Muslim Population of Europe - Essay Example

Introduction Muslims have been living in Europe for decades. According to recent estimates, there are living more than 13 million Muslims in Europe (Buijs and Rath 2002). Since the 9/11 attack, the debate about Islam in the West intensified substantially and was worsened by the lack of knowledge of many European citizens and the significant increase of religion hostility of "Islamaphobia." Many scholars and academics have contributed interesting findings and studies to this debate in period of post 9/11. The key question that one can derive from this debate and which many scholars and anthropologists have analyzed is whether a Muslim can be a European citizen and at the same time be a Muslim. From a European point of view, one can raise the question of what it is to be European. This question is often addressed by many European scholars and prominent European politicians. For the purpose of this paper, I define being European as a citizen of a European country whose life is based on norms and values that are common in Europe and which most European citizens have adopted. However, it is beyond this paper to provide the reader an in-dept analysis of the identity of Europe and what it is to be European. I, on the other hand, scrutinize the study of this paper on West Europe as most West European countries face difficulties with their Muslim community. The central thesis of this paper is that one can be Muslim and at the same time European. In the following paragraphs, I address the concept of religion and society in the European context and continue with analyzing Islam as a major religion in the period of post 9/11 in Europe followed by identifying political developments and social developments. The paper ends with a conclusion where I present the argument for my thesis. Religion and Society in Europe In Europe, the dominant religion is Christianity as the Christian faith has shaped the culture of Europe for centuries. As a result, Christianity is deeply embedded in the society of European countries and its norms and values are derived from Christian believes. During the centuries, the interaction between religion (read Christianity) and society evolved and changed dramatically. In contemporary Europe, many Europeans adopt Christian norms and values but they can be considered as atheist. An example at best that supports this argument is the celebration of Christmas in the Netherlands by many atheists. Atheism, or Free Thinkers, can not be classified as a religion but should be seen as a philosophical view. This does not mean that atheist should be considered as irrelevant as there are living a significant numbers of Atheists in Europe. Though one can find all major religion in contemporary Europe, it is Christianity that remains the deepest embedded religion in European societies. However, is it too simplistic to argue that Christianity will always remain the religion that is most deeply embedded in the European society? One counter-argument that one can make is the possible outcome of a combination of several religion that becomes together deeply embedded in a European society, such as a Christianity-Islam or a Christianity-Hindu heritage. These are all assumptions of course, and it remains to be seen whether a combination of two major religions can together be deeply embedded in European society or whether it remains to be Christianity alone. It is obvious that Christianity will keep playing a crucial part in European Societies. Needless to say is that the interaction between religion and society in contemporary Europe is a complex issue. The European Union (EU) recognizes the complexity of religion and society in the EU and the importance of the right and freedom of religion. This is reflected in the Charter of Fundamental right of the EU and is based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law (European Union 2002). This does not justify to assume that each member state of the EU will implement the Charter of Fundamental right uniformly. Nonetheless, European Citizens have, at least on paper, the freedom of religion. Islam in the West From the widely available literature one can find about Muslims in contemporary Europe, one can conclude that Muslims are facing some crucial challenges in the foreseeable future (Nielsen 2004. Ramadan 2004, Vertovec 1997). As Huntington argues, contemporary Europe is striving towards a clash of civilization, that of Christianity and Islam (Huntington 2003). A comprehensive study of Islam in West Europe was made by Nielsen who identified the development of the Muslim community and scrutinized the study to each individual West European country (Nielsen 2004). Another famous Islamic scholar is Ramadan, whose studies made a significant contribution to this debate (Ramadan 2004). I agree with Ramadan that one should make a distinction between religious duties as a Muslim and social and political obligations (Ramadan 2004). The former is obviously nonnegotiable but it is the latter where Muslims lack the willingness to meet their obligations. European citizen often accuse the Muslim community for their lack of responsibility towards the society. However, in some European countries, the Muslim community is starting to get aware of their responsibility towards the society as national Muslim leaders condemn terrorist attacks. A clear example is the terrorist attack on London (2005) where the Muslim Council of Britain condemned the attacks. In addition, I argue that one should also shed light on the difference between the first generation, and the second and third generation as the latter adopted, to some extent, more Western values than the former. The second and third generation also has better job opportunities compared with the first generation. However, this does not mean that the second and the third generation are better integrated into the society than the first generation. The riots in Paris (2005) and the recent riots in Amsterdam (2007) were both caused by integration problems and the lack of opportunities for the Muslim minorities, mostly from the second and third generation, which were involved in these riots. Political development The post 9/11 political view towards Islam has changed dramatically and has been high on the agenda of politicians. Some local political parties started to use a hard-line approach towards Islam. One of the most famous political critics in West Europe is Hirsi Ali who came to the Netherlands as a refugee from Somalia. Hirsi Ali often publicly criticized Islam and often called for a hard-line political approach towards radical Islam. As in the case of Hirsi Ali, other European countries have their own politicians with their hard-line approach towards Islam. But most national governments in Europe use a more soften approach to deal with radical Islam in their society. It is obvious that they do face the same problems with the Muslim community as a result of the lack of good integration and the lack of opportunities given to the Muslim community. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen how national governments in Europe will solve these problems that they face with the Muslim community as the result of the policies that were implemented to deal with these problems can only be measured in the long run. Furthermore, I agree with Klausen that it is crucial to identify who the Muslim leaders are in each individual country and what they want (Klausen 2005). I argue that only then, national governments can solve the problems by addressing the core issues that one can find within the Muslim community. Social development As I mentioned above, the opinions towards Islam has in most European society also worsened. However, I argue that this is more a matter of a lack of knowledge about Islam and the selective media coverage in European countries rather than an opinion based on well-founded theories and arguments. This lack of knowledge resulted in a religion hostility of “Islamaphobia” in Europe and has led to a negative perception of the religion of Islam. It is this social problem concerning the wrong perception of non-Muslims where the Muslim community lacks the responsibility towards the society by not informing non-Muslims about the teachings of Islam. If the Muslim community in Europe takes its social responsibility by informing non-Muslims about the teaching of Islam, it takes at least the right step into the right direction of being a Muslim and meanwhile being a European citizen. Conclusion In this paper I addressed the question whether one can be a Muslim and at the meantime be a European. I discussed the concept of religion and society in a European context and that Christianity remains to be the religion that is deeply embedded into European societies. For this reason, Islam in Europe is a complex issue and the problems that are generated by it can not be solved overnight. European governments remain ambivalent how to address and deal with these problems although some politicians are extremely critical towards the Islam. The Muslim community itself should have a more vigorous approach to inform non-Muslims about the teaching in Islam as non-Muslims have a clear lack of knowledge about the Islam. By doing so, the Muslim community gives a clear signal that it feels obligated towards its fellow European citizens and at the same time shows it can take its responsibility to deal with the challenges it faces in the post 9/11 period. References Bauman, G. 1996, Contesting Culture: Discourses of Identity in Multi-Ethnic London, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Buijs, F. and Rath, J. 2002, Muslims in Europe: The state of research. Russell Sage Foundation, New York. European Union, 2000, Draft Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, available at: www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/04473_en.pdf Ferrari, S. & Bradney, A. (eds) 2000, Islam and European legal systems, Ashgatem Darthmouth. Goody, J. 2004, Islam in Europe, Polity Press, Cambridge. Huntington, S. 2003, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York. Kilpadi, P. (ed.) 2006, Islam & Tolerance in Wider Europe, Open Society Institute, Budapest. Klausen, Y. 2005, The Islamic Challenge. Politics and Relgion in Western Europe. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Nielsen, J. 2004, Muslims in Western Europe, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. Ramadan, T. 2003, To be a European Muslim, Islamic Foundation, Leicestershire. Ramadan, T. 2005, Western Muslim and the future of Islam, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Vetovec, S. & Peach, C. (eds) 1997, 1997 Islam in Europe: The Politics of Religion and Community, Macmillan, Basingstoke. Read More

However, is it too simplistic to argue that Christianity will always remain the religion that is most deeply embedded in the European society? One counter-argument that one can make is the possible outcome of a combination of several religion that becomes together deeply embedded in a European society, such as a Christianity-Islam or a Christianity-Hindu heritage. These are all assumptions of course, and it remains to be seen whether a combination of two major religions can together be deeply embedded in European society or whether it remains to be Christianity alone.

It is obvious that Christianity will keep playing a crucial part in European Societies. Needless to say is that the interaction between religion and society in contemporary Europe is a complex issue. The European Union (EU) recognizes the complexity of religion and society in the EU and the importance of the right and freedom of religion. This is reflected in the Charter of Fundamental right of the EU and is based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law (European Union 2002). This does not justify to assume that each member state of the EU will implement the Charter of Fundamental right uniformly.

Nonetheless, European Citizens have, at least on paper, the freedom of religion. Islam in the West From the widely available literature one can find about Muslims in contemporary Europe, one can conclude that Muslims are facing some crucial challenges in the foreseeable future (Nielsen 2004. Ramadan 2004, Vertovec 1997). As Huntington argues, contemporary Europe is striving towards a clash of civilization, that of Christianity and Islam (Huntington 2003). A comprehensive study of Islam in West Europe was made by Nielsen who identified the development of the Muslim community and scrutinized the study to each individual West European country (Nielsen 2004).

Another famous Islamic scholar is Ramadan, whose studies made a significant contribution to this debate (Ramadan 2004). I agree with Ramadan that one should make a distinction between religious duties as a Muslim and social and political obligations (Ramadan 2004). The former is obviously nonnegotiable but it is the latter where Muslims lack the willingness to meet their obligations. European citizen often accuse the Muslim community for their lack of responsibility towards the society. However, in some European countries, the Muslim community is starting to get aware of their responsibility towards the society as national Muslim leaders condemn terrorist attacks.

A clear example is the terrorist attack on London (2005) where the Muslim Council of Britain condemned the attacks. In addition, I argue that one should also shed light on the difference between the first generation, and the second and third generation as the latter adopted, to some extent, more Western values than the former. The second and third generation also has better job opportunities compared with the first generation. However, this does not mean that the second and the third generation are better integrated into the society than the first generation.

The riots in Paris (2005) and the recent riots in Amsterdam (2007) were both caused by integration problems and the lack of opportunities for the Muslim minorities, mostly from the second and third generation, which were involved in these riots. Political development The post 9/11 political view towards Islam has changed dramatically and has been high on the agenda of politicians. Some local political parties started to use a hard-line approach towards Islam. One of the most famous political critics in West Europe is Hirsi Ali who came to the Netherlands as a refugee from Somalia.

Hirsi Ali often publicly criticized Islam and often called for a hard-line political approach towards radical Islam. As in the case of Hirsi Ali, other European countries have their own politicians with their hard-line approach towards Islam. But most national governments in Europe use a more soften approach to deal with radical Islam in their society.

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