Powerline Impressed with Bat Ye'or

Paul Mirengoff, otherwise know as deacon of PowerLine, expresses concerns similar to my own about the credibility of Bat Ye'or on the question of Europe's collaboration with Islamic extremists. But he seems to be overcoming them:

I first came across Ye'or's work shortly after I started blogging. It was powerful stuff, and I considered posting it, but thought that her arguments were too extreme for me to vouch for. I had no problem with her analysis of dhimmitude, the state of humiliation required of non-Muslims under Islamic rule, and its relationship to jihad. However, her view that the European elites have conspired with the Arabs in order secure oil and, more importantly, to form a counterweight to the U.S., gave me pause. Long-time readers know that there's little I would put past the European elites. But even I was shocked, and unpersuaded, by the notion that Europe years ago formed an anti-American compact with the Arabs.

[...]

As I have read Ye'or's work over the past two years, I have become less skeptical because she appears consistently to be able to document what she says. Tonight, she impressed me as a serious, clear-thinking scholar. I look forward to reading Eurabia. Once I have, perhaps I will be able to report on the extent to which I have been persuaded.

I look forward to his comments since this precise issue has given me pause as well.