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Study: Muslims Feel They're Being Shut Out of European Society
The recent Swiss referendum vote to ban the building of minarets seems to confirm the trend of Europeans becoming increasingly strident in their attempts to "protect" their culture against Islam. However, a newly published report by the Open Society Institute (OSI), the think-tank set up by billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros, details the complex relationship between Muslims and Europe and reveals that the suspicion is mutual. Muslims believe they are being shut out of European society. About 20 million Muslims live in the European Union, mostly in capital cities and large industrial towns; they already make up 25% of the population in Marseilles and Rotterdam, 20% in Malmo, 15% in Brussels and Birmingham and 10% in London, Paris and Copenhagen. The report, published on Dec. 15, surveyed Muslims in 11 cities across the E.U., and found that 55% of respondents believed religious discrimination had risen in the past five years. And while many Muslims are a long-standing and integral part of the fabric of their cities, the report says they are still almost three times more likely to be unemployed than non-Muslims. But far from seeking out Islamic ghettos, many Muslim families appear desperately keen to integrate. "A lot of Muslims - especially parents - were sad they could not live in mixed neighborhoods, where they could experience diversity," says Tufyal Choudhury, lead author of the report. Posted by: ed 2009-12-16 |
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