[Cincinnatus.45-70]

I think we should also place this article in current context. The trade routes to the east were closed to Europe when the Muslims took Constantinople. Now look at Spain and the EU today demanding that Britain give up Gibraltar as part of Brexit.

On the present course Spain will be a Muslim country in 20-40 years. They will then control both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar and can shut off sea traffic at will. I guess in modern days, nobody needs to have ships go through there anymore?

[rktman]

Well there is already a lot of morrish building in place.

[Cronos]

Now look at Spain and the EU today demanding that Britain give up Gibraltar as part of Brexit.

The EU isn't demanding it

Spain has always claimed that the British illegally conquered that land

The historical FACT is that the English and Dutch fleet conquered Gibraltar in 1704 during the (arguably first world war) Spanish war of succession and the English got it after fighting off the Dutch

The people of Gibraltar continuously vote 98% + that they wish to remain a British colony, so that settles the question of the ROCK of Gibraltar

HOWEVER, Spain has a point about the land on which the airport is built. THAT isn't part of the Treaty of Utrecht and the airport is technically built on Spanish land

incidentally 96% of native Gibraltarians voted to REMAIN in the EU. But out of those 96%, I believe very few would want to leave the UK and go to Spain, so they are in a bad position - they don't want to leave the UK nor the EU (unlike Scotland which is happy enough to leave the UK and join the EU)

[Cronos]

The trade routes to the east were closed to Europe when the Muslims took Constantinople.

Yes and Gibraltar no longer matters so much to the UK because the UK now mainly exports services

I forgot to add to the above - the situation of Gibraltar's airport lying on Spanish territory is kinda vaguely like the situation of Hong Kong -- the Kowloon territories were on a 99 year lease (unlike Hong Kong island which was "forever") but w/o Kowloon, HK was not viable

It's only an analogy - the differences are that, unlike Kowloon, the airport land in Gibraltar was not under any treaty so technically on Spanish land. And Spain isn't going to war with England for Gibraltar. And Gibraltar is still viable without the airport land.

[Cronos]

On the present course Spain will be a Muslim country in 20-40 years

Actually it isn't - neither is the UK nor the US going to be Muslim countries (the rate of growth in the past 10 years is the same)inhabitants who are Muslim - but the majority are temporary residents from Morocco. The actual number of Moslem citizens is about the same % as the USA and far lower than the UK's