Del Grosso Issue Paper M2

8/3/2019 Del Grosso Issue Paper M2

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Ryan Del Grosso

Lt Colonel Dumond

4 November 2011

Integration of Muslims into France and the UK: Security in the West

An increasing number of Muslims in France and Great Britain continue to radicalize due

to an inability of migrants to assimilate within local populations and their new culture. Terrorist

attacks and identity issues resulting in civil unrest have been on the rise. Nations around Europe

have been combating this issue since the 1970’s and after this “second generation” of Muslims

born in Western countries has become alienated due to social exclusion, unemployment and

discrimination, they are looking for an identity, finding it in radical Islam, and seeking to make

their political voice heard through terrorism. As the United States approaches its 10 th year of

conflict with the radical Islamist groups and other terrorist organizations it is important that a

strategy be developed to thwart radicalization within the Western nation’s home borders.

Through better immigration practices, France and Great Britain would be able to stifle

radical Islamic terrorist cells within their borders and be able to attack the problem in a more

focused region of the world while also building trust of Western ideals and general acceptance of

Western nations within the global Muslim Community. In order to more effectively assimilate

migrant Muslims into French and English culture and thwart radicalization practices, these

nations must work to provide better economic opportunity for the local Muslim population,

provide a sense of national identity within this new population of Muslims to rid of alienation

factors, give legitimate recognition to the local Muslim population and religious leaders, and

prevent radical Islamist groups from entering and teaching within the local Muslim Population.



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Before the solution of Muslim integration into France and Great Britain is discussed, it is

important to define the problem and failures in past attempts to fully integrate Muslims. At the

risk of over simplifying an extremely complex problem, it seems the reason that Muslims in

France in Great Britain have had trouble with integration stems from identity issues within a

young Muslim population and an increase in xenophobia towards those who practice Islam due

to recent history with terrorist attacks.

To believe that the problem with Muslim integration is a new issue would be false as

“Islam in Europe first emerged as a social issue in the 1970’s when some European governments

changed their immigration policies by closing their door to labor immigration and allowing

family re-unification” (Anspaha) . The large influx of the Muslim population into France and

Great Britain causes’ tension between the native populations and the new found residents of the

country. This example has been seen throughout history when large amounts of people

immigrate to a new home just as Irish-Americans faced similar nationalistic hatred when they

made their way to the United States. It seems that the fear of Islam is the main concern that

citizens of France and Britain have with the new residents springs the harsh feelings and

resentment that lead to exclusion of culture within these European nations borders. Many French

and British citizens turn on the televisions to see “the terrorist attacks in the name of

Islam…[which] create[s] an atmosphere of suspicion towards Muslims…causing…islamophobia

(a fear of Islam)” (Anspaha). This conflicting view of Muslims creates a very isolated Muslim

population that do not feel connected with their new home and this isolation leads to identity

issues for many second generation Muslims living within the borders of France and Great

Britain.



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The identity issues that stems from isolation of Muslim communities and people have led

Muslims living within France and Great Britain to seek out their own place in the world. In a

speech about Islamists and Muslim Integration, Maajd Nawaz (a former terrorist turned

promotional speaker of democratization within Islamic states) argues that the identity crisis

stems the creation of an “Age of Behavior” in which individuals no longer gain their identity

from local ties, an ethnicity, or even a nation. Rather, Nawaz suggests that these isolated

Muslims turn to ideas and narratives as the stem for their new identity in which they can use to

model their behavior and path in this world. This search for identity usually will result in

radicalization due to the roots and messages that Islamism teachers spread throughout the world.

The original connection to Islam from these second generation Muslims (the first generation

typically holds value in the nation/ethnicity that it left since they grew up in that culture and have

identity within it), leads them to find radicalization and other methods to express themselves.

This should be an extreme focus of France and Great Britain due to the fact that once Muslims

realize they are not being treated as equals, these “alienated Muslims ignore traditional channels

of political participation and mobilization, and express their demands by another means, that is,

terrorism.” (Ansapha). France and Great Britain are two great examples to look at in how to

possibly combat this problem and thwart terrorism in the future.

The ways that France and Great Britain have dealt with the integration of Muslims into

their societies have greatly differed. The reason that these two countries have taken different

approaches is due to the importance that each places on individuality versus communal/cultural

priorities. Ansapha explains that “France maintains assimilation and a secular republic promoting

citizenship as a primary tool, [while] the United Kingdom promotes a multicultural model,

supporting liberal values and respect for cultural autonomy”. The French people view the



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immigrants that find their way to France as having the responsibility to become, well, French!

The expectation is that the recently moved in immigrants will shed their past traditions, cultures,

and fully embrace the French identity. This assimilation tied to harsh views towards French-

Arabs that find their origins in the Algerian conflict creates a hostile environment in which many

French citizens simply do not want to be associated with these Muslim immigrants and vice

versa. As a result, “the French style of immigration which aims at the assimilation of immigrants

into French society, the principle of mono- belonging, has proved to be not working” (Reitsma).

As this system of assimilation continued and failed, French Muslims have been treated as second

class citizens where “more and more the words immigrants and foreigners became synonyms for

words like criminal, clandestine, and delinquent” (Reitsma). This great feeling of resentment

towards Muslims by the French people has led increasing movements towards radicalization and

the threat of continued violent revolts occurring within French borders results in a polarized

nation which is a extremely volatile and dangerous environment. Therefore, the French must

look towards another way to properly integrate and work alongside their Muslim immigrant

fellow citizens.

English attempts to integrate Muslims into a British way of life has also been a struggle

throughout the recent decades due to disparity in socio-economic status, a lack of being able to

identify with the liberal values that Britain’s hold, and the feelings of a lack of respect for the

practicing of Islam within Britain’s secular borders. Polls of UK Muslims towards their non-

Muslim Britons are extremely revealing in attitudes within the country as “Economic integration,

whereby Muslims enter work, earn wages and pay taxes just like their fellow citizens, is equally

important; in this, both the United Kingdom and France have failed” (Atlantica). This figure

helps to show that the barriers to immigration is largely a two player game that will require work



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from both sides of the fence. Muslims within Great Britain have a large gap in economic status

due to lack of Muslim’s ability to gain professional jobs within the UK, in fact the

“unemployment rate for Muslims is 15 percent, which is approximately three times higher than

Christians and Hindus” (Reed). This lack of employment leads to resentment that in turn has the

ability to encourage these unemployed Muslims to radicalize and express their need for

employment in forms outside of the political realm that they feel will be legitimate in their lack

of representation within government.

Muslims within Great Britain have led a life of segregation by settling in very specific

areas and this concentration of their population has led to social exclusion which in turn limits

their ability to feel truly like British citizens. Within the UK “Muslims are disproportionately

represented deprived inner city areas and so their social exclusion is arguably exacerbated by

area affects” (Reed). This social exclusion through geographical means only further isolates the

Muslim population and ignites feelings of resent as well as the absence of ties to the state,

Muslims will turn to the “next level” identifier they have of Islam.

This complex and diverse Muslim population sees “religion [as] a very important part of

many UK Muslims and has played an increasingly influential role in how they define

themselves” (Reed). This identity hold on Islam is not a bad thing from a religious perspective

but rather it has led to a driving force of increased feelings of exclusion within the British

system. This extreme emphasis on religion with little support from the United Kingdom’s

government to fully recognize and respect the practice of Islam as it has with Christians has led

to “a sizable minority of young Muslims feel[ing] that the British government is doing little to

protect their religious freedom” (Reed). The potential for this resentment to turn these young



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Muslims to radicalize and become Islamists is a great danger to the security of the UK and the

Western world.

The environments within France and Great Britain of high Muslim populations that do

not feel connected to their country has come to a crossroads and if radical improvements are not

made extremely soon, the French and British could begin to see the terrorist attacks they have

experienced in the last decade in increasing fashion. The remedies to more appropriately address

the issue of integration of Muslim culture into western ideal societies must rely on both sides

reaching an understanding in several areas. The governments in these countries must break down

borders to upwards social movement and give legitimacy to the Muslim people. One way that

this can be done would be to create more opportunities and outreach to local populations of

Muslims for employment as the labor force within these two countries is dwindling.

Through employment, Muslims in their new nations can feel more like part of the country

as “economic integration, whereby Muslims enter work, earn wages and pay taxes just like their

fellow citizens, is equally important; in this, both the United Kingdom and France have failed.”

(Atlantica). The key in this step is to provide a means for Muslims to become more functioning

members of British and French society that would allow for the geographical seclusion (largely a

result of this economic disparity) to be eradicated and the large centers of urban dwelling

Muslims to reach out their influence and ability to be influenced to more of the country in which

they reside. This would allow for more of the native population within these countries to gain

more understanding and perspective by exposure to the Muslim community at large and would

help eradicate the racial stereotypical boundaries that have before made the possibility of

integration seem to be an extreme barrier.



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In order to appropriately integrate Muslims in France and Britain there must be

recognition of Islam as being a legitimate religion within a highly secular region of the world.

The French and the British governments are notoriously secular and one particular ruling in

France has created much tension between the population of Muslims residing in France and the

French government. A ban of the hijab, an Islamic head scarf, was placed on all members of

public schools. This decision by the French parliament caused outcry among the Muslim

population because “the symbolism of the Islamic headscarf was a key issue for two reasons: the

place of women in Muslim society and secularism” (Maillard). While many Muslims understand

the divide between church and state, this ruling left many questioning their identity and role

within their new homes. They felt as if the French government would deny them their ability to

practice their religion. Since Islam is a way of life and many Muslims felt that indeed their very

way of life could be threatened by the government, radicalism prevailed as the “tragic

kidnapping of two French journalists by the Islamic Army of Iraq in August 2004 was

specifically aimed at the abolition of the French law” (Maillard). This particular law grew

mistrust and set the French government back many years in accomplishing its goals of successful

Muslim integration. The balancing of this secular policy in Western nation must be balanced by

allowing Islamic representation and understanding to be applied at political levels.

The map below shows the distribution of population and percentages of current Muslim

in Europe. It is of importance to note that the majority of Muslims have chosen to reside in the

United Kingdom and France. While these percentages of population are relatively small, the

influence and power of this respective population are growing and the distribution of these

population leads “fears of lost national identities…gaining ground across Europe” (Archick).



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This idea of a population gaining political influence and national prominence spells conflict yet

also a message of possible cooperation on the horizon.

The conflict in both the United Kingdom and France stems from the issue that many

natives feel that the European way of life will be held in the balance of this struggle between

Islam and traditional Western ideal. This argument holds some weight as the ever increasing

population will try to influence the ideals and goals that are important to them that all minorities

wishing to coexist in their new found nation pursue. The fear also rides on how this new Islamic

population will want current French and British governments to deal with Islamic issues in the

Figure 1: Percentage of Total Population and Population of Muslims in

major European countries. (Acquired from Congressional Research Service)



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Middle East. Mainly the conflict focuses around a “possible “Islamification” of Europe”

(Archick). However, there is another side of this argument which views the increasing Muslim

population in these epicenters of Europe as a positive light and not the doomsday opinion that

most nationalist rhetoric exclaims.

These political experts view the influx of Muslim population rather as a means to

stimulate the job market through the influx of capable, educated laborers who will in the end find

their identity in their host nation. Most experts aim this not so much through the integration of a

proper recognition of Islam (and typically associate the Islam vs. Christianity debate as a never

ending cycle) but rather “more to economic and social disparities rather than religion” (Archick).

The implications of integrating Muslims into the Western cultures of France and the

United Kingdom are an extremely important factor when considering the security of both their

homelands as well as the security of the United States. Since the influx of Muslims into the

United Kingdom, the threat of radicalization and terrorism has been rampant. Ever increasing

amount of attacks on the citizens of the country has been at the forefront of all major news

organization and as the war in Afghanistan rages on the threat of violence at home in retaliation

has been a main security dilemma. These issues have pervaded France as well with many

terrorist attacks focused on civilian population and riots of outcry against social issues with

France have been occurring within the region over the past 10 years. All of the cultural,

sociological, and identity issues have led to the support of these radical Islamic groups that have

taken hold within the Muslim communities in France and Great Britain. These radicalization and

the ability to thwart radicalization is at the forefront and the driving force to make integration a

feasible means for Muslims moving into the country.



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The possible threat to the United States, if these issues are not settled within France and

Great Britain, could very well mean easier access to the United States due to lack of necessity for

travel visas for incoming British or French citizens. These second generation, disillusioned

Muslims from France and Great Britain (French and British citizens with passports) looking for

identity and finding it within radical Islamist movements seeking to exact jihad against the

United States could have the ease of mobility to infiltrate the US and attack. Also the

communication and recruiting technological advancements that a radical Islamist would have

access to in these developed European countries could lead to the easier spread of their jihadist

message to American Muslims and potentially create homebrewed problems for the United

States.

With the right positioning of leaders within the Islamic community, proper avenues for

the employment and social mobility of Muslims living in France and Great Britain and

recognition from the country that it must help and aid the identity of being French or British will

be key in determining their success. The outlook is slightly promising as both Great Britain and

France are attempting to recognize and integrate Muslims at the highest levels of lawmaking and

politics. The creation of various groups such as the French Council of the Muslim Faith and

Great Britain’s Prevent has aligned themselves with the goal of settling the problem of how to

combat the identity and economic crisis of being a Muslim in Europe. There is no one right

answer to solving the integration and both groups will solve their troubles in ways unique to their

culture. Look to France continuing to strive for economic reform as a way to bring in Muslims to

the French secular culture. Great Britain will solve its problems by attacking the source of

radicalization by attempting to address religious aspects of this global war on terrorism and bring

Islam practices and culture into better understanding. Either way both countries must understand



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that as long as the support for wars which are largely seen as religious by Islam followers, many

of their efforts have the ability to be swayed by conduct in those theaters. If Muslims properly

integrate and establish their identity more along the lines of their nation and not their religion

within France and Great Britain, the United States security interests will be much better as they

will be able to focus their strategic radical terrorist fights out of the major powers of Europe. If

not, the United States will have to combat radicalization on many fronts and will have lost a

battle in the war on terrorism.



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Work Cited and Consulted

Anspaha, Katrine. The Integration of Islam in Europe: Preventing the radicalization of Muslim

diasporas and counterterrorism policy. Johns Hopkins. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.

Archick, Kristin, Paul Belkin, and Christopher Blanchard. "Muslims in Europe: Promoting

Integration and Countering Extremism." Congressional Research Service: n. pag.

Federation of American Scientists. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.

Atlantica, Oxford. "The Integration Of Muslims In Europe." Forbes 24 Feb. 2009: n. pag.

Forbes. Web 3 Nov. 2011.

Azzaoui, Mounir. "Similarities in Difference: The Challenge of Muslim Integration in Germany

and the United States." AICGS Issue Brief : n. pag. AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR

CONTEMPORARY GERMAN STUDIES. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.

Inglehart, Ronald, and Pippa Norris. Muslim integration into Western cultures: Between origins

and destinations. Harvard International Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.

Maillard, Dominique. "The Muslims in France and the French Model of Integration."

Mediterranean Quarterly 16.1 (2005): n. pag. Project Muse. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.

Nawaz, Maajid. "A global culture to fight extremism." July 2011. Technology Entertainment and

Design. Web. 4 Nov. 2011.

Reed, Jodie. "Young Muslims in the UK: Education and Integration." IPPR: n. pag. Bibliothek

de Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.

Reitsma, Piter. "Migrant policy and Muslim integration in France and the Netherlands."

University of San Sabestian: n. pag. Migrans Intergracio. Web. 4 Nov. 2011.



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Documentation:

C1C Ross Fleming reviewed my paper for grammatical errors, formatting, and general content.

C1C Rachel Thomas also reviewed and read my paper to ensure grammar and general content.

Del Grosso Issue Paper M2

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