Knowing that long historical tracts are not greeted with joy by modern readers, this will be a very brief comment on one of the historical truths of the last 1300 years. That is that Muslims have tried to invade and conquer Europe many times. They have changed tactics and may win this time.

The Muslim religion was founded by Mohammed in the years prior to 630 AD. Unique to this religion was its use of deception, military power to conquer, and an eagerness to convert or murder. The Koran is full of rules about how to handle the “people of the Book,” or Christians and Jews. In essence, they are to be converted or killed. Simple rules are easy to understand!

The Koran also encourages conquest to create the global Caliphate where Islam rules and Shariah law is supreme around the world. This ambition resulted in the conquest of Spain in 711, a conquest that continued until Muslims were expelled in 1492. Spain marked the limit to westward expansion of the Caliphate, but not the effort.

A massive Muslim army attacked France in 732 only to be defeated by Charles Martel at Tours. This in one of great battles of history and saved Europe from devastation. During the next centuries, Muslims and Europeans battled all over the Mediterranean. All of the Levant and North Africa became Muslim as did Constantinople in 1435. It has been Istanbul since. Other battles such as the Battles of Mohacs, Buda, Malta, and Kosovo come to mind.

Muslim navies raided Italy and Spain constantly during the 12th to 16th centuries for booty and slaves. Christian slaves manned the oars of Muslim galleys for centuries. Miguel Cervantes, author of “Don Quixote,” was such a slave.

The Muslim naval threat to Europe continued with attacks on Crete, Cyprus and Sicily, but the main thrust, a massive attack on Italy, was defeated at the Battle of Lepanto on October 1, 1571. This battle was between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League made up of the Spanish Empire, The Papal States, Venice, Genoa, Tuscany, Savoy, Urbino and the Knights of St. John. It was a Holy League, united by faith. The Battle was part of the Fourth Venetian-Ottoman War, by the way.

Significant in this battle was the obvious “Hand of God” intervention that lead to a conclusive Christian victory. The “Hand of God” intervention occurred when the Ottoman fleet, with the wind at its back, sailed to attach the Christian fleet. The wings of the Ottoman fleet over-lapped the smaller Christian fleet that couldn’t maneuver with the wind in its face. As the fleets closed, the wind shifted 180 degrees and suddenly it was the Ottoman Fleet that couldn’t maneuver, and the Christian fleet, with the wind at its back, destroyed the Ottomans. “Hand of God,” well, it was the Holy League.

Ottoman land attacks had ended with the Siege of Vienna in 1529. Another decisive defeat for the Musselemans, as they were called. Yet, a photograph last week showed thousands Muslims moving on a road toward Vienna under the headline,”Siege of Vienna.’

This time there is no Charles Martel or Holy League. There is the welfare state and political leaders originally eager to let in hundreds of thousands bearing their Korans and devotion to the Caliphate. The Godless welfare state of Europe may not have the will nor the capacity to resist this attack. The birthrate in Europe is below the 2.1 children per fertile female ratio that is needed to sustain a viable population. Muslim birth rates are often at a multiple of the minimum. Do the math.

There will be a point at which Europe catches on and fights back. This may be happening now as the Hungarians are closing its previously porous border and the Germans are rethinking its policy. It will be a long road back, but Europe may be beyond saving.