October 1, 2007: While many Europeans believe Islamic terrorism in their midst was caused by the American invasion of Iraq, the local police know better. Islamic terrorism has been a problem in Europe for over three decades, and in the 1990s it was getting worse. After September 11, 2001, and especially after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was fashionable for more Moslems, especially young ones, to declare America an "enemy of Islam." More thoughtful Moslems realized that the Islamic terrorists were screwing up things for everyone. All Moslems were now tainted. Sure enough, the Islamic terrorists soon began killing Moslems in Moslem countries. This was nothing new for most Moslems, because this kind of terrorism had been going on for over a decade before 2001. Egypt, Algeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan were all suffering from Moslem-on-Moslem violence in the 1990s. All in the name of religion.

Europe has about five times as many Moslems as the United States, and the ones in Europe are rather more into Islamic terrorism than their brethren across the Atlantic. This is because of the widespread prejudice in Europe, and isolation from the terrorism back in the old country. Islamic terrorism is easier to admire if it is far away. Moreover, American police came down hard on Islamic radicals after September 11, 2001. That, plus the patriotism of most U.S. Moslems, led to lots of imprisonments and deportations (many U.S. Moslems were illegal aliens).

In Europe, the Moslem populations were often allowed to exist as a very foreign presence. Sort of ethnic enclaves, and within these areas Islamic radicalism flourished. There were only a few terrorist attacks, and it was only because the security forces hustled that there weren't more. While (most of) the politicians continued to preach ethnic diversity, they were told by their security people that over one percent of their Moslems were willing to get involved in terrorist activities, and that there were thousands of European Moslems that needed to be watched. These included Islamic radicals who had fled the United States, or the Middle East. Europe was a convenient place for Islamic radicals to hide out. The social welfare benefits were excellent. If an Islamic radical could afford it, his wife (or wives) and kids could be brought in, and the European governments would take care of them. However, after September 11, 2001, it was no longer easy to get in as a political refugee. But there were professional people-smugglers who, for a fee, could get just about anyone into Europe.

Since 2001, it's become more difficult to stay in Europe. More of these refugees are getting deported back to the old country. And those wanted by the United States are getting extradited, although only after the Americans promise not to send the accused to Guantanamo, or to execute them. Other than that, it's good riddance. The Europeans need all the jail cells they can get, because more and more of their own Moslems are crossing the line, and getting locked up.

Note that scientific surveys have indicated that there are about 2.5 million Moslem in the United States, and fewer than 15 million in Europe. Previous estimates of five and twenty million, respectively, were provided by Moslem organizations eager to hype their influence via a bit of puffery. But in terms of terrorist activity, Europe has 10-20 times as much as the United States.