Not every Muslim imam is a radical, but Europe aims to find out which ones are. To diminish the threat of homegrown terror, the European Commission has unveiled a plan to monitor mosques in Europe.

The Washington Post reported, “The project, to be finished by the fall, will focus on the roles of imams, their training, their ability to speak in the local language and their sources of funding, EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini told a news conference after a meeting on terrorism” (May 12).

Homegrown terror is a real threat to the Continent, as evidenced by Britain’s July 7, 2005, bombings in which a series of coordinated bombs were detonated in London, killing 52 and injuring more than 770. It was later discovered that the bombings were coordinated by homegrown radical terrorists who some experts say were disaffected by radical imams.

Since the London bombings, Spain’s Madrid transit bombings, and other localized radical Muslim attacks on the Continent, Europe has stepped up security efforts. Italian Interior Minister Guiliano Amato said two weeks ago that Europe has evidence of the “misuse of mosques, which instead of being places of worship are used for other ends.” This produces a situation, Amato stated, that all of Europe needs to not only be concerned about, but also take active measures against. “This is bringing about a situation that involves all of our countries and involves the possibility of attacks and developing of networks that use one country to prepare an attack in another,” he said.

Some have charged that the European Union’s plan to monitor Europe’s mosques is a form of religious discrimination. It’s hard to argue with that.

But European leaders don’t seem to care. They are increasingly embracing the idea that the need to secure Europe outweighs concerns about infringing upon civil freedoms. It looks like Europe will continue to tighten the noose on radical imams and terrorist-sympathizing organizations on the Continent. This is a hugely significant trend we expect to intensify in the time ahead.