By Andrew L. Jaffee

It is interesting (and scary) to note how fear can drive the intellect to obfuscate reality. The EU has decided to sanitize its lexicon for describing Islamist terrorism — another piece of evidence that “Europe is Finished:”

Banned terms are said to include “jihad”, “Islamic” or “fundamentalist”.

The word “jihad” is to be avoided altogether, according to some sources, because for Muslims the word can mean a personal struggle to live a moral life.

One alternative, suggested publicly last year, is for the term “Islamic terrorism” to be replaced by “terrorists who abusively invoke Islam”.

An EU official said that the secret guidebook, or, “common lexicon”, is aimed at preventing the distortion of the Muslim faith and the alienation of Muslims in Europe. … [Continues below...

“The common lexicon includes guidance on a number of frequently used terms where lack of care by EU and member states’ spokespeople may give rise to misunderstandings,” he said.

“Careful usage of certain terms is not about empty political correctness but stems from astute awareness of the EU’s interests in the fight against terrorism.

“If we can’t identify the enemy, then they will go away?” Unfortunately, it is not even that simple. Here’s the true EU sentiment: “If we placate the enemy, then they will go away.” One would think that Europeans, of all people, would remember what happened when Chamberlain tried to placate Hitler.