By Michael Burkert
Our daily news is rife with stories of Islamic upheaval and unrest in places such as Denmark, Sweden and Germany. What is little recognized however is the challenge Islam poses to Italy. The home of the Roman Catholic Church would not seem to be the most fruitful land for Islam to flourish, yet Islam is there, it’s ever-present and it’s hostile.
Unknown to most is that there are over two million Muslims living in Italy today. A staggering 250,000 Muslims are now Italian citizens. Islam continues to grow in the land of the popes, largely due to immigration, some legal, but mostly illegal. The Italian government appears to be both incompetent and impotent in any efforts to curb the massive flow of hostile Muslims into Italy.
Islam is not a recognized religion in Italy. That’s correct, Islam is not an officially government recognized religion and as such, there are only eight government authorized Mosques in the country. Yet there are thousands of unofficial Mosques that have already popped-up across the land. The Italians don’t like this much and accordingly see their government as out of touch with the people, much as they see the Roman Catholic Church as out of touch. They are particularly displeased with the pope.
Illegal Immigration: A Sharp Thorn
Italy, it seems is chocked full of immigrants from Albania, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Somalia, also many Pakistanis have also chosen Italy to stage their onward movement to Germany, Britain or the United States.
There are hundreds of thousands of Syrians, thanks to the European Union mandates that require Italy to accept these so-called “refugees.” That means that the Italian government must house, feed, clothe and provide (unlimited) medical care for the refugees, above and beyond any such care provided to Italian citizens, and this is causing much anguish among the Italian people!
Hundreds of thousands of Muslim immigrants, both legal and illegal simply do not care to work. They rely on handouts from the Italian government, which is cash strapped and itself reliant on handouts from the EU, primarily Germany. You can see Muslims hanging around on the streets, smoking cigarettes and drinking tea. They play Arab board games and harass women walking down the streets. This shocking conduct is seen in Rome near some of the historical sites as well as in other locations, during the recent visit to Italy. While the eyes of the Carbinieri (national police) and the local police are on them, Muslim no-go zones have already been established and are respected by the police. Accordingly, crime is higher than ever and will in no doubt increase with time!
The Italians are not happy about this and will no doubt eventually seek alternatives! That might mean growing support for the fascists, thought to be headed by Alessandra Mussolini, a descendent of the 1920’s to 40’s dictator of Italy, Benito Mussolini.
New Respect for Mussolini
While staying at a hotel in Rome, which was near the old city wall, a young man working at the desk asked if it would be possible to speak to some Italian students who would welcome the chance to practice English with a native speaker. Curiosities follow as to the attitudes of university students in Rome, and astonishment at what was said!
The visitation was with seven students, both men and women, their initial spokesman was a young man named Luigi Renaldi, and he is 22 years old and a veteran of the Italian Army. He led off the discussion with some pointed questions about what Americans thought about Benito Mussolini.
It was conveyed that most Americans only have a vague knowledge of Benito Mussolini, since he was deposed in 1943, at the height of World War II. Then an earful of what these student friends thought of Il Duce! These young people were strong Italian nationalists; a movement that is considered to be growing.
Benito Mussolini is thought to have been a great politician and leader of Italy. He always stressed the strength and power of the Italian people and loved his country. It is widely believed that Mussolini would never allow Muslim immigration to threaten Italian life, culture, and even the language. His great downfall was mentioned and was attributed to his alliance with Hitler and National Socialism.
Due to the Muslim invasion and assertiveness it is apparent that fascism may well be on the rise as it is seen as an alternative to losing the nation to Islam! But, there is another problem that faces Italy and it comes from with in the walls of the “Stato Vaticano,” otherwise known as The Vatican.
Pope Francis and Islam
Pope Francis may be the most “Islamic Friendly” pope in history. Always in the past the Catholic popes have been hostile toward Islam and have taken extreme steps to avoid its influence in Europe. After all the Roman church is a EUROPEAN church, it always has been. But today, things are changing. The crusades of the past were ordered by the popes of that day. They sought to free the Holy Lands from Muslim domination and keep Islam OUT of Europe!
Pope Francis has stated a number of times that Islam is strengthening Europe and is a blessing to the church. It’s apparent that the pope is oblivious to the dangers that Islam poses to Europe and the Roman church!
The Pontiff has also expressed his belief that the Quran is a “book of peace.” A book of peace? Hardly! But when one is deceived, one is deceived! Revelation 12:9 comes into play and as it states, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” In Pope Francis’ case, it is doubtful that deception is all that difficult a task for Satan the devil!
Another example of how the pope is so far out of touch is that he publicly has stated his support for government funding of Mosque construction. He is also a strong advocate for recognizing Islam as a “great religion” in Italy. He strongly supports official recognition of Islam. The final outrage, as seen by many Italians, is that Pope Francis has offered to build a Mosque on the grounds of the Vatican. To most Italians that proposal is not only outrageous, but a direct threat to their church and their nation.
Subsequently, there is little support for “Il Papa (the pope).” However, he is the pope and even some of the student acquaintances were unwilling to criticize him. They were all Catholics and while not loyal practitioners of the faith, drew the line at openly criticizing “Il Papa.”
Despite the ecumenicalism professed by Pope Francis, the fact that Muslims absolutely hate the Roman Catholic Church cannot be denied. The former self-appointed Islamic State, Caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, proclaimed that the time would come, when the green flag of Islam flew over the Vatican and that St. Peter’s Basilica would be turned into a Mosque.
While Pope Francis is “making nice” with Muslims and Islam, the hatred of anything that implies Christianity is on the target list of Islamic radicals. This is a fact that few recognize today.
What is certain is this: Islam poses a greater threat to Europe and particularly Italy than ever before. King John I of Poland defeated the Ottoman invaders at the Gates of Vienna on September 11, 1683; Europe thrived after the Muslims’ threat no longer was a cause of concern. Today, only the blind and the deceived fail to see the threat to Italy and Europe, but a new “Renaissance” is on the horizon!
The Holy Bible doesn’t reveal that Europe will be Muslim, quite the contrary; the Ten European nations that will form the final United States of Europe will NOT be led under the green flag of Islam! When the Last Chapter of European History is finally written, it will not be penned by a Muslim!
