Book Review by Sharon Silverman
America Alone
By Mark Steyn
Regnery Publishing
ISBN 0895260786
Regardless of political affiliation, popular Canadian columnist Mark Steyn’s book, America Alone, is guaranteed to make readers think and laugh. The first chapter provides a dramatic introduction to a topic that concerns the fate of the world, and the rest of the book follows naturally. Predicts Al Gore, “We are altering the balance of energy between our planet and the rest of the universe.” Gore’s babble, like that of many other liberals, is ridiculous and deeply disturbing. Leftists are spending far too much time worrying about nonsense like “Global Warming,” and less time focusing on the immediate issues at hand. Liberals’ pursuit of pointless causes is the theme that begins America Alone. While liberals waste time worrying about the allegedly devastating effects of global warming and overpopulation, a greater threat, one that currently and immediately threatens the existence of the civilized world, gathers strength. In an engaging, interesting, and frequently humorous book, Mark Steyn discusses the danger that radical Islam poses to the world. Steyn exposes how fundamentalist Islamic perpetrators are able to carry out their attacks with very little resistance, and why they will be able to do so indefinitely unless serious action is taken.
Steyn’s major argument is that Islam is rapidly advancing on a course of world domination. His reasons for this are measured and straightforward. The official birthrate in France is currently 1.89 births per woman. In the UK it is 1.6, while in Japan it is 1.32. In Italy, the birth rate is a paltry 1.23. In Russia, it is even lower: 1.14. The current birthrate in the United States is 2.11, which is just barely enough to sustain the current population. As Steyn points out, if each of these countries continues to proceed at its current birthrate, then within a few decades or less, there may simply not be enough people for these Western countries to exist in their present form. The exception is the US, which will remain steady in population, unless its birthrate declines. As European populations decline, they will also be increasingly composed of older citizens who will place unsustainable burdens on the continent’s socialist welfare systems.
Conversely, consider the numbers 7.46, 7.42, 6.76, and 6.69. These are explosive birthrates, capable of increasing a country’s population a thousand-fold. They happen to belong to nations such as Afghanistan and Yemen—all Islamic. Mark Steyn goes on to explain the dire consequences of this trend, adeptly discussing a gravely depressing topic in a lighthearted way by throwing in funny anecdotes and one-liners.
These population developments in Europe and the Islamic world are becoming increasingly intertwined. As the Western countries’ populations dry up, their governments’ solution is to accept young Muslims from crowded Islamic nations to emigrate and take up the slack. Already, this effect is discernible. Steyn draws on the published statistic that the most popular boy’s name in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Malmo, Sweden, and all of Belgium is Mohammed. The fifth most popular boy’s name in all of the United Kingdom is Mohammed. The Muslim takeover of Europe is well underway, and most people are completely unaware. This would not be a bad thing if this population did not have such a penchant for subjugation, intolerance, and violence. For example, the UK Times newspaper took a poll of British Muslims in July 2005. 13 percent said that they believed that the perpetrators of the British subway bombings should be hailed as “martyrs.” In a different poll, 60 percent indicated they would like to live under Islamic sharia law in the UK. More recent polls lend Steyn’s points even more credence. A UK Channel 4 poll found that “one-third of British Muslims believe that Western society is decadent and immoral and that Muslims should seek to end it.” Clearly, such sentiments are not compatible with a free democratic society.
In America Alone, Mark Steyn exposes how dramatically Western societies are changing, and how shockingly blind many Americans and Europeans are toward the looming disaster. Preferring blissful ignorance, they choose not to educate themselves, choose not to be aware of their surroundings, and consequently, choose to support the gradual suicide of their countries. Given the current birthrates of the civilized world, it is up to America, alone, to not only maintain its healthy birthrate, but also pursue policies that will end the Islamic threat and preserve Western democratic values. In America Alone, Mark Steyn presents staggering evidence pointing toward a very grim future. This read is highly recommended for anyone who desires light yet comprehensive reading, infused with humor, on a pertinent and crucial topic.
Miss Silverman is a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering.
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