In 1987 I was living and  studying in Denmark . But in 1978 - even  in Copenhagen , one didn't see Muslim  immigrants.
The  Danish population embraced visitors, celebrated the exotic, went out  of  its way to protect each of its citizens. It was proud of its  new brand of socialist liberalism one in development since  the conservatives had lost power in 1929 - a system where no worker had  to struggle to survive, where one ultimately could  count upon the state as in, perhaps, no other western nation at the  time.

The rest of Europe saw the  Scandinavians as free-thinking, progressive and infinitely generous in  their welfare policies. Denmark boasted  low crime rates, devotion to the environment, a superior  educational system and a history of  humanitarianism.

Denmark was also most generous in its  immigration policies - it offered the best welcome in Europe to the new immigrant: generous welfare  payments from first arrival plus additional perks in transportation,  housing and education. It was determined to set a world example for  inclusiveness and multiculturalism.
 How  could it have predicted that one day in 2005 a series of political  cartoons in a newspaper would spark violence that would leave dozens  dead in the streets -all because its commitment to multiculturalism  would come back to bite?

By the 1990's the growing urban Muslim  population was obvious - and its unwillingness to integrate into Danish society was obvious.
Years  of immigrants had settled into Muslim-exclusive enclaves. As the Muslim  leadership became more vocal about what they considered the decadence of   Denmark 's liberal way of  life, the Danes - once so welcoming - began to feel slighted. Many Danes  had begun to see Islam as incompatible with their long-standing values: belief in personal liberty and free speech, in equality for women, in  tolerance for other ethnic groups, and a deep pride in Danish heritage  and history.
 

 The  New York Post in 2002 ran an article by Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard,  in which they forecasted accurately that the growing immigrant problem  in Denmark would explode. In the  article they reported:

"Muslim immigrants.constitute 5 percent of  the population but consume upwards of 40 percent of the welfare  spending."
"Muslims are only 4 percent of Denmark 's 5.4 million people  but make up a majority of the country's convicted rapists, an especially  combustible issue given that practically all the female victims are  non-Muslim. Similar, if lesser, disproportions are found in  other crimes."

"Over time, as Muslim immigrants increase in  numbers, they wish less to mix with the indigenous  population.
 A  recent survey finds that only 5 percent of young Muslim immigrants would  readily marry a Dane."
"Forced marriages - promising a newborn  daughter in Denmark to a male cousin in  the home country,  then compelling her to marry him, sometimes  on pain of death - are one problem"

"Muslim leaders openly  declare their goal of introducing Islamic law once Denmark 's Muslim population  grows large enough - a not-that-remote prospect. If present trends  persist, one sociologist estimates, every third inhabitant of Denmark in 40 years will be  Muslim."

It is easy to understand why a growing number of Danes  would feel that Muslim immigrants show little respect for Danish values  and laws.
 An  example is the phenomenon common to other European countries and the U.S  .: some Muslims in Denmark who opted to leave the Muslim faith have been  murdered in the name of Islam, while others hide in fear for their  lives. Jews are also threatened and harassed openly by Muslim leaders in   Denmark , a country  where once Christian citizens worked to smuggle out nearly all of their  7,000 Jews by night to Sweden - before the Nazis  could invade. I think of my Danish friend Elsa - who as a teenager had  dreaded crossing the street to the bakery every morning under the eyes  of occupying Nazi soldiers - and I wonder what she would say  today.

In 2001, Denmark elected the most  conservative government in some 70 years - one that had some decidedly  non-generous ideas about liberal unfettered immigration. Today   Denmark has the  strictest immigration policies in Europe . ( Its effort to protect itself has been  met with accusations of "racism" by liberal media across Europe - even  as other governments struggle to right the social problems wrought  by years of too-lax immigration.)

If you wish to become Danish,  you must attend three years of language classes. You must pass a test on   Denmark 's history, culture,  and a Danish language test.
  You  must live in Denmark for 7 years before  applying for citizenship. You must demonstrate an intent to work, and  have a job waiting. If  you wish to bring a spouse into Denmark , you must both be over 24 years  of age, and you won't find it so easy anymore to move your friends and  family to Denmark with you.

You  will not be allowed to build a mosque in Copenhagen . Although your children have  a choice of some 30 Arabic culture and language schools in Denmark , they will be strongly  encouraged to assimilate to Danish society in ways that past immigrants  weren't.

In 2006, the Danish minister for employment, Claus Hjort  Frederiksen, spoke publicly of the burden of Muslim immigrants on the  Danish welfare system, and it was horrifying: the government's  welfare committee had calculated that if immigration from Third World countries were blocked, 75 percent of  the cuts needed to sustain the huge welfare system in coming decades  would be unnecessary. In other words, the welfare system as it existed  was being exploited by immigrants to the point of eventually bankrupting  the government. "We are simply forced to adopt a new policy on  immigration.
 The  calculations of the welfare committee are terrifying and show how  unsuccessful the integration of immigrants has been up to now," he  said.

A large thorn in the side of Denmark 's imams is the  Minister of Immigration and Integration, Rikke Hvilshoj. She makes no  bones about the new policy toward immigration, "The number of foreigners  coming to the country makes a difference," Hvilshøj says, "There is an  inverse correlation between how many come here and how well we can  receive the foreigners that come." And on Muslim immigrants needing to  demonstrate a willingness to blend in, "In my view, Denmark should be a country  with room for different cultures and religions. Some values, however,  are more important than others. We refuse to question democracy, equal  rights, and freedom of speech."

Hvilshoj has paid a price for her  show of backbone. Perhaps to test her resolve, the leading radical imam  in Denmark , Ahmed  Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, demanded that the government pay blood money to  the family of a Muslim who was murdered in a suburb of Copenhagen , stating  that the family's thirst for revenge could be thwarted for money. When  Hvilshoj dismissed his demand, he argued that in Muslim culture the  payment of retribution money was common, to which Hvilshoj replied that  what is done in a Muslim country is not necessarily what is done in  Denmark. The Muslim reply came soon after: her house was torched while  she, her husband and children slept. All managed to escape unharmed, but  she and her family were moved to a secret location and she and other  ministers were assigned  bodyguards for the first time - in a  country where such murderous violence was once so scarce.

Her  government has slid to the right, and her borders have tightened. Many  believe that what happens in the next decade will determine whether   Denmark survives as a bastion  of good living, humane thinking and social responsibility, or whether it  becomes a nation at civil war with supporters of Sharia law.

And  meanwhile, Americans clamour for stricter immigration policies,  and  demand an end to state welfare programs that allow many  immigrants to live on the public dole. As we in America look at the enclaves  of Muslims amongst us, and see those who enter our shores too easily,  dare live on our taxes, yet refuse to embrace our  culture, respect our traditions, participate in our legal system, obey  our laws, speak our language, appreciate our history . . we would do well to look to   Denmark , and say a prayer for  her future and for our own..
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