WASHINGTON—American historian and writer Bill Federer has issued a controversial warning about Europe's religious future, arguing that the growth of Islam could profoundly transform the continent's cultural and political identity.
Federer has drawn on episodes from the history of the
Mediterranean and the Christian world to argue that societies can undergo
profound religious transformations over the centuries. Among the examples he
cites are Egypt, North Africa, and Constantinople, regions that were important
centers of Christianity during Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
One of the most emblematic cases is Hagia Sophia in
Istanbul. The building was originally constructed as a Christian cathedral in
the 6th century and for centuries was one of the principal temples of Eastern
Christendom. After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was
converted into a mosque. In the 20th century it functioned as a museum, and in
2020 it was once again used as a mosque.
The discussion, therefore, confronts two different issues:
the documented demographic growth of Islam in Europe, and the prediction of a
future Muslim majority, which highlights the danger that the open borders
policy implemented in recent years represents for the continent.
The debate on the religious and cultural identity of Europe
will continue to be a politically sensitive matter.
History demonstrates that societies can change profoundly;
the figures, however, indicate that a Muslim-majority Europe by 2030 is one of
the most dangerous demographic projections for the continent.