FRENCH TOAST?
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin yesterday called up police reservists and promised state-of-emergency curfews, to no immediate avail: A
12th straight night of violence began at dusk, having spread from the Paris suburbs to every major city, and 300 smaller towns, in France - and even beyond its borders:Arson attacks were reported Sunday night in Germany and Belgium, to match unrest reported in Denmark last week.
So? Is Europe on the brink of a continent-wide civil war as Muslim immigrants rise up in angry protests?
For now, officials insist that the attacks outside France are only "copycat" incidents. Across Europe, however, leaders of nations with large Muslim populations are concerned and nervous.
Because what appeared at first glance to be a spontaneous outburst has now moved to a more organized and deliberate level. Growing Internet chatter is inciting violence across France. And while there's no evidence as yet that the riots were a pre-planned and coordinated attack, do not be surprised if al Qaeda or similar groups quickly attempt to capitalize on the unrest.
Indeed, they may already be players.
Were all this happening in the United States, French officials would no doubt be at their most insufferable in lecturing Americans on their intolerance for immigrants from a different culture.
And yet French leaders, from President Jacques Chirac on down, seem almost paralyzed by the growing intifada.
Only yesterday did the government authorize municipalities to impose curfews; meanwhile, Chirac and de Villepin have cynically used the situation to try to isolate their political foe, hard-line Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who has his eyes on Chirac's job.
In the meantime, France continues to burn. Its police are coming under gunfire, businesses and public buildings are being targeted for destruction and burned to the ground. Yesterday, the riots claimed their first fatality.
Over the weekend, police in the Parisian suburb of Evry discovered a firebomb factory containing 150 bombs - a third of them ready for use.
How can any self-respecting government allow such an intolerable situation to continue?
To be sure, France is paying a price for its eyes-shut policy towards its growing population of immigrants, who - more than most - suffer the ill effects of the nation's overbearing anti-business policies, which cause massive unemployment.
But much of the Muslim population has resisted attempts at assimilation: As The Wall Street Journal reported, organizations like the Tabligh - which demand that Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than with their nationality - are highly influential and have created a "separate [Muslim] society within [French] society."
France is not alone with this problem. Britain, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands all have significant Muslim immigrant populations - and all have experienced Islamic terrorism, first-hand.
France's failure to contain the rioting - and swiftly - will only embolden those who hope to spread the devastation across Europe. Yet Chirac remains torn by his desire to appear both firm and conciliatory.
When will they act?
Maybe when all of France has been burned to the ground.