You are now entering Eurabia

Abstract

In recent years, an increasingly influential intellectual consensus on both sides of the Atlantic has presented Europe as a doomed and decadent continent that is being transformed into an Islamic colony called ‘Eurabia’. The term was originally coined by the British-Swiss historian Bat Ye’or to describe what she identified as a secret project between European politicians and the Arab world for the ‘Islamicisation’ of Europe. What began as an outlandish conspiracy theory has become a dangerous Islamophobic fantasy that has moved ever closer towards mainstream respectability, as conservative historians and newspaper columnists, right-wing Zionists and European neofascists find common cause in the threat to ‘Judeo-Christian’ civilisation from Muslim immigrants with supposedly incompatible cultural values.

A Day in the “Swamp”: Understanding Discourse in the Online Counter-Jihad Nebula

“…20 As strong as the threatening practices of Muslims in descriptions of the counter jihad are images of a powerless Europe in decline and sliding into decadence, unable to resist Islamic take over. 21 The idea that European culture in particular is in a state of decline, while a spiritually vigorous East represented by Islam is in the ascendancy in civil society, is a common sentiment in some circles. Carr points out that the argument has found favour with prominent conservative commentators such as Melanie Philips and Mark Steyn.…”

“…conspiracy. 24 In some accounts, belief in the conspiracy is a dividing line between a hard core of counter jihad activists and a more mainstream conservative right wing outside the boundaries of the counter jihad scene. 25 Equally, for Zúquete there remains a divide between rational and critical engagement with Islam and irrational, "fear-laden" accounts.…”

“…52 One (perhaps the predominant) master template for this conspiracy was set down in a book published in 2005 by an Egyptian born, British citizen living in Switzerland -Giselle Litmann -known under her pen name as Bat'Yeor. 53 Focusing on a Franco-Arab alliance, Yeor argues that the French and the European Community embraced the Arab world in attempt to create a unified foreign policy power capable of balancing the United States. 54 She also attempts to link French collaborators and Nazi sympathisers to this decision, suggesting anti-Semitism as a further unifying factor.…”

“…61 As far back as 2006, online commentators such as Fjordman were identified as playing a key role in forwarding the nascent counter jihad ideology. 62 Following the 2011 Breivik killings, greater attention was paid to the counter jihad scene and their online inspiration. The Guardian analysed the web pages linked to by Breivik's manifesto.…”

‘It’s not paranoia when they are really out to get you’: the role of conspiracy theories in the context of heightened security

“…The earliest work concentrated on the ideological basis of the movement and the emergence of counter jihad narratives and literature including Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis, a central text in counter jihad conspiracy theory (Bangstad, 2013;Carr, 2006;Zúquete, 2008). The actions of a lone actor terrorist in Norway in 2011 also led to a considerable amount of academic attention being paid to the counter jihad movement as a result of the extensive amount of material featured in the compendium put out to justify the attacks (Fekete, 2011;Gardell, 2014;Jackson, 2013;Titley, 2013).…”