http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=122307&d=8&m=5&y=2009&pix=world.jpg&category=World
Friday 8 May 2009 (13 Jumada al-Ula 1430)
European Muslims feel isolated: Survey
Reuters
LONDON: Muslims living in European countries feel far more isolated than
those living in the United States, according to a survey on coexistence, with a
lack of access to education and jobs reinforcing a sense of ostracism.
At the same time, Muslims in France, Britain and Germany feel far more
loyalty to their country than they are perceived to feel, and express a strong
willingness to integrate.
The findings by pollsters Gallup tend to suggest that a longer period of
migration to the US and economic growth there has helped foster integration.
Meanwhile, Muslims in Europe are working hard to fit in and say it is
important, but they are not always seen to be succeeding.
"This research shows that many of the assumptions about Muslims and
integration are wide of the mark," said Dalia Mogahed, the executive director
of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and co-author of a report based on the
findings. "European Muslims want to be part of the wider community and
contribute even more to society."
The survey, described as the first of its kind, polled at least 500
Muslims in June and July of last year to generate its findings on European
Muslim integration. At least 1,000 members of the general public in each
country were also randomly surveyed to create comparisons on specific issues.
While 38 percent of Muslims in Germany, 35 percent of those in the UK and
29 percent of those in France were found to be "isolated" in their countries,
that figure stood at just 15 percent in the US and 20 percent in Canada.
"This can be explained by the historical importance of immigration in the
development of Canada and the US as modern nations," said Mogahed, adding that
better access to higher education and work in North America had helped over
decades to create more integration and social advancement.
One of the starkest findings of the surveys was the gap in perception
between European Muslims and the general public.
While nearly half of French Muslims (46 percent) said they felt
integrated, only 22 percent of the French public said they felt the same about
the Muslims living in their country. In Germany, 35 percent of Muslims saw
themselves as integrated, but the broader public put it at 13 percent.
And in Britain, while 20 percent of the public thought Muslims were
integrated, only 10 percent of Muslims thought they were. Mogahed and co-author
Mohamed Younis said the findings showed how hard it was to draw broad
conclusions about Muslim integration across Europe or develop policy as a
result.
They suggested that country of origin - many Muslims in France are
originally from North Africa, many in Germany are originally from Turkey, and
in Britain from Pakistan or Bangladesh - affected integration and/or its
perception.
That certainly appears to be the case when the surveys examined the
importance of certain moral issues to Muslims and compared it to the general
public in each country.
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