[lit-ideas] Londonistan
- From: Eric <eyost1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 16:19:09 -0500
If you can tolerate a long PDF document, this
Congressional Research Service report has some
useful overview of the subject, EU nation by EU
nation. Below is the summary. The article
indicates that some of the problems Lawrence
identified exist, but it also states that they are
being addressed. -EY
http://www.fas.org%252Fsgp%252Fcrs%252Frow%252FRL33166.pdf%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPTop%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fas.org%2Fsgp%2Fcrs%2Frow%2FRL33166.pdf
Muslims in Europe: Integration in Selected Countries
Summary
Muslims are the largest religious minority in
Europe, and Islam is the fastest
growing religion. Europe’s Muslim population is
ethnically and linguistically
diverse, and Muslim immigrants in Europe hail from
a variety of Middle Eastern,
African, and Asian countries, as well as Turkey.
Over the last few years, European
countries have stepped up efforts to integrate
more fully their expanding Muslim
populations. Recent terrorist acts in Europe —
such as the July 2005 London
bombings that were carried out by young Muslims
born and/or bred in Europe —
have given further impetus to these initiatives.
The widescale riots and violence that
broke out in late October 2005 throughout France
in reaction to the deaths of two
young Muslims also highlight the alienation and
discrimination that some European
Muslims feel and the need for European governments
to address such societal
tensions.
This report examines the integration of Muslims
into the United Kingdom,
France, Germany, and Spain. It also analyzes
policies at the European Union (EU)
level that affect Muslim populations. However, key
policies relating to integrating
Muslims into society — including citizenship laws,
education, treatment of religious
institutions, and anti-discrimination measures —
largely lie with individual
governments.
The countries discussed in this report have
historically pursued somewhat
different policies with respect to managing their
immigrant and minority populations.
However, none has been completely successful.
Britain most fully embraced the
notion of “multiculturalism” — integration while
maintaining identity — but some
believe that the UK has put too much emphasis on
promoting diversity at the expense
of building a common society. France has long
adhered to a policy that encourages
assimilation, but many French Muslims live in
impoverished, almost exclusively
Muslim neighborhoods. Until recently, Germany and
Spain made few efforts to
integrate their Muslim minorities, and in some
cases, parallel societies developed.
None of the four countries examined in this report
has a government that
believes that large parts of its Muslim
populations are engaged in radical or terrorist
activities. However, there is a growing awareness
that social deprivation,
discrimination, and a sense of cultural alienation
may make some European Muslims
— especially those of the second or third
generation — more vulnerable to extremist
ideologies. At the EU level, there is also new
momentum to encourage better
integration and tackle the root causes of Islamist
extremism given the EU’s largely
open borders and the recognition that halting or
severely restricting immigration to
the EU is not an option in light of Europe’s aging
population and declining birthrates.
This report may be updated as events warrant.
For more information on
European efforts to counter terrorism and combat
Islamist extremists, see CRS
Report RL31612, European Counterterrorist Efforts:
Political Will and Diverse
Responses in the First Year after September 11, by
Paul Gallis; and CRS Report
RS22211, Islamist Extremists in Europe, by Kristin
Archick, coordinator.
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