Transcript Islam in the West File

Islam in the West
Historical Tensions
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Muslim Conquest of Andalusia 711
Crusades 1095 - 1291
Reconquista 1482 - 1614
Ottoman Empire
Colonialism
Immigration
20th Century Middle East Conflicts
Return of Nationalism in Europe
Immigration to Europe
• Muslim populations began arriving in the
• middle of 20th century largely from former
colonies
• North African in France
• South Asian in the United Kingdom.
• Germany, influx of ‘guest workers’ largely from
Turkey.
• Netherlands, Moroccan and Turkish population.
• countries with existing populations tend to
attract more of the same ethnic background
Identity
• Maintaining cultural and religious identity in a
non-Muslim country
• Integration deficiencies, Challenges for Multiculturalism
• Muslim, Western or both?
Competing Norms in Civil Law
• Sharia Law Zones
• Creation of sub state sharia courts to deal with
matters of civil law
• sharia4belgium, Islam4UK, Islamic Emirates
Project, Kaldet Til Islam
Media Narratives
• “without the media’s coverage, the act’s
impact is arguably wasted, remaining narrowly
confined to the immediate victim(s) of the
attack, rather than reaching the wider ‘target
audience’ at whom the terrorists’ violence is
actually aimed.”
• Contributes to negative public opinion of
Islam
• Securitization and Rhetoric
Muslims in Europe
• 19 Million in EU
• Italy Spain 2-4%
• Denmark, Greece, UK
4-5%
• Austria, Belgium,
Bulgaria, France,
Netherlands, Sweden,
Germany 5-10%
• Russia, 10-20%
How Europeans See Islam
• French believe 31% of population Muslim,
actual figures show that only 8% of French
residents are Muslims – including nonpractising Muslims.
• UK respondents thought there were 21%
Muslims in Britain, when they constitute only
5 % of the British population
• 2009 Minaret Ban
Switzerland
• 2004 All religious dress
banned in schools, France
• 2011 Clothing Laws
Belgium
• Burqa and niqab banned in
some municipalities of
Spain, Germany, the
Netherlands.
9-11, 7-7
• reports state a marked rise in anti-Islamic
attitudes and attacks in European countries
for a short period of time engendered by the
events of 9/11 and 7/7. However, both reports
state the level of physical acts of aggression
against Muslims were disparate and isolated
incidents and that hostile attitudes persist
The Rise of Competing Nationalisms
Sharia Patrols
• Attempt to implement
often with violence
there perception of
sharia norms
• Drinking, prostitutes,
immoderately dressed
women, homosexuals
Christian Patrols
• Use motorized
patrols to counter
Sharia patrols
• Distribute literature
and solicit reporting
activity
Islamophobia
• (47% increase in recorded Islamophobic acts in France
in 2013 compared to 2012), anti-Muslim marches
organised by the far-right Pegida movement, and
regular attacks of mosques in Sweden. From 7 January
2015 to 7 February 2015, there were 153 Islamophobic
incidents against individuals and places of worship in
France, which represents a 70% increase compared to
January 2014. the term
• Islamophobia groups together all kinds of different
forms of discourse, speech and acts, by suggesting that
they all emanate from an identical ideological core,
which is an irrational fear (a phobia) of Islam
Far Right Groups and Parties
• UK, English Defence
League
• Denmark: Danish Defense
League
• France: National Front
• Germany: PEGIDA
• EU Parliament
• UKIP (UK) 24 Seats, the
most from the country
• National Front (France) 24
Seats with 25% of the
electorate
• Freedom Party of Austria,
17%
• DPP 4 Seats with 27% of
the vote
• Far Right parties now
make up 1/3 of the EU
Parliament
Causation?
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Increase in EU Immigration from the East
Growth of Diaspora communities
Austerity measures across the Euro Zone
2008 Economic Crisis
Low voter turnout (42%) indication of
widespread disillusionment
• Attraction to nationalist protectionist politics
as opposed to anti-austerity civil movements
Inter communal tensions
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Austerity
Social alienation and economic disparity
Increased security
Conflict in the Middle East
Jihadist civil conflict
Economy
• Muslims in Europe are more likely than the EU
general population to be poor and live in
segregated, crime-prone neighborhoods
• EU Muslims tend to have high unemployment
rates, but it is unclear whether they are
significantly higher than non-Muslim ethnic
minorities.
Austerity
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2008 Financial Crisis
Austerity measures
Reduction in social services
Greater competition for housing and
employment due to shortages
• Displacement of blame
• Each group sees the other as the sources of ills
Segregation and Alienation
• "that segregation is both natural and
problematic."
• High crime rates and dependency on the
social welfare system
• As Muslims in Europe are overwhelmingly
non-white, ongoing racial disharmony
naturally impedes integration
Muslims in North America
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4th largest religion in the US, 0.5% of the population
72% are 2nd generation
15% of the slave population was Muslim
more educated and affluent than the national average,
with 59% holding at least an undergraduate college
degree
• they accounted for approximately one quarter of the
religious discrimination claims filed with the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission during 2009.
According to FBI statistics, hate crimes against Muslims
are rare, at 6.0 per 100,000, compared to blacks at 6.7,
homosexuals and bisexuals at 11.5, and Jews at 14.8
Nation of Islam
• Founded by Elijah Mohamed as a militant civil
rights organisation
• Black Power, Black Supremacy
• Separation of races
• Return to Africa
• Prominent in the North and West
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Argued King rejected militancy
to appease the white power
structure
Referred to Dr. King as ‘Uncle
Tom’
Advocated achieving freedom by
any means necessary
9-11
• In the aftermath of 9/11, hate crimes against
people of Middle-Eastern descent in the
country increased from 354 attacks in 2000 to
1,501 attacks in 2001