2008 Woodie Awards
Muslim population grows in Europe
Sara Morehouse
Issue date: 11/14/06
Last Updated: 12/26/07
European Muslims need to adopt basic Enlightenment values such as tolerance, individualism, scientific inquiry free of church control and human reason, a guest speaker said last Thursday.
Chris Soper, the director of the Center for Faith and Learning and associate professor of political science at Pepperdine University (Calif.), presented "Muslims in Europe: Singing God's Song in a Strange Land." The was created out of a psalm written when the Jews were kicked out of the Holy Lands.
"The Jews became successful at retaining their religious identity in strange lands," Soper said.
The Muslim population in Europe has grown from 1.61 million to around 15 million between 1961 and 2001 due to immigration and high fertility rates, Soper said.
Soper based his claims and predictions regarding the growing Islamic presence in Europe on interviews he conducted with Muslims in Britain and France prior to Sept. 11, 2001.
As Europe is becoming home to more and more Muslims, the public policy challenge facing Europeans is how to integrate Muslims into Western culture.
"Muslims are not going anywhere; Europe is their home," Soper said.
Though Muslims are gaining citizenship and living in European countries, their religious needs have not been addressed or provided for as they become a "significant political and social force in western Europe," Soper said.
Britain and France present two contrasting reactions to the Muslim presence in their respective countries. Soper recognized Britain as doing a better job of accommodating for Muslims' spiritual convictions.
The British have a strong understanding of a church and state linkage due to the influence of the Church of England. For example, one-third of all British students are in church schools, Soper said. As a result of this understanding, Muslim students have been allowed to wear the hijab, a traditional Muslim head covering, as long as it matches school uniforms.
On the opposite side of the spectrum lies France, a country where the separation of church and state is paramount to Muslims. There have been no considerations for the possibility for Islamic schools in France, though the state does finance Catholic schools.
Chris Soper, the director of the Center for Faith and Learning and associate professor of political science at Pepperdine University (Calif.), presented "Muslims in Europe: Singing God's Song in a Strange Land." The was created out of a psalm written when the Jews were kicked out of the Holy Lands.
"The Jews became successful at retaining their religious identity in strange lands," Soper said.
The Muslim population in Europe has grown from 1.61 million to around 15 million between 1961 and 2001 due to immigration and high fertility rates, Soper said.
Soper based his claims and predictions regarding the growing Islamic presence in Europe on interviews he conducted with Muslims in Britain and France prior to Sept. 11, 2001.
As Europe is becoming home to more and more Muslims, the public policy challenge facing Europeans is how to integrate Muslims into Western culture.
"Muslims are not going anywhere; Europe is their home," Soper said.
Though Muslims are gaining citizenship and living in European countries, their religious needs have not been addressed or provided for as they become a "significant political and social force in western Europe," Soper said.
Britain and France present two contrasting reactions to the Muslim presence in their respective countries. Soper recognized Britain as doing a better job of accommodating for Muslims' spiritual convictions.
The British have a strong understanding of a church and state linkage due to the influence of the Church of England. For example, one-third of all British students are in church schools, Soper said. As a result of this understanding, Muslim students have been allowed to wear the hijab, a traditional Muslim head covering, as long as it matches school uniforms.
On the opposite side of the spectrum lies France, a country where the separation of church and state is paramount to Muslims. There have been no considerations for the possibility for Islamic schools in France, though the state does finance Catholic schools.
For this reason, The Whitworthian asks readers to be responsible and respectful in any comments posted. The responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not the whitworthian.com. Readers are also encouraged to report questionable comments by e-mailing editor@whitworthian.com.
Be the first to comment on this story