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| The “Muslimization” of Europe |
The “Muslimization” of Europe
As of 1996, there are about 1.5 billion Muslims all over the world. This comprises about a quarter of the world’s population.
Europe has only about 35 to 50 million of these Muslims, or roughly about 10% of the continent’s population. However, as reports say, what is interesting is the fact that the population growth of this minority group in recent years is at an astounding rate of 142.35%, compared to North America ’s 25% or Asia ’s 12.57%. There are reports that say the Muslim birth in Europe is three times higher than its non-Muslim births.
Is Europe on its way to Muslimization?
Of the countries in the continent, France accommodates the largest Muslim population. About 5 to 6 million Muslims reside in this country, making up nearly 10% of its population. Half of these are French citizens. Indeed, Islam is the second largest religion in France .
Other European countries with less than 10% of its population as Muslims are the Netherlands , Denmark , Switzerland , Germany , Sweden , Spain , Austria , Belgium , United Kingdom , and Italy . Of course, these are apart from those that are predominantly Muslims, which include Turkey , Kosovo , Albania and those that are significantly Muslim populated such as Bosnia-Hercegovina and Macedonia .
Muslim’s penetration in Europe is mainly due to immigrations from North Africa , Turkey , Pakistan , and Bangladesh . After World War II, Europe opened is gates to migrant labor from relatively poor countries, being cheaper. Many of these so-called “guest workers”, majority of which were Muslims, were expected to leave Europe after their stints. However, this is not what transpired.
Muslimization of Europe , Europeanization of Islam
Instead, these first generation Muslims stayed, grew old, and bore children. Their stay was not unwelcome.
In 1974, a law was passed in France allowing first generation immigrants, who have become retirees, to settle in the country with their families. Those born in France became French citizens. Similarly, in Great Britain , citizenship is granted based on birthplace and not on ancestry. With citizenship came various privileges including the right to vote. But due to discrimination, many Muslim-French citizens feel they are just immigrants.
Europe ’s declining birth rate also favors its Muslimization. In the traditional Muslim family, women are encouraged to marry and have children. Traditional Muslim women raise children and are not career-driven. To choose career is to break away from one’s family. This is contrary to European, or even Western, way of life.
While Europe espouses secularization, Islam teaches that all aspects of life have a religious dimension.
Thus, despite the increasing growth of Muslims in Europe , the socio-cultural and religious gap between Muslims and non-Muslim Europeans widens. There are several issues hovering above and about Europe ’s Muslimization, or Islam’s Europeanization.
How do Muslims integrate into Europe ’s modern lifestyle? How do Europeans tolerate Islam’s way of life?
Immersion, Discrimination
When France adopted the Muslims, it built mosques in support of Islam. However, there are only 1,500 mosques compared to the 40,000 Catholic churches in this country. Of course with Europe ’s status as the seat of the world’s Christianity, this is understandable. However, statistically, the number of mosques is not proportional to the population.
But then perhaps, this is enough since a significant number of Muslims in France categorize themselves as “non practicing”. They only observe key Islam norms such as Ramadan, and are most of the times secular. Being secular pays off for those who are career- or business-driven.
Muslims who choose to be secular do not wear burka or hijab. They walk the streets in non-Muslim clothing, set off on their jobs, and mingle with others – Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Many business establishments often turn down Muslim applicants or worse, send home Muslims employees. With limited opportunities for low-skilled jobs, this is economically distressing.
Being secular also means display of religious affiliation is not allowed. France , for instance, bans wearing of headscarves in public high schools, in line with its laicite requirements. Furthermore, the state is banned from sponsoring religious establishments hence there are no imam training schools in the country. Majority of the imams, being foreigners, have no command of the French language.
But instead of attempting to close this language barrier, there are Muslims who couldn’t care less to learn. This is despite the fact that there are European countries that support such endeavors. Italy , for instance, encourages not only Muslim employment and residency, but education as well (it does not grant citizenship though). This holds true in Spain as well, which also recognizes Islam holidays.
Several European nations favor multiculturalism, in line with Globalism movements, yet racism is gaining strength. In some parts of Greece , Muslims are not allowed to educate themselves nor given language classes. Those employed, particularly the first generation migrants, are given very little room for promotions.
There have also been cases of public schools not serving halal food, or soup kitchens offering pork soup instead of shorba. Furthermore, public baths and hospital wards do not usually have separate rooms for men and women. In Muslim public culture, men and women must not mingle.
With such unwelcome gestures and lack of supporting facilities, many Muslims are driven back into their communities where high school dropouts and unemployment rates are high. These crime-ridden ghettoes contain majority of the Muslims. Examples include France ’s suburbs, or banlieue, which were once housing projects for the immigrants but over the years and due to neglect, have now decayed.
With the Muslims’ popularity, or notoriety, for being bold and militant, even policemen tolerate such ghetto existence. When within the proximity of these areas, non-Muslim girls wear headscarves to protect themselves from being attacked or raped.
In a similar way, radical ghetto dwellers abhor Muslims who are trying to be secular. For instance, they criticize in public those who consume food and drinks during Ramadan; or harass women who do not wear scarves.
These examples and stories illustrate that there three scenarios concerning Europe ’s Muslimization. First, there are those who want to blend into European culture but are afforded very little opportunities to do so. Second, there are those who prefer not to blend out of devotion to Islam or out of personal difficulty or dislike to acclimatize to European culture. And third, there are those forced not to blend by Muslim radicals.
Actually, there is a fourth scenario: there are those native Europeans who have become Muslim converts.
War and Peace – the Irony?
Converts explain Islam’s simple teachings and message about love, tolerance, and peace draws them into its religion. If so, why does Europe ’s Muslimization have to evoke this particular global interest that borders on worry and fear? Why this Muslimaphobia?
This is because such teachings are utterly opposite to many historical events revealing Muslim’s proclivity for violence, suicides, fanaticism, and terrorism. Islam has been attempting to conquer Europe and with its worldwide record of terrorism, Europe is on the watch.
Europe has in fact tightened its regulations on the imams in order to sieve radical Muslim preachers thus lowering terrorism and violence risks. Regulations include tests, training in secular universities, or a ban on foreign imams. The power of influence of these radical imams and Muslims cannot be questioned especially after a Belgian convert blew herself up in terrorist attack in Baghdad .
There are those who believe that Islam is using its religion to wreak war on the non-Muslims of the world. Such anti-Mohammed belief is even graphically depicted in cartoons released in a Danish mass circulation daily this year.
Yet, despite all these negativities and turmoil, Muslimization in the continent will nonetheless continue. Like in Turkey ’s inclusion into the European Union, Europe ’s Muslimization is something inevitable in this globalizing society and definitely something the whole world is on the verge to see. |
| Average rating: 4 | Add 07 Apr 06 J. Maltese |
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| Comments |
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| lukey |
So good i read it twice |
| spbar |
It should be published on all main European newspapers. |
| ace |
Breeding rights should be taken away. I dont want to be outbred and have my childrens futures ruined by these savages. They give equality a bad name!! |
| uncle sam |
Very biased and not supported by the facts. I had to read it twice to find the point it was trying to make. And I found it....Hate. The KKK would love you guys. |
| Jack |
I would like to add that if you substute "muslim" for any of the European nationalities, this article would describe what happened to America in the early 1900's. America lived through the slums and the gangs, and for the most part these immigrants finally became Americans. Europe, all you have to fear is fear itself. |
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