Posted By Blake Hounshell Share

Via Andrew Sullivan, I see that Bell Curve author Charles Murray is expressing shock and dismay at the number of "African blacks, Middle-Eastern types, and East Asians" in Paris these days. He adds:

Mark Steyn and Christopher Caldwell have already explained this to the rest of the world—Europe as we have known it is about to disappear—but it was still a shock to see how rapid the change has been in just the last half-dozen years.

Well, as it turns out, Europe is going to be just fine, thank you. Here's Brookings scholar Justin Vaïsse, writing in the new issue of FP about the Eurabia genre:

By relying chiefly on anecdotes rather than data, these books misrepresent the complex evolving picture of Islam in Europe. They also eliminate social and economic conditions, including discrimination, from the picture. [...]

The most likely scenario for the next few decades -- increasing integration of Muslims accompanied by continued cultural tensions, occasional terrorist bombings, and differentiated outcomes in various countries -- is a conceptual impossibility for most Eurabia authors because for them Muslims can't really become Europeans. It is, however, already the reality. Maybe it is time they take notice.

Read the whole thing.

UPDATE: Here's one of Clive Davis's commenters on what's really wrong with Murray's post:

On a side note, how seriously should we take the comments of someone who uses the word “marooned” to describe three free days in Paris?

EXPLORE:EUROPE, ISLAM
 

DAVID JACK SMITH

6:01 AM ET

January 9, 2010

Shell Game

Does the author expect to be taken seriously when he opens with "via Andrew Sullivan"?

FYVia Mr Hounshell -- linking to this malicious crackpot head is rather like asking a coke addict for his advice on relaxing at home in front of the TV.

Do try harder.

 

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