Germany Has a Problem

Europe is dying. That's what declining demographics tell us. It takes 2.1 live births per woman to maintain a stable population, and Europe's rate is 1.55. And Germany, in particular, is in the worst shape of all. A recent report tells us that Germany has surpassed Japan in having the lowest birth rate in the world; Germany's population decline has reached the point where it is irreversible.

Such a low fertility rate means that not enough babies are born to replace an aging population and to enter the workforce as they become of age. Right now there simply are not enough people in the labor force to support the country's pensioners and its massive welfare programs. In fact, the current percentage of people of working age (61%) is projected to drop to 54% by the year 2030. Having so many jobs available and so few people to fill them is good for Germany's unemployment rate, but bad for its long-term economic prospects.

Forced to confront this looming disaster, Germany is desperate for workers, and the only way it can get them is through immigration. That's why we're seeing Germany open its doors to Syrian refugees. It expects to welcome 800,000 this year alone and 500,000 each year thereafter. But while this massive immigration may add to the workforce, it brings with it a problem that is potentially much more serious.

The vast majority of refugees migrating to Germany are Muslims. And as we've seen in other countries like France and Spain, Muslim immigrants do not assimilate well in their new host countries. On the contrary, they form tight enclaves controlled by radical Islamists who discourage assimilation, enforce Sharia law, and promote jihadism. In some parts of Germany, they have even infiltrated school systems to protect Muslim children from being contaminated by local customs and values.

Radical Islamists know that there is more than one way to win a war, and in a Europe weakened by liberal policies and a declining birthrate, they are winning. We Americans, on the other hand, do not feel threatened by a potential flood of Muslim refugees on our shores; we are separated from Europe by an ocean, after all. No need to worry. Right?