Srinagar, Sep 11: Europe is witnessing growing anxiety over Islam and Muslims, but fears of an Islamic takeover of the continent are unfounded, according to a report published in The Economist, which says the real dangers lie in Islamist extremism and growing right-wing fear of Islam.
The report, titled “The truth and the lies about Islam in Europe” and published on September 10, said panic about Islam was spreading across several European countries, with large sections of the population increasingly viewing Islam as incompatible with Western values. It cited recent political developments in Germany, France and Britain as examples of the growing influence of anti-Muslim rhetoric.
However, the report said some of the most alarming claims about Islam’s presence in Europe were not supported by evidence.
“Europe faces no Islamic takeover, no mass radicalisation of Muslims and no erasure of its culture,” the report said. It added that Europe does not have “no-go zones”, sharia is not becoming part of national law and there is no demographic “great replacement” under way.
The report noted that Muslims currently account for about 6% of Europe’s population of more than 500 million. While migrants from Muslim-majority countries generally have more children than native-born populations, fertility rates tend to converge within two generations, it said.
It also said most Muslim immigrants were seeking to build lives in their adopted countries rather than impose the societies they had left behind. Their children, according to the report, often perform better educationally than their parents. In Britain, it cited figures showing that 67% of Bangladeshis who sat standard tests in 2021 were enrolled in university by age 19, compared with 38% of white Britons.
The report nevertheless acknowledged socially conservative views among some Muslims. Its polling found that 52% of British Muslims considered homosexuality wrong.
It stressed that socially conservative views do not automatically make Muslims a security threat, while distinguishing Islam from Islamism.
“Islam isn’t a problem; Islamism can be,” the report said, describing Islamism as a political ideology seeking to promote Islamic principles through the state.
At the same time, the report warned that anti-Muslim policies could deepen divisions. Mass deportations, segregation and dress bans, it said, could frighten Muslims, inhibit integration and potentially push some towards extremists.
The report concluded that Europe’s Muslims are increasingly integrating into their societies, drawing parallels with earlier migrant communities. “Muslims will, too—if division and paranoia are not allowed to get in the way,” it said.
