The American Spectator

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Special Report

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Not all immigrants or ethnic minorities are Muslim. Still, a parent reading the above statistics would have every reason to be skeptical of Islam and of immigration in Europe. This is especially true given the many anecdotal stories reporting that young Muslim men are permitted, even proud, to rape "infidels."

The peaceful Muslim families depicted in heart wrenching stories of discrimination have every right to speak out. They haven't done anything wrong. Still, the incarceration and rape statistics skyrocket. Anecdotes of Muslim intolerance and violence proliferate on the Internet, when they're forced out of the press through laws outlawing religious intolerance.

Given the direction European public opinion on immigration is going, the Returns Directive may very well be a liberal document. Leaving these countries alone to do what their citizens actually want might lead to policies even more upsetting to those international communitarians.

However, the Directive falls short of seriously addressing Europe's true immigration problems while also alienating potential allies and trading partners.

Deporting illegal immigrants mostly misses the mark. The thing that Europeans are reacting against is not immigration or Islam per se, but rather a serious spike in violence. Perhaps their nations should respond to this by cracking down on serious crimes instead of further criminalizing peaceful immigration.

topics:
Islam, Law, European Union, Immigration, Oil