Mohammad Merah, the terrorist who murdered seven people in Toulouse,
France, including four Jews, was killed following a standoff on
Thursday, but the phenomenon of extreme Islam in Europe did not die
with him.
In fact, terrorists who carry out attacks such as the ones Merah
committed are by no means a surprise and are not something which is
new for many Europeans in general and for France in particular.
On Thursday, a fan page for Merah was shut down by Facebook, but not
before about 500 users had joined it, many of whom posted messages in
support of the terrorist.
Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a new crackdown
in France on the spread of terrorist-linked ideologies and activities.
Anyone who regularly visits "websites which support terrorism or call
for hate or violence will be punished by the law," Sarkozy said.
He also promised a crackdown on anyone who goes abroad "for the
purposes of indoctrination in terrorist ideology."
Sarkozy, as do leaders in England and Belgium, has had to deal with a
phenomenon that has gained momentum in recent years whereby Islamic
groups try to “conquer” European countries and force them to adhere
to extreme Muslim Sharia laws.
Many Muslims see Europe as a continent on which a war should be
fought to turn it into a “House of Islam”. These particular Muslims
will not rest until they defeat the non-Muslims who are viewed
as “infidels.”
In Belgium, for example, a video distributed on the internet in
recent months depicts an extremist group who threatens to turn
Belgium into a Muslim country.
It was also recently revealed that Muslims constitute one-quarter of
the population of Brussels and that the most popular name for newborn
babies in the city in 2011 was Muhammad. It was also the most popular
name for babies in Antwerp, where an estimated 40 percent of primary
school children are Muslims.
Sharia has also been implemented in several places in Britain to the
dismay of local residents. According to reports last year, Islamists
set up zones where the Muslim Sharia law would be enforced.
Some communities were bombarded with bright yellow posters which
read: ‘You are entering a Sharia-controlled zone – Islamic rules
enforced.’
The messages were found on bus stops and street lamps and were seen
across certain boroughs in London. They order that ‘no gambling’, ‘no
music or concerts’, ‘no drugs or smoking’ and ‘no alcohol’ should be
seen in the Sharia-controlled zone.
