Muslims in Europe: A Short IntroductionEurope, Migration, Ethnicity, France
Justin Vaïsse, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe
The Brookings Institution
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2008/09_europe_muslims_vaisse/09_europe_muslims_vaisse.pdfMyth #1: Being Muslim constitutes a fixed identity, sufficient to fully characterize a person. [...]
Myth #2: Muslims in Europe are, in one way or the other, inherently foreign, the equivalent of visiting Middle-Easterners who are alien to the "native" culture. European culture, however, has always included Muslim elements, as early as the 8th century. Moreover, the approximately 15 to 17 million persons of Muslim background currently in the EU-27 countries (population: 500 million) include both citizens and non-citizens of European member states, but a majority of them hold French, British, German, etc. nationality. Many of them are proud of this fact and would never think of themselves as anything else than Europeans (even while honoring their heritage). Indeed, there is more difference in political culture and social codes between a French Muslim and a German Muslim than there is between a French Muslim and a French of other religious orientation.
Myth #3: Muslims in Europe form a "distinct, cohesive and bitter group," in the words of a 2005 Foreign Affairs article. [...]
Myth #4: Muslims are demographically gaining on the "native" population.The implicit assumption behind this very widespread myth is that Muslims form a distinct demographic bloc defined by religion, a bloc which will never blend into the rest of society (another possible assumption is based on ethnicity, "Muslims" being surrogate for "people of color" vs. white people). This assumption is contradicted by the significant rates of intermarriage and conversions (in both directions) and, more importantly, by the reality of integration in many countries, where Muslims are simply patriotic, law-abiding citizens – in this case, worries about demography have no basis, why would one count them apart? But even accepting the assumption they are a demographic bloc, "Muslims" are not actually significantly gaining on "natives." True, European birthrates are generally low, and birthrates among immigrant groups are often high. But in the latter group, they actually fall rapidly after their arrival and among subsequent generations, as they tend to conform to the national norm. And in some countries like France or Ireland, general fertility rates are comparable to that observed in the US, around 2 children per woman. Last but not least, immigration to the EU is more and more tightly controlled. It is doubtful that from about 15-17 million in the 500 million EU-27 today (3 to 4 %), potential Muslims could number more than 6 % in the coming decades.
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/09_europe_muslims_vaisse.aspx