Islam will take over Europe without violent force within a few decades, said Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi in a speech aired on the Arab satellite network Al Jazeera. ‘We have 50 million Muslims in Europe,’ Gadhafi said. ‘There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe – without swords, without guns, without conquests. The 50 million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades. Europe is in a predicament, and so is America. They should agree to become Islamic in the course of time, or else declare war on the Muslims.’

Gadhafi emphasized Muslims view Muhammad the prophet not only of the Arabs or Muslims but ‘of all people. He superseded all previous religions. All people must be Muslims.’ He said Christians believe Muhammad is not their prophet because their holy texts ‘are forged and call for hatred.’

Gadhafi is talking nonsense when he refers to the Bible being a forgery. The Muslim idea that the Jews and Christians changed their holy books in order to delete all references to Mohammed is easily disproved from history and from the Koran itself. There is abundant evidence from manuscripts and the writings of early Christians of the fact that the Gospels were written by those who were alive at the time of Jesus. The Dead Sea Scrolls dated around 125 BC have bought to light manuscripts of the Old Testament books including the complete text of Isaiah. The Septuagint translation of the Hebrew text into Greek in around 165 BC also confirms the authenticity of the Old Testament as the accepted record of events.

If the Jews and Christians had changed their Bible before Mohammed and if the Koran really is the accurate record of events communicated by Allah to Mohammed via the Angel Gabriel, surely the Koran would state this? In fact there are verses in the Koran saying the opposite, speaking highly of the Bible and advising Muslims to learn from Jews and Christians:

‘And if thou (Mohammed) art in doubt concerning that which we reveal unto thee, then question those who read the scripture that was before thee’ (i.e. the Bible). Sura (chapter) 10.95. ‘O ye people of the book! Ye are not grounded on anything until ye observe the Taurat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel) and that which has been revealed unto you from your Lord.’ Sura 5.68.

(For further information on this subject send for our article Bible or Koran?)

When he talks of Muslims taking over Europe Gadhafi is not so far off message, if present trends continue. Europe’s population is dropping dramatically as abortion and contraception cut back the number of live births. In Russia for example there are two abortions for every live birth. Many European nations have chosen a risky path for making up for their population shortfalls: immigration. Because North Africa and the Middle East represent a relatively convenient source of cheap labour, millions of Muslim immigrants have been flooding the continent for a half century.

Western Europe has gone from a Muslim population of 250,000, 50 years ago, to 20 million today. Unlike Westerners, however, Muslims typically have large families. Higher Muslim birth rates combined with Muslim immigration have led the projection that Europe’s Muslim population will double by 2025.

How ironic it would be that a European culture that demanded unlimited personal freedom might wind up living under the repressive heel of Muslim totalitarianism. Or that a culture that rejected its Christian heritage might, instead, be subjected to Islamic fundamentalism.