. At that rate, a country's population would be cut in half in 45 years, creating a falling-off-a-cliff effect from which it would be nearly impossible to recover. Kohler and his colleagues invented an ominous new term for the phenomenon: "lowest-low fertility." [...]

Will Europe as we know it just peter out? Venice has lost more than half its population since 1950; its residents believe their city is destined to become a Venice-themed attraction. Will the same happen to Europe as a whole? Might the United States see its closest ally decay into a real-life Euro Disney? [...]

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