Is the glass half empty or half full? - A fifth of Europe Union will be Muslim by 2050 - by Rick Morren
Statistics show that last year, five per cent of the total population of the 27 EU countries was Muslim and that rising levels of immigration from Muslim countries and low birth rates among Europe's indigenous population will increase that figure to 20%. The report also noted that data gathered from various sources indicated that Britain, Spain and Holland will have an even higher proportion of Muslims in a shorter amount of time.
Should this, as many right wing politicians and more radical Christians proclaim, be a reason for concern? It all depends if you consider the glass half empty or half full. Those of us who look at every issue with the pessimistic "half empty glass" attitude will obviously find all kinds of reasons to "cry wolf". On the other hand the "half full glass" folks will actually be far more optimistic about this trend, and usually also life in general. They are also the people who do not judge other people by their religion, the colour of their skin, their culture or their sexual preference. They are also the ones who are realizing that immigration is the only way the EU can survive over the long haul.
The question which arises is what can we do about making change happen? For starters, if we take all religious groups in the EU together who believe in one God, and remove the stigma of religious doctrine out of the discussion, we probably can count on 70 percent of the EU population who basically think along the same lines when it comes to believing in a Higher Being. So the suggestion would be that instead of hiding in their comfortable Churches, Mosques and Synagogs, religious leaders in the EU should be encouraged to play a far more active and creative role in helping immigrants integrate into the EU.
The importance is not what is being instructed from Mecca, Jerusalem or Rome, but rather to follow a more enlightened vision, whereby denominations actually become part of the European integration process. It means working together, instead of jealously protecting their "religious turf", or only providing lip service to the idea of eucomenical cooperation. For those of us who belong to religious denominations it might be good to remember that God has no permanent representative on earth, but rather that he lives in all of those who believe. Organized religion and their political counterparts can not be allowed a free hand in deciding the future of Europe based on religious doctrine.
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