Challenges behind migration of Muslims to Europe (2)

Welcome to the second episode of the series 'Challenges behind migration of Muslims to Europe'.

Muslim migrants in European countries face major challengers. One of these challenges is inclusion of the topic of immigration into the realm of security, creating major challenges for the European governments in dealing with migrants, while concurrently piling up pressure on migrants, especially Muslim migrants, in Europe, and stirring several problems for them. The change of the nature of the topic of migration from a social phenomenon into a political phenomenon, especially after the year 2001 AD, has changed the way that host countries treat migrants, while setting the stage for emergence of ethnical bouts of violence, social unrests, and empowerment of anti-immigration currents, especially rightwing parties. On this basis, upon the escalation of bouts of violence in Europe, migrants have been harshly treated. The issue of migration is considered as a challenge against the national identity of European countries. If the anti-immigration currents are reinforced in a number of European countries, this continent may once again be entrapped by racism. In fact, many individuals who flee lack of security, and political and economic problems of their countries, face countless other problems in Europe. Today, many aspects of containment of immigration are viewed as a discriminatory behavioral pattern by Muslims and can leave negative impacts on interracial relations in European countries. 

The other problem that Muslim migrants face in Europe is the Islamophobia campaign, which negatively impacts the status of Muslim migrants in that continent. In fact, Islamophobia campaign has turned into a behavioral pattern which has impacted the rights of Muslim migrants. Currently, a number of groups in Western communities are making strenuous efforts to somehow baselessly link the sacred religion of Islam to terrorist outfits such as Al-Qaeda and the terrorist outfit, dubbed ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL). Presentation of a wrong image of sacred religion of Islam has led to the paradoxical policy of European governments, laying the ground for escalation of radicalism. The far right groups and parties in European countries consider Muslims as a threat against their existence and take measures to assure their citizens that they will not allow the so-called radicalism to spread due to presence of Muslims in their communities. The Islamophobia campaign involves players which introduce Islam as a threat against the political and secular norms of Europe, thereby somehow justifying their illegal measures against Muslim migrants. The European countries have always displayed paradoxical behavioral patterns in dealing with migrants.

Two factors can be named behind the emergence of Islamophobia campaign in the West. Firstly, it is the violent measures of extremist groups which baselessly claim to be Islamic; the recent example of which is the terrorist operations which were carried out by ISIL terrorist outfit, in Paris, on November 13, 2015, killing 130 people, and wounding 350 others. And the second factor is a baseless, radical interpretation of Islam, which is displayed by Western media. This has in turn set the stage for far right groups and parties to baselessly attribute violent behaviors to sacred religion of Islam, provoking Islamophobia in Europe.

The other challenge that Muslims face in Europe is the revival of aggressive and anti-Islamic nationalism in Europe, which is the consequence of emergence of far right parties and groups in that continent. Rightist parties introduce themselves as the protectors of traditional values and cultural and racial identity of the community, and make use of populist approach to garner political votes. Radical nationalism is the evident characteristic feature of far right parties, leading to resentment toward other nations, and opposition to the process of European convergence. In general, two important features set apart far right groups from other European parties. The rightest parties try to magnify threats, to somehow shape the views of voters based on anti-immigration sentiments. Some researchers have referred to these anti-immigration and anti-Islamic sentiments as cultural racism, and believe that Islamophobia has taken a new shape in Europe. The far right parties are also against the unification and integrity of the European Union member states, and consider it as a major blow against the identity and culture of their countries, opining that the history and culture of any given country is different, and implementation of a uni-cultural policy in Europe is not feasible. Although radical populist currents have been activated in Europe in the recent decades, they have taken advantage of a number of social and economic facts to justify themselves. The financial economic downturns, security crisis, and problems related to migration, coupled with national identity issues of concern have all and all set the stage for growth of far right ideologies with a series of simplistic solutions, more than ever. One of the notorious far right and anti-Islamic currents is referred to as Pegida, which emerged in the German city of Dresden in October 2014. This current was officially registered as an organization on December 19, 2014, and through its over two years of operations has expanded in Germany and other European countries such as Britain, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Netherlands, and Denmark, drawing the attention of many international analysts as an anti-Islamic far right current. The terrorist operations in Europe, including the attack on the head office of French weekly, Charlie Hebdo, on January 7, 2014, raised an opportunity for Pegida to further insist on its radical claims. This anti-Islamic current slams Germany’s immigration policies and expansion of what it refers to as radical Islam in Germany. This anti-Islamic current also urges further restrictions on grant of the right of asylum in Germany. This anti-Islamic current also expresses concerns about unemployment, abuse of social welfare, and a high crime rate, somehow attributing these problems to the phenomenon of immigration. The xenophobic policy of this anti-Islamic current immediately led to negative reactions in a number of German cities, with people pouring on the streets, in tens of thousands, in cities such as Hamburg, and Berlin, participating in anti-Pegida rallies.

The other topic of concern which should be taken into consideration is the bond between some far right European groups and Zionist regime of Israel. Some of the ringleaders and members of far right groups and parties, who maintain anti-Islamic and anti-immigration viewpoints, are under the influence of Zionist lobbies and have formed close relations with the Zionist regime officials. For instance, the radical rightwing terrorist, Anders Breivik, who shot dead a large number of Norwegian teenagers in a summer camp of this country’s ruling party, introduces himself as a staunch supporter of Zionism in his personal website, and calls for unification with Zionists in the confrontation against Muslims.

Also, Marine Le Pen, the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, and the leader of the far right French National Front, has distanced from the anti-Semitic views of her father and aims to recruit the French Jews, who reside in occupied Palestine.

Moreover, Geert Wilders, the leader of a rightwing populist political party in Netherlands, known as the Party for Freedom, who has openly shown his resentment toward Islam, has traveled to the occupied Palestine, more than forty times.

The British National Party is a far right British party, which maintains harsh policies against migrants and Muslims. Nick Griffin, who led this party as of the year 1999 to 2014, tried to balance this party’s anti-Semitic policies via inclination toward Zionist regime.

One of the other major challenges of Muslims in Europe is the social discriminations which are imposed on Muslim migrants. Many Western countries have adopted degrading standpoints toward the nationals of other countries, especially Muslims. Today, ample evidences in European communities point out imposition of a number of restrictions, and social discriminations against Muslim migrants, especially the second generation of Muslims. Many of the Muslims in Europe maintain a low economic and social status compared to locals.

MR/ME