del grosso issue paper m2
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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.
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