Immigration: Living Between Two Worlds?

•         Ghettoization of European Muslims: Muslims in Western Europe more and more live in the same neighborhood and do not feel part of a larger European society.

•         Islamic identify vs. assimilation: A report by the Pew Global Attitudes Project published on July 14, 2005 found that most Europeans, with the exception of Poland (42%) feel that Muslims in their country want to remain distinct from the general population (Germany 88%, Russia 72%, Spain 68%, Netherlands 65%, Great Britain 62%, France 59%). The US’s public attitude was split, 49% of Americans felt that American-Muslims wanted to remain “distinct.”

•         Negative attitudes towards further immigration from the MENA: According the Pew Global Attitudes Survey, the majority of Europeans think the immigration from the MENA region is a bad thing, and them appose Turkey’s bid to join the EU. (Immigration from the MENA region is a bad thing: Netherlands 67%, France 81%, Germany 76%, Britain 44%, Spain 32%, and Poland 26%).

•         Dissidents vs. extremists: Many so-called dissidents left their home countries in fear of jail and punishment for advocating violence or overthrowing local governments. Many of them have found save heavens in European cities such as London. Now, these individuals have created a support base around them and are preaching violence against their adopted country. A realistic approach against these individuals must be adopted. This can include deporting them to their home countries or trying them locally for advocating violence.

•         Partnering with the Muslim community: Muslim communities in the West can be the best asset against terrorists. The authorities should build a cooperative partnership to share information about extremists and report any suspicious activities in their communities. “Random” arrest and deportation, however, will hurt any cooperation efforts and will alienate the Muslim communities.

•         Limiting backlash: Overreaction by Western countries to incidents of terrorism can embolden extremists and alienate and isolate Muslim communities in the West, which are vital to counter-terrorism efforts.