1

Chelsea Medic
ENGW 103
Dr. Dunn-Hensley
6 December 2011

Integrating Islam
The future of society in this new, rapidly globalizing world is hard to judge and predict.
Questions of whether the world will become one perfect government, put a stop to globalization
or fight to the death linger in the air and are extremely difficult to answer. Globalization brings
up the question of what will happen to societies in the future as we continue to integrate and
globalize. Particularly in the European Union, citizens are concerned about how they will deal
with the influx of Muslim immigrants that will soon demand accommodation from the
government. Particularly in France, the Muslim minority is continually growing; we see
examples of radicalism and terrorism in France due to the clashing of Islamic culture and the
European secular and democratic disposition. France seeks to find a solution for their Muslim
populationwhether to discontinue immigration or have Muslims and the French learn to
coexist with one another peacefully. Jonathan Laurence says that if organized Islam can
demonstrate the ability to coexist, that development would be a fortuitous one for both Islam and
the government at a time of international and intercultural tensions (1). Whether we see the
French (and Europeans) and Muslims unite or whether we see them clash, Europe is never going
to be the same. We may see multiple changes in government, political leaders and cultural
norms. Shifting in powers and culture in Europe is likely to occur as history has shown
throughout the centuries. However, the best way to assimilate Muslims into European culture is
2
for both cultures to accommodate each other. This involves Europeans stripping their
predetermined, racist views in exchange for positive, friendly attitudes and the Muslims being
optimistic and willing to live in a different, already established, society.
The influx of Muslim immigrants influencing European culture is inevitable; Muslim
immigrants have been, and continue to, leave their countries and flood Europe. Since the ending
of the two world wars in the twentieth century, Muslims flooded Europe for labor projects to
rebuild and reconstruct cities in Europe. Europe gladly welcomed immigrants to help with the
labor force and to stimulate economic growth. Once the rebuilding was completed, however,
Muslims decided to remain in Europe. France, in particular, has been welcoming to Muslim
immigrants for centuries, but their largest number also immigrated to France in the twentieth
century. In a forty-year period, Frances Muslim population grew from 500,000 to roughly five
million (Laurence 7). Though laws in France prohibit the official recordkeeping of racial and
ethnic data, it is estimated that 6-10% of the French population is Muslim (Laurence et al 17);
France now holds one third of Europes total fifteen million Muslimsthe largest in Western
Europe. Because of this great minority, the National Front continues to alarm all French
citizens that the excessive immigration poses a threat to traditional French identity (Laurence
18).
Though Muslims are such a small minority, statistics show that they are going to be a
growing problem in the next few decades. Demography and Islam is currently the Wests biggest
fear now. Family reunification and marriage, immigration of high-skilled labor, and application
for political asylum (Laurence 26) are the three main ways legal immigration occurs that
increases the Muslim population. Fertility rates in Europe are also the lowest in history and are
going to be difficult to recover from. Though France has a slightly higher fertility rate (1.9) than
3
countries like Italy and Greece (roughly 1.3), Muslims 3.1 fertility rate is still significantly
higher than Frances making it clear that this minority will soon become a majority possibly
doubling Muslim population by 2020.
Since Muslims have created their own communities in European cities, citizens have
noticed that they do not seem to be well integrated into society. Many Muslims fear that
assimilating or integrating into European society would strip them of their identity. Trends have
shown the Muslims are becoming more and more alienated than their ancestors were. Due to
differing of religions, immigrating from a different continent, and previously established
negative stereotypes, acts of racism and discrimination have broken out in French society
(Laurence 49). The Council on Foreign Relations says that Muslims are far more likely to be
poor and live in segregated, high-crime neighborhoods than citizens of the European Union. The
Muslims in Europe tend to be uneducated and have a language barrier making it difficult for
them to find work in addition to the French discriminatory society. Unemployment is most
common to immigrants and is two times higher than the rest of the population (Laurence 31).
Jonathan Laurence says, unemployment remains the biggest obstacle to integration (32).
Therefore, not having much economic opportunity for the Muslim community has caused
distress and frustration resulting in the urban riots in November 2005 burning cars and public
buildings at night in Paris.
Considering the history of Europe and the Muslims, cooperation or assimilation seems to
be unlikely between the two cultures (or at least very difficult). Instead, it is far more probable
that, as the Islamic population continues to grow, conflict between the cultures will arise. In
Huntingtons Clash of Civilizations, the primary source of conflict in this newly globalized world
will not be ideological or economicas it has been in the pastbut cultural. Huntington
4
believes that clashing between civilizations will occur at the fault line where the two meet
because civilizations will differ on values and beliefs. We see this to be true in Europe
including some areas in Francewhere the Islamic and European people continue to quarrel
over cultural matters such as headscarves, womens rights and freedom of speech.
So what seems to be the real problem? In the case of disputing cultures, both Muslims and
Europeans are to blame. Considering Europeans, their society has an overall disapproving
attitude about Muslim immigrants to the point where they come off as racist and discriminatory;
Muslims were the enemy of France during times of the Ottoman Empire and the Crusades.
Muslims received their terrorist stereotype during the Algerian War and their radical image
during the rise of Iran of political Islam (Laurence 51). After all of these happenings, people
began to associate in this manner: Arab = Muslim = religious zealot = terrorist (Laurence 51).
Many people among the French population recognize that racism exists in French society
(Laurence 59) and believe that Muslims are the first targets; one hundred and eighteen acts of
violence against Muslim individuals and institutions were reported between October 2003 and
August 2004 (Laurence 66). Many choose to deal with Muslim immigration by isolating the
group and continue to live as a separate community from them. However, choosing to ignore the
problem at hand will not make the Muslims go away.
On the Muslim side, the Islamic people have much difficulty adapting to democratic,
secular society in Europe. Currently, we are seeing Muslims migrate toward Europe where
the government is democratic and has separation between church and state. Critics argue
that the best way to integrate Muslims into Europe would be to separate their religion from
public society. However, we see that the Muslim immigrants are already having difficulty
adapting to secular life; the Muslim immigrants in Europe remain in their segregated
5
communities dreaming one day that the government will do the integrating for them. They
have isolated themselves and have refused to partake in secular society. Instead of jumping
into the democratic, secular society like they supposedly desire, Muslims in Europe
separate themselves from society and grow angry that the general public does not
accommodate or invite their beliefs and traditions. Instead of adapting to the already
established culture, the Islamic people choose to continue to be discriminated against;
however, when they finally do decide to stand up for themselves, they are often in acts of
violence.
The views of democratic, secular society and the Islamic people differ in various
aspects. Considering womens rights, the Quran states that men and women are equal
neither is more superiorbut also states that the man is the maintainer or protector of the
woman. Sharia law, and many Muslims, interprets the text as the man having strength over
the woman. Therefore, a man beating his wife is just under Sharia law. This, however, is not
the case in a democracy; any man that beats his wife would be prosecuted. In the case of
freedom of speech, the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons spurred great controversy.
Though Europeans have the freedom of expression, many Muslims reacted in violent ways
towards the cartoons depicting Muhammad and were greatly offended; Islamic tradition
strictly prohibits depicting Allah, Muhammad and any other major religious figure. In both
cases, forbidding all Europeans to depict Allah or forbidding Muslim men from beating
their wives would both be interfering with the others rights.
Many Muslims find secular society to be of great difficulty because Islam is very
much an identity for most. Muslims do not ever separate their beliefs or traditions from
their everyday lifethey are extensively intertwined. From the way they dress, speak, eat,
6
interact, and pray, nothing in their lives is separate from their Muslim belief. Secularism
has not only become a set of ideas or rules for the public sphere, but has become a lifestyle
or worldview that leaks even into private life (Esposito 4). Studies show that 85% of
Muslim students find religious beliefs to be very important, and a third of Muslim students
feel most defined by their religious affiliation rather than by their race or where they live
(Laurence 95). Secularized society and Islam do not seem to be very compatible; Islam
requires followers to be devout and constantly being in Muslim practice all throughout
their day. Islam is not a religion that can only be practiced in the home, but is an identity
that should not be separated from the activities and interactions of everyday life. Many
Muslims do not see the need to transform identities or to reach out to a society that should
already consider them equal. Integration, to Muslims, does not mean becoming full-fledged
French citizens, but see it as a cultural requirement that really means check your identity
at the door (Laurence 30). To the Muslim immigrants, the idea of integration is a process
of stripping their Muslim identity to adopt the cultural norm of Europe.
The better solution for dealing with the Muslim population in France and Europe
overall is for both cultures to give and take. Europeans need to sacrifice their negative
disposition and be welcoming towards all immigrants stripping away their racist practices.
Fortunately, we are already seeing the French community become more comfortable with
the idea that Islam is part of French life and increasingly think that the practice of Islam
should be facilitated, for example, by state assistance for construction of mosques
(Laurence 63); many French citizens express a willingness for the necessity to facilitate
Muslim religion practices. Many religious organizations and awareness groups are working
hard in the Muslim communities in France to encourage the people into European culture
7
such as national clubs, Averroes Club and the Convergences Club. Many awareness groups
have also put forth effort to ensure safety for Muslims and raise awareness to fight
discrimination and encourage integration (Laurence 69). Many activists also work in
politics to organize conferences against discrimination and enforce laws prohibiting racist
acts of expression. To also help facilitate integration, French government has loosened its
formal ties with Islam in Muslim states as a way to contain the threat of radicalism.
Muslims will better assimilate into European culture once they accept their
differences and learn to adapt. Many individuals of Muslim background have greatly
impacted French society in areas ranging from academics, to sports to entertainment.
These achievements have already helped the image of immigrants and is thought to
facilitate their social acceptance (Laurence 71). Today, we are actually seeing Islamic
regions attempting to shift to democratization of the government in a way that is not
secular but integrates Islamic faith and law (Azizah 1992). Many European governments
have initiated consultations with Muslim religious organizations and have pursued the
domestication of Islam by institutionalizing church-state relations (Laurence 136) as a
tool for integration. Muslims believe in the practice of ijtihad meaning struggle where they
use individual intellect to preserve Islamic principles while still meeting contemporary
challenges and adapting Islamic teachings to new situations (Noakes 151). It is clear to us
that Muslims prefer a society that practices Muslim beliefs and traditions rather than being
asked to leave their religious identity at home or in private.
To conclude, the clashing between the cultures of Europe and cultures of the Islamic
people is inevitable. With the strong fertility rates and influx of immigrants, the Islamic
people are a growing problem for the European Union; so far, the inevitable clash has been
8
a ticking bomb that Europe has been avoiding for long enough. As Huntington says, cultural
differences will decide how the civilizations are divided and clashing will occur at the fault
lines. As we have seen, Europeans are extensively discriminatory and racist towards Arabs
and Muslims, and therefore, Muslims experience poor economic opportunity. In addition,
Muslims have poor attitudes about living in a democratic society that separates church
from state. Most Muslims consider their identity to lie in their religion rather than their
region. As a result, Islamic people in Europe tend to congregate creating their own
communities separate from non-Muslim culture. However, once Europeans strip their
racist notions towards Arabs and Muslims, the Islamic community will also need to accept
the different society and immerse themselves in the culture and community. It is then that
Europe will find peace and successfully integrate their growing Muslim community.











9
AbuKhalil, Asad. "The Islamic World Needs Secularism." Islam: Opposing Viewpoints. San
Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 1995. 139-46. Print.
Alam, Anwar. "Scholarly Islam and Everyday Islam: Reflections on the Debate over
Integration of the Muslim Minority in India and Western Europe1." Journal of Muslim
Minority Affairs 27.2 (2007). Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Oct. 2011.
Elmandjra, Mahdi. "What Future for Islam in Europe?" Humiliationstudies.org. Human Dignity
and Humiliation Studies, 15 Sept. 2005. Web. 6 Oct. 2011.
Esposito, John L. "Rethinking Islam and Secularism." Guiding Papers Series. Association of
Religion Data Archives. Web. 8 Nov. 2011.
Frank, Ana. "Rethinking European Past and Future Legacies." Journal of Contemporary
European Studies 18.2 (2010): 229-39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Oct. 2011.
Huntington, Samuel P., Fouad Ajami, Robert L. Bartley, and Binyan Liu. The Clash of
Civilizations?: the Debate. New York, NY: Foreign Affairs, 1993. Print.

Laurence, Jonathan, and Justin Vasse. Integrating Islam: Political and Religious Challenges in
Contemporary France. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 2006. Print.
Noakes, Greg. "The Islamic World Does Not Need Secularism." Islam: Opposing Viewpoints.
San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 1995. 147-54. Print.