Chapter II

Paris – November 13^th 2015

A final prediction of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira is worthy of mention, at an historic moment when the shadow of Islam is threateningly heading towards Europe.143 The increasingly massive Muslim immigration in this end of century has a simultaneously religious and political value because of the close bond that links these two realities in the religion of Mohammed. This totalitarian prospect is made even more treacherous by the fact that Islam is a religion without dogma or Magisterium, without a Church or a hierarchy, able to adapt in every way to the social situation in which it develops. As early as the 1940s, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira foresaw in the Legionário the possibility of this danger which is appearing today in all its importance.

While the eyes of political observers were concentrated on what was happening in Europe, he turned his eyes towards the east where, with regard to Islam, he glimpsed the beginnings of “the forming of another vast political and ideological oriental anti-Catholic block”.144 “The Muslim danger is immense”145 he wrote in 1943 and stated the next year: “the Muslim problem will constitute one of the gravest religious questions of our days after the war”.146

“The Muslim world possesses indispensable natural resources to suppress Europe. It will have at hand the necessary means to upset or paralyze, at any moment, the whole flow of the European economy.”147

“While a great and glorious Catholic nation such a Italy thus suffers from communist toxins circulating within its organism, the Muslims become increasingly organized. In the last few days, they had the audacity to present the Western world with the idea of a Palestinian government in exile working from Cairo. This is a veritable diplomatic declaration of war against the West.”148

“The Arab League, an extremely vast confederation of Muslim peoples, today encompasses the whole Mohamedan world. It is the exact opposite of what Christendom was in the Middle Ages. The Arab League acts as a vast block in face of the non-Arab nations and foments insurrection throughout the whole of northern Africa.”149

Notes:

143) Cf. Felice Dassetto - Albert Bastenier, Europa: nuova frontiera dell’Islam?, Rome, Edizioni Lavoro, 1988. On the ideological nature of Islam, cf. Stefano Nitoglia, Islam. Anatomia di una setta, Milan, Effedieffe, 1994.

144) P. Corrêa de Oliveira, “Neopaganismo”, O Legionário, no. 574, 8 August 1943.

145) P. Corrêa de Oliveira, “A Questão Libanesa”, O Legionário, no. 591, 5 December 1943. “Today, with men, weapons and money, anything can be done. The Muslim world has plenty of money and men. It will not be difficult to obtain weapons… and, in this way, it will become an immense power all over the East. It will be active, warlike, aware of its traditions, an enemy of the West, with just as many weapons, and that within a period of time could no doubt be as influential as the Asian world “ (ibid).

146) P. Corrêa de Oliveira, “7 dias em revista”, Legionário, no. 604, 5 March 1944.

147) P. Corrêa de Oliveira, “7 dias em revista”, Legionário, no. 635, 8 October 1944.

148) P. Corrêa de Oliveira, “7 dias em revista”, O Legionário, no. 728, 21 July 1946.

149) P. Corrêa de Oliveira, “Mahomé renasce”, O Legionário, no. 775, 15 June 1947 (en english). On the Islamic problem cf. also J. G. Larrain Campbell, “Uma coisa é ter vista, outra é visão”, Catolicismo, no. 478, October 1990, pp. 11-12; ID., “Vinte milhões de Maometanos invadem a Europa”, Catolicismo, no. 524, August 1994, pp. 20-2.