Muslims in Europe
Globalisation has caused Islam to be a religion which spans the world. Approximately 15 million Muslims live in Europe of which between 11 and 12 million are in Western Europe (approximately 3 per cent of the total population). In many European countries Muslims are the second largest religious group after Christians. This presents new challenges to Muslims as well as to the countries in which they live.
Source: Marion Vogel
The number of Muslims in Europe, and also the number in Germany, can only be estimated because of a lack of definite data. To estimate the numbers, as a rule, statistical data is taken for foreign nationals born in or from countries with Muslim majorities.
Countries of origin and denomination
Most Muslims resident in Europe originate from Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Important countries of origin are the Maghreb states (33.6%), Turkey (28.3%) and the Indian subcontinent (12.0%). As to which nationalities and denominations (e.g. Sunni, Shi’ites, Alevites) are predominant in a particular country is a historical and political matter and often determined by the colonial history of the country in question.
This is why approximately two million British Muslims (approximately 3% of the overall population of Britain) originate from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The 4 – 6 million Muslims living in France originate primarily from Algeria, Marocco, Tunisia and Turkey.
In The Netherlands, the number of Muslims is approximately 6 per cent of the total population. They come primarily from Marocco and Turkey. There is also a large number of Muslims from other countries, Surinam and Indonesia, for example.
Integration of the Muslim population
The civic and social position of the Muslim population, its political representation and the relationship between the religious community and the state are used as indicators for the various levels of integration.In particular, the legal position of Islam as a religion and therefore the integration of the Muslim population are different from country to country.
Overall, the situation and the social atmosphere towards many Muslims in the EU has deteriorated as Islam has increasingly been associated with violence and terrorism since the terrorist attacks in the USA, Madrid and London.
In the past few years, many national governments have however increased their efforts concerning the integration of Muslims in that they have sought continuing dialogue with the Muslim population. Dialogue with Muslims and their integration into Western society are now recognised by many EU countries as being a viable option to secure peaceful co-existence and to prevent violence.
More information about integrating the Muslim population in Europe:
Muslime in der europäischen Union / von Sabine Riedel,
[Muslims in the European Union / by Sabine Riedel] SWP-Studie, April 2005
- Situation der islamischen Gemeinden in fünf europäischen Städten / von Yvonne Bemelmans, Maria José Freitas, 2001 [The situation of Islamic communities in five European cities / by Yvonne Bemelmans, Maria José Freitas]
- Integrationspolitiken in Europa [Integration policies in Europe], in: Ausländer in Deutschland, [Foreigners in Germany] Issue 3/2006, 22nd year, 30 September 2006
Muslims in the European Union / EUMC Study, 2006
