ISLAM IN EUROPE NATASHA KIM I31026

HISTORICAL TIES BETWEEN THE MUSLIM WORLD AND EUROPE Umayyads' invasion of Spain and France in 700s Crusades and the European colonization of North Africa and South Asia in the 1700s and 1800s The Ottoman Empire in the wake of WWI European colonization of the Middle East

MUSLIMS IN EUROPE: A QUESTION OF BELONGING There are 19 million (3.8%) Muslims living in the EU. In France - 5 million In Germany million/5.4% In UK million/ 4.8% In Netherlands - 850,000 /14% In Belgium - 628,751/6%

There have been Muslims living in Europe for centuries (from the Baltic coast to the Balkans, and the Iberian Peninsula, Cyprus and Sicily) The majority of Muslims are migrants or the descendants of migrants who arrived during the economic boom of the 1960s Former colonial ties (Algeria, Morocco, Indonesia and Tunisia, Pakistan and Bangladesh) Refugees seeking asylum in ss (Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Balkans, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa) Students, professionals, investors..

In the aftermath of 9/11, Muslims found themselves bearing the brunt of a wave of suspicion and hostility. In social and public policy, Muslims are increasingly viewed as a potential security threat or a group that is unwilling or unable to integrate.

1.Are Muslims willing to be integrated into European society and its political values ? 2. Are Muslims committed to the core European values of freedom, tolerance, democracy, sexual equality and so on? 3. Is Islam a Threat to Europe’s multicultural democracies?

CLASH OF PRACTICES 1.Halal meat 2.Muslim method of slaughtering animals 3.Muslim dress at work 4.Time-off for prayer from work 5.Polygamy 6.Girls wearing hijab in schools

CLASH OF VALUES 1. Equality of races is important, but equality of the sexes poses difficulties. 2. Freedom of speech. Muslims value it, but do not privilege it as much as the liberals do. 3.Tolerance and peaceful resolutions of differences 4. Respect for majority decision. Almost all Muslims accepted the ban on polygamy and female circumcision.  Values of sexual freedom…

Many people in Europe think that Islam is inherently incompatible with multicultural democracy because of undemocratic character of Islam.

ANSWERS 1 The fact that most Muslims societies are undemocratic does not mean that the blame lies with Islam. Different Factors:  egalitarian and feudal social structures;  corrupt rulers;  colonialism, a long history of external interference;  the failure to find an adequate place for religion in public life.

2 The fact that Muslim societies have not themselves developed stable democratic institutions does not mean that Muslims cannot live under them. Reasons to adjust democracy:  Political survival;  the opportunities offered by a democracy to pursue their legitimate interests;  the educational impact of the schools, work places;

3 The main concern for Muslims is to secure and enjoy the freedom to practice their religion and to lead the life of their choice. Democracy allows this, and they have therefore a strong pragmatic and even a moral reason to be loyal to it.

CLASH OF RELIGIONS ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM The Salafism (fundamentalist religious radicalism) financed by Saudi Arabia, emphasized the loss of cultural identity in traditional Islam. “Salafi ” means “a return to the way of the pious ancestors” i.e. of the prophet and the prophet’s successors. They criticize traditional Muslim cultures.

This form of religiosity cancels culture REASON : either culture belongs to religion and therefore culture is not needed or culture is something different from religion, and therefore must be eliminated because it distracts you from the religion

It is a mistake to link modern forms of fundamentalism to the idea of a clash of cultures, or a clash of civilizations, because there is no culture any more, there is no civilization.

The role of the state is not to put in place a fair society, but to create opportunities, even if they are coercive, for believers to find their way to salvation.

In Europe many resentful Muslims have the opportunity to be exposed to radical discourse and to become involved in radical political or even militant activity. Incidents such as the French burqa ban and anti-Islamic rhetoric of politicians like Geert Wilders reinforce the narrative put forward by jihadist recruiters that Islam is under attack from Europeans and help the preachers' efforts to recruit new followers.French burqa banpoliticians like Geert Wilders