This was an illuminating book. While the author does have his prejudices against traditional Christians (he is a homosexual) he does recognize many important points that the liberal establishment is blind to (multi-culturalism so enfeebles a culture that it is taken over, Europe got into appeasement due to its interpretation of WWII, the groupthink of the Establishment causes problems to be ignored rather than solved. The book explains well current European culture, as well as how Europeans have more difficulty assimilating immigrants. One thing overlooked is how the gay rights cause looks to wind up helping the muslim conquest-- in seeking silencing political, nonviolent opposition to homosexuality, these activists have eroded the notion of free speech that others disapprove of. The Muslims appear to be mastering this concept to prevent opposition to their goals-- under the guise of "Islamophobia".

The Lesson-- If one erodes other people's 1st. Amendment rights, he will find his own rights eroded in turn. The book would be even better if the author recognized this.

This was an illuminating book. While the author does have his prejudices against traditional Christians (he is a homosexual) he does recognize many important points that the liberal establishment is blind to (multi-culturalism so enfeebles a culture that it is taken over, Europe got into appeasement due to its interpretation of WWII, the groupthink of the Establishment causes problems to be ignored rather than solved. The book explains well current European culture, as well as how Europeans have more difficulty assimilating immigrants. One thing overlooked is how the gay rights cause looks to wind up helping the muslim conquest-- in seeking silencing political, nonviolent opposition to homosexuality, these activists have eroded the notion of free speech that others disapprove of. The Muslims appear to be mastering this concept to prevent opposition to their goals-- under the guise of "Islamophobia".

The Lesson-- If one erodes other people's 1st. Amendment rights, he will find his own rights eroded in turn. The book would be even better if the author recognized this.

I agree with much of what the more recent 4/5-star reviewers say about this book. Overall I found the book to be quite helpful in familiarizing the reader with the issues pointed out by the author, and it contains a fairly comprehensive survey of the kinds and nature of problems that exist in Europe because of the immigrant Muslim population. If nothing else, the book will impress upon the reader the absolute necessity for Westerners to take a very firm stand against the backwards thinking of Islam and the threat its beliefs, practices, and laws pose to civilized nations.

Here are my own comments and observations:

THE POSITIVE:
(1) The book is well-written in the sense that the author is quite literate and has an extensive vocabulary. His writing style is very readable.

(2) Bawer clearly is qualified to comment on the issues from experiential and anecdotal points of view. Some reviewers object that this work is not social science properly speaking, and I agree. However, I don't think the author purports his work to be considered as such. Nonetheless, Bawer still has a wealth of information to share with his readers, and there indeed is something useful to be gained from his observations.

(3) Bawer cites many examples of the problems he discusses, so the reader is left with a very clear picture of the issues.

(4) Bawer has lived in both the U.S. and in Europe, so he is in a position to understand their respective cultures and how they relate and differ. This understanding is beneficial to giving the reader a better insight into the cultural behaviors and mindset of each region.

THE NEGATIVE:
(1) The most glaring problem with this book is its lack of footnotes to document the many quotes and sources that Bawer uses. If he had to access those sources to obtain the information to begin with, then he clearly knows where the material is to be found. By failing to footnote his sources, he detracts somewhat from his credibility and he prevents the reader from accessing his sources to further investigate the issues.

(2) While the book's subtitle clearly pinpoints the focus of his work (Muslims), in fact a substantial portion of the book deals with the reasons why Europeans in general are distrustful of and antagonistic towards Americans. This information is certainly useful, but it does not deal directly with Bawer's thesis, in my opinion.

(3) Bawer makes it clear from the beginning of the book that he is actively gay, and he periodically makes references to issues that center around homosexuals rather than Muslims. Again, those issues are not germane to his thesis, and at times he comes across as making a not-so-subtle pitch for gay "rights." To the extent that Islam formally sanctions the mistreatment of homosexuals, Bawer is staying within his thesis parameters. However, at times he clearly strays beyond them.

(4) As one other reviewer noted, Bawer's material--while extensive--is not really in a format that makes it easy to reference. There *is* an index in the back of the book, but it is not extensive and detailed.

If you're looking for a scientific treatment of the subject matter, you won't find it in this book. However, if you're looking for a substantial look into the issue from a personal point of view--one that is validated by the author's lived experience--then I submit you will be quite satisfied with this work. I borrowed it from my local library rather than purchasing it. If there had been proper documenting of sources, I would have bought it in a heartbeat, for it would have proved to be a tremendously useful resource.

One of the common themes that appears in many writings of Spencer, Emerson, Steyn and others is that there are many Americans who, for one reason or another, are not proud to be Americans. Bawer alludes very strongly to that as well, and I believe he may even have been one of those people until his long term experience of living in Europe and seeing first hand the Islamization taking place there.

Americans (all Westerners, really) need to understand the total erosion of rights we take for granted being summarily squashed under Sharia. Bill of Rights? Fuhgeddaboudit! All men created equal? Not anymore!

As Bawer points out on almost every page, he is unabashedly and unashamedly gay, and the gay community must someday come to terms with the fact that right-wing America is going to do more to protect their civil rights than the liberals, who turn a blind eye to Muslim atrocities against gays in Europe and elsewhere. Civil unions don't provide much benefit when one's head is no longer in union with the rest of the body.

It is true that most European coutries have ignored the issue of immigration and integration for far too long, causing a certain ghettoization and the emergence of parallel societies. Particularly immigrants of Islamic countries frequently hardly speak their host country's language, perform poorly in school and often end up unemployed. There are also problems with violence, fanaticism and the oppression of women in this particular class of population (left-behind muslim immigrants).

However, it is populist, inconsiderate and hasty to blame Islam for all of this and to predict Europe's downfall (or even the entire West's!). There are several other explanations for intolerance and violence among Muslims in Europe: a large share of them is poorly educated (high correlation with violence and fanaticism for low education in all population segments), socioeconomically disadvantaged and often unemployed (again high correlation with violence and fanaticism for those attributes regardless of religion or ethnicity). There is no evidence that poor, uneducated, unemployed Muslims have a higher crime rate or affinity to extremist ideologies than e.g. poor, uneducated, unemployed Catholic French or Atheist Germans. This is an interesting and important question / field of study, but the author does nothing to bring to light some empric evidence from comprehensible trustworthy sources.

Also, many European countries have failed to design processes for integration (education about rights and duties, language classes, coaching), relocating immigrants to gloomy suburbs with already high crime rate. This is another factor that is hardly mentioned in the book.

Rather than providing new insights based on a thorough analysis, this book is merely exploiting xenophobia and airing itself as the skryer of a dark future...every bit as intolerant and undifferentiated as the fanaticism it attacks.

There are many who will blast this book as being antiMuslim propaganda. That is complete nonsense (but as the author points out in the book, anything less than complete submission to the teachings of Islam will be viewed by Islamic extremists as being antiMuslim). This is a book that desperately needed to be written, and now needs to be read by every freedom loving person in the precariously free world. It is interesting to learn the bio of the author: he is an openly gay man originally from New York who, after taking the Christian Right to task for several years, decided to live in the Netherlands with his partner in order to experience a whole new way of life and the freedom to be gay in a culture that warmly embraces homosexuality. In other words, he's not a Coulter-O'Reilly clone who believes that the world needs to be ruled by the Bible and that the US is the only nation of the planet. We needed an unbiased, nondogmatic view on this subject, and for the most part Mr. Bawer gives us just that. As we read in his book, the evolution of the Europe to which he first moves (a lovely, accepting if a bit snobbish and antiAmerican place) into a callipate in all but name is laid bare for all to see. Like many of the other reviewers, I wish that Mr. Bawer had included endnotes if for nothing else but to allow the reader to view the ghastly comments of the political and intellectual elite of Europe in their own words (I defy anyone to read the comment of Unni Wikan who basically said that if Norwegian women wish to avoid being raped, they must learn to conform to the Muslim ideal. In other words, nonMuslim women must put on a burka or else face their "deserved" punishment of being assaulted). This is a very scary book because it is true. The fate of France as a Muslim state under sharia is all but certain, and most Scandinavian countries seem hellbent on following Her path. I enjoyed Mr. Bawer's writing style (other than lack of footnotes) very much; he makes the reader feel as if an old friend who has been living abroad showed up for a chat about these issues. If the reader wants pure stats, he/she should goggle them or look at a spreadsheet. This is written to appeal to a public who reads "Time" or "Newsweek", not "Consumer Reports". One can only hope that Europeans read this book and take it seriously (which, since it was written by an American, I doubt they will). They need to reevaluate their entire immigration policy (for instance, an American brain surgeon probably couldn't obtain citizenship in Britain, but an iman who doesn't even speak English and openly calls for the overthrow of the secular government and establishment of an Islamic state is welcomed with open arms? I don't get it) and realise that they are harming all of their citizens (including law abiding Muslims) when they allow these monsters to take up residency. Militant Islam may be the biggest threat in history (much more so than Nazism or Communism, since it combines the philosophy of both of them with a lust for conquering and ending the world). Now is the time for the world to wake up and start taking it seriously.

This book contains a rich collection of chilling facts on the growth of radical Islamic thought in western Europe and how Multiculturalist thought encourages many "political correct" individuals to refuse to acknowledge that this is becoming a serious problem. The author has spent a large amount of time living in both the United States and Europe as an openly gay man. I mention the author's sexual orientation because I think it supports how even though the author is very sensitive to discrimination against minorities, he still sees the spread of radical Islam as a serious problem.

Although this book is a quick read with a dense amount of information, it is really written as just one endless stream of facts. I think that the author could have organized all of this valuable information into a much better book. In its current form, using this book for reference is near impossible.

Nevertheless, I still strongly recommend this book as a primer on the growth of radical Islam in western Europe and the moral paralysis induced by the dominance of Multiculturalist thought throughout the continent.

Solely as a recitation of recent events in Europe that are under-reported in Europe and the US, this is a must read. Bawer is a journalist who spent quite a bit of time living, working, and traveling in Europe, and his insight into how real events are morphed as they find their way into the evening news or morning paper can help one make sense of what's going on in Europe, the UK, and the US.

This is not an academic excercise in "what's wrong with Europe". For that, perhaps try Weigel's "The Cube and the Cathedral".

This book raises very important issues facing Europe and the West and its confrontation with forces of radical Islam. Having lived extensively in Denmark, I have seen first-hand the "culture clash" that is going on there.

But this book -- although certainly engaging -- is extremely disappointing and flawed.

First: argument by anecdote. Time after time after time the author uses some powerful anecdote, and then draws major sociological conclusions from it. But this is no way to make generalizations about the social world.

Second: watch how he perpetually uses the term "many." He will profile some random Muslim immigrant who is clearly exploiting the welfare system in Norway, and then the author will conclude by saying: "many others do this." But what exactly is "many"? 5? 15? 500? 5,000? And what percentage of Muslims cheats the system: 5%? 25%? The author never tells us because this actually isn't a work of social science at all. It is an anecdotal rant. The only "facts" are what the author happens to personally experience or think.

Third: the author often has a given conversation in a restaurant, and then extrapolates that what he hears is somehow indicative of what all Europeans think. Someone says something negative about America in France -- and viola, all French people feel this way. Someone says something anti-Jewish in Norway, and viola -- all Norwegians feel this way...etc..this method of argumentation is constant throughout the book. It is atrocious social science.

Fourth: the author argues that if Europeans elect left-wing political parties who are against the American occupation of Iraq, they somehow are "for the terrorists." Please. One can be both against the immoral and bogus occupation of Iraq and still hate the evil terrorists.


Fifth: the author's rosy-colored view of Americans is borderline absurd. He argues that Americans love immigrants and that "Americans can generally accept almost anyone from anywhere as a fellow American." Is this guy on crack? He clearly has no clue about the current anti-immigrant movement in America, nor the struggles that Asians and African Americans have endured for hundreds of years to be seen as truly and fully American. Well again, this is just a personal rant -- so facts don't really matter.

Granted, it is true that certain Muslims are homophobic, anti-Semitic, violent, intolerant of democracy and secular values -- and to deny or ignore this is indeed blind. But this book provides very little helpful insight or sociological analysis concerning these matters.

Ultimately, this is a very angry and provocative book written by a fearful author who had plenty of time to rant, but not enough time engage in reasonable, intelligent, or fact-based social science.

Enjoy!

As noted by other reviewers, this book does not present an unassailable case fortified by careful documentation. But if you don't expect it to, you'll get two excellent books in one: the personal story of a man who gains new appreciation for America's character after losing his idealized vision of European life in the course of actually living there, and a sweeping indictment of the political correctness and specious pacifism that could allow radical Islam to eclipse Western civilization on the European front.

What makes Bawer's account compelling is not any claim on his part to be authoritative, but specifically the risk to his own person and the challenge to his beliefs and stereotypes that his experiences represented. Quit arguing with his approach long enough to stand in his shoes and you'll be alarmed, I'm certain.

For Muslims offended by his take on Islam, I can sympathize. I often feel the same way when, as an evangelical Christian, I am lumped in with abortion clinic bombers and Fred Phelps. I am EAGER to denounce their behavior without equivocation and stand against them at every opportunity. That's all you can do with radicals (secular or religious) with a taste for hate and violence, because they must be vigorously opposed.

As noted by other reviewers, this book does not present an unassailable case fortified by careful documentation. But if you don't expect it to, you'll get two excellent books in one: the personal story of a man who loses his idealized vision of life in Europe in the course of actually living there, and a sweeping indictment of the political correctness and specious pacifism that could allow radical Islam to eclipse Western civilization on the European front.

What makes Bawer's account compelling is not any claim on his part to be authoritative, but specifically the risk to his own person and the challenge to his beliefs and stereotypes that his experiences represented. Quit arguing with his approach long enough to stand in his shoes and you'll be alarmed, I'm certain.

For Muslims offended by his take on Islam, I can sympathize. I often feel the same way when, as an evangelical Christian, I am lumped in with abortion clinic bombers and Fred Phelps. I am EAGER to denounce their behavior without equivocation and stand against them at every opportunity. That's all you can do with radicals (secular or religious) with a taste for hate and violence, because they must be vigorously opposed.

There are so many 5 star excellent reviews of this book I will only say I agree and read it!

I haven't even finished reading this book but I know that it is true as I have lived in Saudi Arabia and I am quite familiar with Islam. Hurry to the bookstore and buy this book, then read it and pass it on. Christian Scriptures warn us of the Anti-Christ and Muhammad is it. Muhammad's words are filled with hate, not love as Jesus taught. Muhammad teaches that all Jews, Christians and all others who will not accept Muahmmad as the prophet should be killed or pay tax to the Muslim government. I suggest reading Religion of Peace Why Christinaity Is and Islam Isn't by Robert Spencer. The Western world is in great danger and we must either stop these racical Muslims or die by their hand.
Wake up America! PLEASE! The greatest wars are religious wars. We have fought them before and must do so again. In light of what is going on, President Bush is not far wrong to fight the jihad. History will tell.

If you have spent any time living in Europe since the end of WWII and paid attention to what is going on around you, this is not a book worth your time. But if you have been getting your "news" from the major networks, the New York Times, or other elitist media, this book will be an eye-opener.
Bawer is like most liberals in the USA who grew up in their own little cocoon without any understanding of the real world. His big move from the USA to Europe was the classic cold shower of reality introduction to a continent that has seen more human blood spilled than any other region of the world, which is saying a lot since the human species is the most violent of any animal on the planet, bar none.
The most recent convert to reality, David Mamet, is currently getting his baptism in the sewer of political correctness, from his article in the Village Voice about why he is no longer a brain dead liberal, but Bawer got his by being beaten up in Amsterdam, after escaping the gulag of the USA because he was gay in a city where being gay was supposedly acceptable.
Of course he had no understanding of the new form of Fascism which is taking over Europe, Islamofascism, because he had a poor education from his years of reading the nonsense that is the elitist media today.
Bawer does a good job of exposing today's appeasement artists, the elite pols and media and opinion leaders in Europe today for the cowards that they are, but I suspect that his epiphany will do nothing but mean he is marginalized by the many liberals he was a part of until he saw the light.
The best part of this book is not necessarily the many sources he cites of the ways in which Europe is committing cultural suicide, which are very good and numerous, but a couple of line of advice which I have been using for many years after being lectured by the children of Nazis who inflicted more harm on humanity than had ever occurred in the past.
The country that saved humanity from the depravity of a Hitler or Stalin has nothing to learn from the children of mass murderers. And allowing them to vent their anti-Americanism unchallenged is not the way to deal with the current crop of appeasement artists whose grandparents won the day in 1938 by bringing "Peace in our Time". And 50 or 60 million deaths later, peace arrived after brave American men stormed the beaches of Europe to bring an end to the massive death that appeasement wrought.
The paperback edition of this book has an addendum which makes this a better purchase than the original hardcover since it updates the continuing idiocy of the European elite who think that giving the Islamofascists a little "lebensraum" will sate their desire to move mankind back into the 7th century.

This book is a must-read for anyone who plans on being alive for more than a couple of decades. The author is very well informed and I can relate to much of what he says, after living and working in Europe myself. His message is very relevant and I hope the younger generation of Europeans reads this book and wakes up!!!!

How can we believe anything said in this book since there are no sources? It's not history, it's one person's opinion. And judging from that person's personal history, highly distorted and self-obsessed.

Why on earth would the National Critics Circle honor as history something that was written as personal opinion?

If you care to be well imformed as to what is happening in the world, this is a must read.While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within

The author clearly explains the complex reasons--what it is about Europe that makes it more vulnerable to Islamic expansion than America. He also describes the differences between the various countries in Europe. He solves a lot of puzzles.

This book is a serious wake-up call to Western Europe, and to America about the seriousness of radical Islam to the future of what we hold dear: a secular state which institutionalizes freedom of religion, a state which recognizes the equality of women, and a state which recognizes that all people are subject to the laws of the country of residence, not a religious law.

Incident after incident of Muslim conflict with local officials shows the pattern of infiltration, attempting to get governments to allow seperatism to be the norm, until it becomes the law.

The stories told by the author are chilling, but eye opening.

The murder of the Dutch author Theo Van Gogh is graphic, but must be read to understand the degree of fanatacism we face.

Our freedom of religion and speech is under siege! We must wake up, or lose everything we hold dear.

Bawer writes with intelligence and passion. He reveals the problems that European face as a result of their appeasement of Islamic fundamentalism, homophobia, and religious intolerance. In Bawer's view this corresponds to the appeasers of Nazi Germany over half a century ago. Can Europeans see the similarities and draw appropriate conclusions? The threat of radical Islam is real. Bawer makes his case moderately but eloquently and powerfully. Whether one agrees with Bawer's views or not, this book may not remain unread. Also recommend reading Infidel and America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It

First of all, I agree that fundamental Islam is destroying the west and seeks to place all people under the rule of sharia law. The other books I've read on the subject (Robert Spencer, Greg Davis) are to the point and don't bother the reader with some personal agenda or personal beliefs they might have.

"But i was beginning to recognize that certain elements of the continent's ever-growing immigrant population represented even more of a threat to democracy than did fundamentalist Christians in the United States."

I am not really sure what a "fundamentalist" Christian is. Is that simply a Christian? One who believes the Bible, accepts that he is a sinner, and believes Jesus Christ died for him, is that a "fundamentalist" Christian? If so I guess that is what I am. That being said, what in the world is (or could) a Christian be that is not a "fundamentalist" Christian? Nevermind that Christian values are what the United States constitution is based on.

Mr Bawer is preoccupied with the fact that he is a homosexual. So much of the book is his personal feelings about his own lifestyle.

"The main reason I'd been glad to leave America was Protestant fundamentalism. But Europe, I eventually saw, was falling prey to an even more alarming fundamentalism whose leaders made their American Protestant counterparts look like amateurs"

What an unbelieveable foolish thing to say. Does the author believe that Christians are Islamic terrorists' "counterparts"? The authors beef with Christians comes simply from his own chosen lifestyle. Maybe the author has been called a vulgar name or two and I guess he assumes that they must have been "Christian Fundamentalists". Even if the name callers claimed to be Christians is that anywhere close to the horrific acts against humanity that were commited in the name of Islam. Very irresponsible of the author.

If someone is a homosexual it is between God and them. No one on this earth can judge them, and I am not sure how God will judge them. Homosexuality is a sin like any other. I don't know why the author would even volunteer the information. No one really cares whether he is a homosexual or not and the author really needs to get over that.

Bruce Bawer's analysis of political situation in Europe is blood-chilling, but accurate.
To sum it up: while Europe slept - and continues to sleep - it stopped to be a European Union and became Islamobad - with all the grave consequences for Europeans and the rest of Western world. For everybody who visited Europe in last years, and has seen it not only from the window of tour bus, this conclusion would not be surprising. However, I was stunned by the emerging general picture. And I am even more shocked that European governments continue their policies - even facing one of the greatest threats that our civilization has seen.

There is one point in Bawer's analysis, where I don't completely agree with him. American democracy - with all its advantages - is nevertheless far from the brave knight in the white armor, described and (now!) almost idealized by Bawer. The parts of the book where Bawer describes European "anti-americanism" are bitter (even when true) and are not necessary for the message of the book.

One the other hand - if one has to biased, let it be pro-American bias - as compared to pro-Islamic one. More chances to save the civilization as we know it.

Although the subtitle of "While Europe Slept" is "How radical Islam is destroying the West from within", this book is more a dissection of the European psyche than it is an analysis of Islam. Bawer offers us razor-sharp insight into why Europeans have the mindset they do about the US and Israel. I have a good Dutch friend who has told me he will never go back to the Netherlands. After reading this book I see clearly why he feels that way. We all know the UN is a `feckless pile of bureaucracy' - but Bawer shows us why they are intentionally exactly that. It is not that they are inept. The belief that sitting down and talking can ALWAYS solve any problem, even those brought about by vicious tyrannical regimes, and that force of arms is ALWAYS wrong, is a fervently held truism at the UN and throughout European media and political elites.
Europeans do not give our country credit for sacrificing our men's lives and our treasure in wars (even WWII) to defend the freedoms of other nations. They label our efforts as being grossly self-serving efforts to spread `capitalism' and `democracy', both of which words have negative connotations to them.

What comes across plainly from this work is a warning that the US is following the same suicidal path as Europe - PC speech codes in schools and universities, media self-censorship of words like `terrorist' and the supportive attitude of the Islamic community to assaults like 9/11 and the Madrid and London bombings, the use of the word `peace' instead of the more accurate `appeasement'.

The author's `afterword' disabuses us of any idea that Europeans may be becoming aware of the dangers of the double standard they apply to anyone who warns of the onslaught of the Islamic thrust to institute universal sharia law. They are not. It is as if no European ever heard about Neville Chamberlain's "Peace in our time" fiasco. Example after example in the book reveals the absurd level to which these PC double standards are being applied even in Britain. Any criticism of the Islamic beliefs that gays should be killed and that genital mutilation of young girls keeps them `pure' is called `islamophobia'.

This is a definite "must read" book for anyone who wonders why the US is so vilified in most of the world today. We simply do not have any European `allies' who believe as we do. This book clearly demonstrates that the US is quite alone in its reverence of individual rights and freedoms. Very, very much alone.

If you're like me, you're the average American who hasn't a clue how bad it really is in Europe when it comes to radical Islam. I read the news, I knew that Europe had a problem integrating its Muslim immigrant populations into their society, culture, and norms (e.g., the Paris riots by Muslim youths). I knew about the terrorist attacks in London and Spain that occurred a few years ago. I knew that anti-Jewish sentiments were on the rise in many European countries, but this book makes it hit home how *bad* it really is getting across the Atlantic. The book gives a chilling account of how unsuccessful the European governments and establishment (the media, academia, and government officials) are in combating radical Islam brewing within their Muslim immigrant communities.

This book is broken down into 3 sections:

1. Before 9/11: Europe in Denial
2. 9/11 and After: Blaming Americans and Jews
3. Europe's Weimar Moment: The Liberal Resistance and Its Prospects

This book is gripping and once you pick it up, it's hard to put it down until you finish. However, I have read the first 2 sections before deciding to go ahead and review the book. I think this book is that important (another good book to read is America Alone by Mark Steyn).

In this book, Bawer describes how indifferent European governments and officials are to the problems of integration, how the media and government work together to downplay and spin crime by Muslim immigrants and intolerance to the public, how Muslim asylum seekers and immigrants have taken advantage of the European welfare state (Bawer gives examples of these immigrants utilizing benefits paid out by the state to purchase lavish homes in their native countries, and sometimes having second families "back home" all subsidized by European governments), and how the Muslim enclaves in each Western European country have "invisible" lines drawn between the native non-Muslim European citizens and the immigrant Muslims and their European-born children that are rarely crossed by the other.

Bawer takes an in-depth look into this crisis. There is an entire different class of people living, working, and having families within the European countries, it is like a country within a country, and the governments only encourage this division. There is no attempts to demand that the immigrants learn the host country's language or culture. In fact, the Muslim immigrants usually send their European-born children for schooling in their home countries. What happens is these children, that would have been integrated into their birth country and probably instilled with Western values of freedom and individuality, is instead indoctrinated in more radical views during their childhood and teenage years. If the child is female, she almost always comes back to Europe with a husband. Oh of course, the lax immigration policies means that the husband's family is also able to immigrate over too (something called "family reunification").

The author also takes a look into why and how the European elite is outright deceiving its citizens, and even blaming the U.S. and Israel for radical Islam (e.g., American foreign policy has caused Muslims to resort to violence or Israel occupation of Muslim land is a justifiable reason for Muslims to fight).

This is not easy reading, it won't comfort your mind, but I think it's necessary to have a brutally honest look at what is occurring to our allies in Europe and I think this book does a very good job of it. I highly recommend you include this book in your reading and to pass the word on to others.

I am genuinely shocked at the information this book provides. It is absolutely a MUST-READ for us all. In fact, I'm going to buy a number of copies and send them to people to ensure it is read. It is a call to action, and hopefully not too late.

While I found the book compelling and interesting I have to admit I can't trust its reliability. There are hardly any footnotes or cited sources for me to check. For instance, Bawer claims Switzerland is 20% Muslim. Yet every statistic I see from other sources do not even come close in matching this number. If his statistics are wrong or I can't even check to see where gets his information I have no reason to take his word for granted. Why pay $18 for facts I cannot verify?

As a European with a migrant background, I've to say that there is no better book, which clearer depicts Europeans and Muslim immigrants.
An excellent and insightful book.

Bruce Bawer shows in his book to have an in-depth knowledge of European politics, especially Dutch. Since I am originally from the Netherlands I was always told Americans can never understand the Dutch political system. Bruce showed them wrong. His description of the Dutch attitude, history and Dutch politics is right on.

The book has 3 parts, part II (about blaming America) is somewhat drawn out, could be shorter, but events are true.
I had a similar (blame America) experience with my brother, who lives in The Netherlands. He was in New York City three years ago. He called me and broke out in a long tirade (including cursing) about president Bush. Since my wife had just died 2 month earlier I was not in the mood for a political discussion. Have not talked to him since, only email with his wife.
I am now considered to be 'Americanized' (Bruce encountered this term repeatedly), must be bad.

The book is written more or less from a 'gay' point of view, but really applies to everyone. This may bother some people, but it did not bother me.

Presently there is a new socialist coalition government in The Netherlands, which is again trying to deny that there are any immigration problems.
Recently a schizofrenic paranoid Maroccon (he was admitted to a mental health clinic several times, but was now considered 'cured'), attacked and severely wounded two police officers with a knife in an Amsterdam police station. The police had to kill him. Since then every night cars were burned in Amsterdam. The police did nothing.
Statement of the Dutch minister of Integration:
"Don't be critical of young muslims, because this will only give them an excuse to riot". Kind of sums it all up.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (see 'Infidel') is now 'persona non grata' in Holland. Because she convinced Dutch moviemaker van Gogh to make a short movie critical of Islam, it is her fault that he was killed by a muslim. She is the problem, not Islam.
Denmark, however, has offered to take her in and protect her. France wants to make her 'honorary citizen'. She lives now in Washington DC, but has problems getting protection. She needs body guards 24 hours a day.

Opposition is growing in Holland, may not be enough. I don't really see extreem right parties, former Dutch immigration minister Verdonk who tried to 'deport' Ayaan, started her own party. Of course every party who wants to stand up against fundamentalist muslims is called a fascist party.

Overall a great book, very well documented.

Bruce Bawer shows in his book to have an in depth knowledge of European politics, especially Dutch. Since I am originally from the Netherlands I was always told Americans can never understand the Dutch political system. Bruce showed them wrong. His description of the Dutch attitude, history and Dutch politics is right on.

The book has 3 parts, part II (about blaming America) is somewhat drawn out, could be shorter, but events are true.
I had a similar experience with my brother, who lives in The Netherlands. He was in New York City three years ago. He called me and broke out in a long tirade (including cursing) about president Busch. Since my wife had just died 2 month earlier I was not in the mood for a political discussion. Have not talked to him since, only email with his wife.
I am now considered to be 'Americanized', must be bad.

The book is written more or less from a 'gay' point of view. This may bother some people, but it did not bother me.

Presently there is a new socialist coalition government in The Netherlands, which is again trying to deny that there are any immigration problems.
Recently a schizofrenic paranoid Maroccon attacked and severely wounded two police officers in an Amsterdam police station. He was killed by the police. Since then every night cars were burned in Amsterdam. The police did nothing.
Statement of a Dutch minister:
"Don't be critical of young muslims, because this will only give them an excuse to riot". Kind of sums it all up.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (see 'Infidel') is now 'persona non grata' in Holland. Because she convinced Dutch moviemaker van Gogh to make a short movie critical of Islam, it is her fault that he was killed by a muslim. She is the problem, not Islam.
Denmark, however, has offered to take her in and protect her. France wants to make her 'honorary citizen'. She lives now in Washington DC, but has problems getting protection. She now needs body guards 24 hours a day.

Opposition is growing in Holland, may not be enough. I don't really see extreem right parties, former Dutch immigration minister Verdonk who tried to 'deport' Ayaan, started her own party. Of course every party who wants to stand up against fundamentalist muslims is called a fascist party.

Anyone who cares about the future of democracy and religious freedom for people of all faiths must read this book. Mr. Bawer has the courage and integrity to meticulously document the creeping rise of the twenty-first century's first form of fascism.

This book is dead on the mark. I am an American who lives in Germany and sees European stagnation and arrogance on a daily basis. But the book is not bashing our European cousins, but tries to open their eyes to American culture. This book was written more for a European audience. I wonder what Norwegians think of this book? One of the best books I have ever read.

This book is very enlightening as to the current status of Western Europe. Most Americans lack this perspective of excessive dependency and too many want to emulate the European form of government. I appreciate the author's insights and first hand experiences.

The book tackles the important and complex issue of the underclass immigrant communities in Europe. Some of these communities (Muslim, Christian, animists, etc..) have serious financial, social, and educational problems that need to be resolved in order for these millions to assimilate well in their respective societies.

Instead of tackling the historical background of the problem that dates to colonial times, societal prejudice against immigrants in Europe, or government policies that encourage the ghettoization of these communities, the author chooses to attribute all these problems to the religion of some of these immigrants!

This bizzare approach which contradicts every rule of rational analysis exploits the fear and ignorance that the layman have regarding Islam to sell an otherwise ridiculous argument.

While Europe Slept: was a real eye opener! As an American that has not been to Europe in 34 years I had no Idea! America Alone goes hand in hand with this publication. To anyone that has no clue as to what is now going on in Europe These books are a very good place to start. One might also see the book "Infidel": another exelent book. Good fortune with your quest for Knowledge. We have much to learn and a very short time in which to do so. That which is currently devouring Europe: Has already began here!

Excellent book written from the point of view of a man who really stands to lose a lot as islam strangles out Europe's sense of personal freedoms. Demonstrating his frustrations over how liberals can't see how their own soft racism against muslims is turning the disenfranchised muslim populations against the mainstream and will eventually lead to the loss of all the things liberals hold most dearly.

Given that Zionism has hijecked US policy, how ironic, but expected, it is that a book on 'Islam' would come out to suggest that it is Islam that is destroying the West from within? Rather, Zionism is a theory that would steal land from a group of people on a moribund 2000 year old claim and say that group's rights don't matter - Please explain why should the Palestinians be Zionists?

Having read a number of books about Islam and its role in the world, I didn't expect to find much I didn't know in this book. I was astonished at how much I learned!

The author takes a variety of social aspects - education, immigration, media, legislation and law enforcement to name a few - and pulls them all together to give a clear picture of what life on the streets of Europe is like for the burgeoning Muslim population and the rest of us.

Although I wasn't expecting or appreciative of the author's homosexual-rights bias, there was no denying the truth of his words or the accuracy of his information.

Every American should have to read this book, and our legislators need to take it's warnings to heart if we want to avoid the disaster that Europe now faces.

I'll break my review into several parts:

1). In the Fall of 1989, I served as a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow at the Vrije Unviersity of AMsterdam. Everything Bawer describes about European values, attitudes,society, their elites, etc., is absolutely correct. I saw it first hand. Because of the demise of patriotism and a value system, Dutch (and much of European) society has become one where social standards have evaporated. Thus, lacking a moral and ethical compass, an understanding of what is right and wrong, and a devotion to a coddling welfare state, they have created a vacuum that the Jihadists are only too willing and eager to fill. They created their own mess.

However, what he describes is ingrained in the Euroopean system throughout their history. I know. I immigrated from there as a child. Just the players have changed.

2). What Bawer did not disclose. WHile In the Netherlands, I discovered that Dutch corporations preferentially recruit workers from the military to staff the assembly line to the Board room. Many of these former military types "yearn to be of public service" and run for their parliament. Close to 55% of elected Dutch officials have a military background.

In 1989, I asked someone in the US Embassy what would happen if an economic turn down occurred. Would these ex-miltiary elected officials say "Ya, right, let's take over and run ze country like za military to fix ze problems" and would this lead to the re-emergence of militaristic fascism? I was made to understand this was a major concern. Bawer is correct in raising the issue of re-emerging fascism in response to the rising tide of Islamistc fascism in Europe, but he understated it. Likely, that will be the outcome to counter the Jihadists when crunch-time comes.

As my father once told me "beware of the man on a white horse." European hsitory is a continuiong saga of leaders on white horses, and becsue history repeats, it is likely to happen again.

Bawer also did not mention the following. European countries with former empires have only themselves to blame. When they gave up their empire, they still considered former residents (including native/ethnic people) of their "colonies" to be be citizens of the "Empire" and gave them British and French and Dtuch passports for openers. Many used these passports to immigrate to the UK, the Netherlands, and France. In 1960 when visiting London, I was astounded at the number of Pakistanis working as bus ticket collectors, street sweepers, and garbage men because British workers didn't want to do those job and instead collect welfare. Those Pakistanis saved their money, opened businesses, imported their wives and proceeded to multiply at a high rate, while establishing mosques and then importing immans.

3). What are the solutions?: Bawer really didn't have many. So here are some. First, if it is true that immigrants are tearing up their ID's and flushing them down the toilet on airplanes on the way to Europe and then claiming asylum, European governments COULD require that all ID's be turned over at check in, taken on board in a sealed container, and returned to the incoming passengers on landing at the immigration counter in the presence of a European immigration officer. That might slow things down with regard to fake asylum.

Second, European government should start shipping out ALL radical Muslim immans and radical Islmaic sympathizers (including those born in Europe) back to the country of their heritage.

Third, European governments should require that all children born in their country of foreign parents must attend school in Europe, and not be shipped at age 3 back to the Islamic world for an education, only to reappear later as adults. All subsidies for such children should be stopped if they leave the country. The only exception would be if the parents leave the country permanently too.

Fourth, Eruopean governments MUST stop subsidizing all religious schools, denominations, and institutions if they truly want to separate Church and State. Clearly, the failure to do so has been misunderstood, abused and corrupted.

Fifth, require all incoming "fetch brides" to be screened by embassies around the world before giving them visas. Use a system like the US uses in such circumstances.

Sixth, place a limit on the number of children the government will subsidize to three children. If a family has more than three children, no subsidies for the new ones. (Works in China to a point?)

If Bawer has sized up European attitudes correctly, and I believe he has, don't expect this to happen. But these proposals would help contain the problem in part.

Last, I have a question for Bawer? Why does he still chose to live in Europe? When I left the Netherlands in 1989 after living there six months, I vowed never to return and I haven't. It was bad then, and has become worse now.

RECOMMENDATION: Buy this book. It could happen in the USA and there are signs that in some parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states some of this is developing.

I saw Bruce Bawer on Bill Moyers and thought the idea of his book was fascinating. I had been watching news stories about the Muslim underclass in Europe and figured that there was a powder keg in the making, and I thought this book would enlighten me. In the first part of this book he states his central thesis, which is that the liberalism of European states will be the very thing that does them in, vis-a-vis their Muslim populations. He makes good points about Europeans not really understanding the meaning of true integration, about their romantic notions of other "exotic" cultures, and political correctness continuing to allow - if not condone - the worst practices of Muslim religious fanaticism.

Up until the middle of the book I was with him. Then, with the second part of the three-part book, he lets loose about every niggling little thing that any random European might have done or said to him that got under his skin. He clearly has lived in Europe too long. He proceeds to whine about how anti-American all Europeans are, how wonderful American-style capitalism is and just about deifies Ronald Reagan, who, he implies, singlehandedly brought down the Berlin Wall. He accuses liberals such as Michael Moore of lying about how bad the health system is in the US, questions how really "poor" Hurricane Katrina victims were and spends an inordinate amount of time dissecting the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Huh? This is NOT why I bought the book.

I realized that this book was less about how European nations were dealing with their immigration problems and more about how homesick he was for the US - and, how Europe's social economy was just way, way too "liberal" for him.

He's a facile writer, and when he wasn't blowing his stack about Europe and praising the US I rather enjoyed the read. But I just felt that the book used the European immigration situation as a thin ruse for the real topic of the book...bashing Europe. Had I known that, I wouldn't have bought it.

I'm living in Europe and the things Bawer talks about are dead-on with what's happening over here in some areas. Random beatings of local nationals and Americans by gangs of young muslims are not uncommon. The only distracting facet of the book (and I could see Bawer or his publisher tried to minimize references to it) was his desire to integrate his own sexual orientation and his personal knowledge/experiences of gay-bashing by Muslims. Still, this book is eye-opening and well researched and provides some great insights about European complacency and the errosion of Western cultural values by Radical Islamic immigrants. "Europe transformed" in 30 years seems pretty certain unless its leading elite grows a spine.

I'm living in Europe and the things Bawer talks about are dead-on with what's happening over here. Random beatings of local nationals and Americans by gangs of young muslims are not uncommon. The only distracting facet of the book (and I could see Bawer or his publisher tried to minimize references to it) was his desire to integrate his own sexual orientation and his personal knowledge/experiences of gay-bashing by Muslims. Still, this book is eye-opening and well researched and provides some great insights about European complacency and the errosion of Western cultural values by Radical Islamic immigrants. "Europe transformed" in 30 years seems pretty certain unless its leading elite grows a spine.

Bruce Bawer provides a vivid depiction of Europe's culture, something that is lacking in other works of this genre. He has spent a number of years living in a number of European countries, and he has a gimlet eye for meaningful details and events. He contrasts European and American culture as a person deeply familiar with both variants.

Politically, Social-democracy (or, socialism with a soupçon of capitalism) is the only ideology that is deemed acceptable in Europe. European media degrade America and Israel, idealize the UN and EU, and sanitize fundamentalist Islam. A fuzzy-minded multi-culturalism, egalitarianism and political correctness make up the Zeitgeist of modern Europe.

But "Europe's social harmony is increasingly being eroded and its affluence endangered by shrinking native populations and a growing immigrant population that's draining billions out in benefits." Bawer provides the exponential demographics, which show the eventual and certain occupation of all Europe by Islam. France will disappear first, within a few generations. As for the rest of Europe, it's not a question of if, but when.

The book has three principal sections, which occasionally overlap and interlock. Bawer eschews scholarly trappings and incorporates his sources into his text as part of the exposition.

The first part of the book describes the European ethos of multi-culturalism, it's history and present influence. The middle section lists a litany of horrors practiced by Muslims in Europe - rape, honor killings, beatings - all documented by media accounts. Those who commit these crimes claim they were driven to it by Western oppression. If they had been permitted to solve their problems within their own Islamic culture and Sharia law (on Western soil no less!) they would not have been driven to such measures. (Bawer does a good job of explaining the twisted logic of the Muslim "victim.")

In contradiction to Bawer's findings, geopolitical thinker Ralph Peters believes that Muslims will not take over Europe, but that the Europeans will either expel or kill them. The only reason Peters' provides for this is that Europeans have been the most vicious peoples of the modern era. He cites WWI and WWII as proof of his theory.

But this flies in the face of Bawer's carefully constructed case that the present generation in Europe is not made of the same stuff as the war I and II generations. In fact the multi-culturalism, socialism, and timidity that are the hall-marks of European culture, grew out of, and in contrast to, the war era that Peters describes.

The last section explores the question, what can be done to hold back the rising tide of this anti-Western and anti-Modern culture and peoples? Bawer's final arguments are persuasive. His straightforward analysis provides convincing evidence to support his final conclusion: the awful truth is that "Europe is steadily committing suicide, and perhaps all we can do is look on in horror."

An excellent work by an author I thoroughly want to disagree with, yet find I cannot in this latest from Bruce Bawer. This book illustrates the grim reality awaiting all societies that rest their intellectual laurels on humanism and deconstructionism.

This is one of the most fascinating books I've read. Bower brings tons of facts, statistics and insight to illustrate how Europe led by a layer of disconnected elitists is allowing Islam to destroy the continent by cynically leveraging hopelessly outdated laws. While the rest of the civilized world may enjoy the irony for Europe paying the price for their disgraceful past, the book can better serve a wakeup call for yet a more destructive force which is about to rule.

As a military officer assigned to a NATO command, I have read some interesting articles concerning demographics within Europe and the prospects of significant change over the next 10-15 years. Wanting to delve a bit deeper, this book seemed to offer that. Having not read previous material from the author, the first fifty pages outlaying the author's personal situation and point of departure for this book gave little indication as to where it would end up. This is a very important book that all Americans need to read. For those that espouse that radical Islam is not a real threat, that if we just pull out of Iraq, everything will be better, and that the UN should be in the lead to deal with this issue, read this book. My military colleagues from the UK, Netherlands, Norway, France, Germany, and Denmark see what is happening in their countries and are saying the same things the author states, and they are impervious to change it, as most of the older European politicos fund their militaries for peacekeeping and other nice duties, but are not prepared for the coming challenge from within (Kristin Krohn-Devold did get it). In the US, we need to see this as our challenge for the next fifty years and develop a strategy and, more importantly, the will to employ it. We also need to see the parallel to current Hispanic illegal immigration, not that there is a physical threat, but pocket communities in which second and third generation citizens grow up without learning English cannot become a precedent, or else the same issues that Europe is facing may arise here if (and when) Islamists target America for their next baby boom.

Excellent book, highlights a VERY serious problem facing the world today. This book will influence the way you view Europe and the Muslim world. Bruce Bower's unique standpoint (being a gay man that has become disenchanted with the paradise he believed Europe to be) lends this rather old story a new perspective. This isn't your typical right-wing journalist.

This fascinating book results from the author's extensive travels and experiences in Europe. Many of his conclusions and arguments are based on his personal observations over the last 10 years or so. He claims to have noticed a very disturbing trend towards the radicalization of Europe's large Muslim population in that time. Additionally, the author has become extremely jaded by the European 'elite' establishment. Politicians and journalists that refuse to acknowledge or talk about the problem and maintain their illogical stances of accommodation, understanding, and compassion for Muslim extremists in the name of political correctness and liberalness are a huge part of the problem. Bawer's most powerful idea is that tolerance for intolerance doesn't make any sense and is extremely dangerous.

'While Europe Slept' will make you appreciate America like you never have before. Many of us see our country sliding inexorably towards a socialistic democracy where Big Brother will take care of all of our worries (while degrading our liberties and sense of individuality). Well, Europe is much further down that road than we are, and if we learn anything from their experience, it should be a wariness of socialism. Bawer's experiences with anti-Americanism in Europe are very revealing and extremely entertaining. Europeans' frustration at the success and attitude of America has resulted in widespread bitterness and cynicalism towards Americans. Unfortunately, it makes it worse that we don't really seem to care what they think!

While this book is very powerful and convincing, if you're already somewhat aware of the issues, you may find parts of it rather dull and repetitious. Reading story after story about radical Islamists and weak-kneed politicians eventually gets a little old. Numerous times I felt a bit annoyed, thinking "Okay, okay, I get it already", but never to the point where I wanted to stop reading, just to the point where I wanted some new subject matter. I just didn't think it was such a page-turner as some reviewers have claimed. Actually, I'd recommend America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It by Mark Steyn for a more enjoyable read that tells essentially the same story, but in a more concise and entertaining fashion.

Still, 'While Europe Slept' details [IMHO] the most important issue facing us today, explaining the causes, effects, and possible solutions for the Islamicization of Western Europe. Highly recommended.

About a year ago I began reading news sources from Europe. I kept hearing how the news there is so much better than the US - wider in scope, more balanced and covering items not mentioned in the States. My initial impression was that I must have picked the wrong sources - the news was left, far left and extreme left. While there were some things not covered in the US, it was mostly Eurocentric items. I found many world events covered in the US that were barely mentioned in London, particularly those that reflected poorly on Europe. The only real difference I could see was point of view - in the US, you can get conservative, moderate and liberal points of view, often in the same piece. And if wacky is your flavor, you can have that, too. But in Europe, its only varying shades of liberal I'm sorry to say.

Why am I telling you this? Because Bawer's book confirms what I found (and he and I are not near one another on the political spectrum) and also explains why, which helped me a lot. If you're interested in understanding why Europeans view America so negatively, and how they are committing cultural suicide, you'll like this book.

Millionaire in 365 Days: The Daily Plan to Get There

All it takes is to see that the most popular name for baby boys is Mohamed in Sweden, and now it is coming to that in Great Britain, The Netherlands....and France will be 30% Islamic soon...get it...read this book, it will enlighten your knowledge about the fact that Radical islam is the ONLY Islam...