Muslims in Western Politics

8. How Europe and Its Muslim Populations See Each Other [Includes Image Plates]

8 How Europe and Its Muslim Populations See Each Other Jodie T. Allen and Richard Wike The general European populations and European Muslim minorities view each other and the larger conflicts between Western and Muslim countries quite differently . Most striking is the finding from polls conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project (GAP) in the spring of 2006 that, in many ways, the views of Europe’s Muslims occupy a middle ground between the opinions that Western publics and Middle Eastern and Asian Muslim publics hold with respect to each other.1 For example, while Europe’s Muslim minorities are as likely as Muslims elsewhere to see relations between Westerners and Muslims as generally bad, they are considerably more likely to associate positive attributes with Westerners—including tolerance, generosity, and respect for women.2 Moreover , not only are Muslims in Europe somewhat less inclined to see a “clash of civilizations” than are those living in predominantly Muslim countries, they are also considerably less likely to see such a conflict than are some of the general publics in Europe. While solid majorities of the overall populations in Germany and Spain see a natural conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society, most Muslims in both of those countries disagree. And in France, the scene of riots in heavily Muslim areas in the fall of 2005,  · Jodie T. Allen and Richard Wike large percentages of both the general public and the Muslim minority population see no conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society. We first examine what polls tell us about how Europeans in Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain (the four countries where Pew’s 2006 polls included oversampling of Muslim minorities) generally view their resident Muslim populations , their attitudes toward Islam more broadly, and how those opinions differ among the countries surveyed. Next we discuss the general attitudes of European Muslims toward their countries, their religion, democracy, and other issues. Finally we focus on some important differences among the Muslim communities in two of the four countries, Great Britain and France, in which the Muslim oversamples were drawn.3 How Europe Views Its Muslim Populations It’s true that relations are bad, but to go from there to saying who’s wrong? I think everyone bears some responsibility. On the Muslim side, it’s too much religion, religion, religion, and they don’t want to open up to others. —Jeannine Pilé, 33, French housewife and mother4 Attempts at integrating Muslims in Germany have been inadequate. There is insufficient support for integration. In some ways, some Muslims remain susceptible to propaganda and fundamentalism. Another reason is what happened in Spain and the U.K. The terrorists were homegrown. It is very worrying. —Andreas von Radetzky, 50, taxi driver, houseman, and teacher, Berlin The Muslim community here is very isolated, so they don’t understand the rest of Spain, and Spaniards don’t understand them. Perceptions are based mostly on stereotypes. —Zaida Díaz, 33, accountant, Madrid Some people in Spain want to forget that we were a Muslim country for nearly 800 years. But you cannot deny your roots, and we all have Islamic roots. —Manuela Aparicio, 58, publishing executive, Madrid No clear European point of view emerges with regard to the Muslim experience, either among the majority populations or among Muslims living there. True, concern about the rise of Islamic extremism is ubiquitous (93% of Germans, 89% of the French, 84% of the British, and 77% of Spaniards say they are very or somewhat concerned). Also, as in the United States, solid majorities, ranging from 70% in Germany and 61% in both Spain and Great Britain, see relations between Muslims and Westerners as “generally bad.” But there is little agreement over who is How Europe and Its Muslim Populations See Each Other ·  to blame for that estrangement: while 47% of the French public points the finger at Muslims, only 32% in Spain and 25% in Britain do the same. Attitudes toward Muslims in general also vary widely across Europe. Overall , Germans and Spaniards express far more negative views of both Muslims and Arabs than do the French, British, or Americans. While 65% of the French public and 63% of the British express a “favorable view” of Muslims, only 36% in Germany and 29% in Spain share that positive opinion. When non-Muslim Europeans were asked whether they associate specific...