The Muslim World Population Bomb And The Rising Faith And State Issues

Very quietly, the world community has ignored that cultural differences within the Muslim community have encouraged this community to have disportionately large familes if sometimes seven or eight children, while other groups have either nearly replacement or declining birth rares. The steady rise in Muslim populations has eventually increased the populations so much, that traditional religious or ethnic group rule of the past has been gradually challenged.

In countries such as France and Great Britain, not only the increase in immgrants from MidEast Muslim states has created large ethnic Arab communities, but now presents a future wrest for political power in France and parts of Europe. Britain wrestles with a balance between the traditional Protestant dominated culture and a rising population with traditions in Islam.

In Turkey, the increased fundamentalist Muslim population threatens the more secular form of the government of Turkey, as Muslim fundamentalism creeps more into education and impacts what kind of NATO member or EU member Turkey could become. After the postWWI upheaval that eliminated centuries of Ottoman Empire rule that twice attempted to overrun Vienna by the sword to spread the Muslim faith as well as the WWI axis of Turkey with Germany, the more secular government of modern Turkey's declining influence as Muslim fundamentalism rises creates new challenges as how the Western world should view Turkey.

In Israel, the steady increase of the Palestinian population since the 1948 war, not only increased Palestinian political clout, but also evoked an Israeli backlash of fears of becoming a minority of the population of Israel at some point in the future and losing control of Israel to an Arab Muslim majority. This long feared, "Palestinian Population Bomb" by some in Israel only helped to fuel political negotiations on one level, but has also fueled fear and violent confrontation on the other hand.

But the one area in which the Muslim population bomb may have the greatest impact is in Russia. Th ethnic Russians are currently involved in declining birth rate cycle for many reasons, while the Muslim population of Russia is on a sharp increase cycle because of many families with seven or eight children. By the year 2050, some estimates claim that Muslims in Russia may be in the majority. If somewhat free elections still exist in Russia despite the antidemocratic nature of Putin and others, than Russia could become a Muslim dominated government with a vast nuclear weapons inventory by 2050. Depending on the nature of this government, this could mean a dangerous trend towards support for MidEast governments such as Iran or the proliferation of nuclear weapons if not open MidEast war that threatens Israel or beyond.

Cultural differences that have helped to dramaticly increase the Muslim world population is creating new political realities across the globe. Even in the U.S., the first Muslim was elected to Congress, who is now challenging that he be sworn in on a Koran and not the Bible. But then again some very flawed leaders such as Richard Nixon or Tom Delay were sweared in by the Bible, so the lpyalty of anyone to defending the values of this nation cannot be so easily defined by the book that they take the oath on. But the increasing world Muslim populations are creating new political realities the world over, and presenting new questions about the role of some with faith and state.