Islamification Myth

The Basics of the Islamification myth – and it starts in “Eurabia.” The Eurabia genre of books, most from 2006, are written largely by American conservatives and those connected to Reaganism and neoconservatives.  They are written in classic American conservative,  Cold War tones, and rail on the old criticisms of European welfare states, Europe’s “weakness,” and “socialist Europe.”The Islamification myth comes from this genre of books, dubbed by other authors (Johann Hari, Justin Vaïsse, William Underhill) as the “Eurabia myth.” In his review of Mark Steyn’s Eurabia myth book, America Alone, Johann Hari give us a good overview of this myth:

‘America Alone’ is a guidebook to a continent called Eurabia in the year 2020. Its old European shell looks familiar; “most of” the old Cathedrals and boulevards “still stand” in Rome and London and Paris. But the Islamic National Republican Coalition has just won the French elections – only the latest nation-sized domino to fall to the Islamists. Alcohol is already banned in the Netherlands and Denmark. The continent’s women are veiled. The gay clubs are long since shut and shuttered, “relocated to San Francisco.”The “mass evacuations” of white people began five years ago, as the “supposedly Greater France” began “remorselessly evolving month by month into Greater Bosnia.” As they flee, the last Europeans curse the memory of mass immigration and multiculturalism. They now realise that 7/7 and France’s 2006 car-burning banlieues were merely “the first stage of the Eurabian civil war.” The continent that defined modernity is condemned to “societal collapse, fascist revivalism” and a descent into “the long Eurabian night.” America is left alone, the last country to resist being “reprimitivized”.

This is actually quite silly, infantile and laughable (once you know the truth about European Muslims, that is), but the Islamification myth that flows from the Eurabia myth is the cause for the rise of Geert Wilders and has energized far right parties, including providing inspiration for the Swiss minuet ban and even the burka bans across Europe. You can see that with this “dim forecast” there would be some that want to “stop it” – even if this dim forecast is wrong by all demographic and social scientific evidence.The believers in this myth feel the need to especially oppose immigration from Muslim countries, as the “take over of Europe” involves the notion that every Muslim is fanatical. “Every Muslim” is portrayed as “fanatical in his/her dedication to Islamifiy Europe” and this tale is told by those who believe in it as if every Muslim acts in a robot fashion. To the believer in the coming “Eurabia,” Muslims don’t think, they just act, and act collectively in a unified fashion to “Islamifiy Europe.” To the believer of these myths, Muslims don’t have countries they come from (Turkey, Morocco, Egypt) with different cultures – they are dehumanized into a “united force to Islamify Europe” like a brainless,  robot invading army.The “signs” of this “Islamification of Europe” are the appearance of Islamic buildings, mosques and minuets, and Muslim people  on European streets, in the form of women in Islamic attire.

When understood from this prospective, that of belief in the Islamification myth that comes from the Eurabia fable, the  idiotic and childish moves by European leaders to ban symbols of the presence of Islam and Muslims become  easy to understand.This notion of a “united Islam in Europe” also justifies the mind set that “every Muslim, everywhere” is responsible for the terrorist and criminal acts of a tiny few that call themselves Muslims. Osama bin Laden is the face of every Muslim, because this is enemy psychology. To this ilk, Mohammed Bouyeri is some “poster child” for Dutch Muslims. It’s absurd and outrageous – yes it’s also bigotry and Islamophobia – but this is how those that subscribe to this stupid myth think…Never forget this…stupid people that believe in stupid myths, like “Islamification” and “Eurabia”… can VOTE in elections! [Johann Hari -'America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It' by Mark Steyn - Justin Vaisse -What Eurabia Authors get wrong about Islam in Europe - William Underhill-Disspelling the myth of Eurabia -Khaled Diab-The Mythical European Umma]

Islamification myth in action Swiss ban

Islamification myth at work

The Swiss minaret ban was built by scaring Swiss voters with the Islamification myth. Switzerland has only 4 minarets in the whole country – a largely European-Balkans Muslim population of 400,000 in a country of 7.5 million people. According to America Magazine, scaring voters with “Islamicization” was key to the ban vote, led by none other than the Swiss People’s Party, which was condemned by the Vatican: “[t]he popular support for the construction ban, urged by a right-wing party as needed to prevent the  ‘Islamicization’ of the country, was a “heavy blow for religious freedom and integration.”“The nationalist Swiss People’s party (SPP) described minarets, the distinctive spires used in most countries for calls to prayer, as symbols of rising Muslim political and religious power that could eventually turn Switzerland into an Islamic nation.“Forced marriages and other things like cemeteries separating the pure and impure – we don’t have that in Switzerland, and we do not want to introduce it”Swiss voters back minarets ban – The Guardian—The Islamification Myth and the Facts.What you see above are the most dangerous aspects of the Islamification myth. “To prevent forced marriages, separate cemeteries, and rising ‘Muslim power, blah, blah, blah… we must enact laws and policies” to take basic human rights away from “Them.” Discussing! Outrageous! What the Swiss actually did was vote away the human rights of a small minority over a myth, something that is not actually happening! Bigot’s Buzzy Work!

Counting Muslims - a Bigot's Buzzy Work!

Counting Muslims – a Bigot’s Buzzy Work!Myth One: “Muslims are going to take over Europe any day now…”This first myth is usually based on what can be refereed to as a “Bigot’s Buzzy work” and the notion of “more Muslims, more Islamification.”

Fact One: European Muslims are a small part of the European population and ‘counting them’ is full of problems. First of all, the Bigot’s Buzzy work is hampered by the usual (and quite secular) practice of European nations of not inquiring into the religious practices and beliefs of its citizens and residents. So the Bigot’s Buzzy work is further hampered by the presence of converts and the varied practices in very diverse European Muslim communities. Some of Muslim background (3/4 in the Netherlands) do not attend mosque.  “Who” is “counted” as “Muslim” is a big question .European Muslims in 50 European countries make up about 5% of the population of 38 million and only estimates can be arrived at. This is 2% of the global Muslim population. Western Europe does not have “the most Muslims” but Eastern Europe – and the country with the most Muslims is Russia! (Pew Center – Oct 2009).[ Buijs, Frank J. and Jan Rath 2003. Muslims in Europe: The state of research. April. International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion. - World Migration -Europe 2008 Report - Pew Centre Oct 2009 Report on Muslim Global population - Muslim Pop in Europe - Study dispels myths on Muslim population – Olivia Ward]

Fact Two: Immigrants from Muslim countries do have more children than native European populations – but the second generation Muslim immigrant’s fertility rates resemble native European populations!After the second generation, the birthrate to European Muslim immigrant women level to that of native European population. According to Mary Mederios Kent at the Population Reference Bureau, the Muslim population is small and Russia has the largest Muslim population – but she also argues that European Muslims fertility rates are declining and “Muslims who grew up in Europe in immigrant families are also likely to adopt the majority population’s preference for smaller families” (Mary Mederios Kent – 2008).

So – this is called, it is safe to say,  ‘assimilation” and “integration.”[Garssen, Joop and Han Nicolaas. 2008. Fertility of Turkish and Moroccan women in the Netherlands: Adjustment to native level within one generation. - Sobotka, Tomáš. 2008. Overview Chapter 7: The rising importance of migrants for childbearing in Europe. July 1. Demographic Research. - Kent, Mary Mederios. 2008. Do Muslims Have More Children Than Other Women in Western Europe? February. Population Reference Bureau]

Myth Two: American and European Muslims are pushing for sharia to replace the laws of the US and European nations. This Sharia includes beheading and limb amputations and forcing women to wear veils!

Fact One: There is no credible evidence that a large portion of European and American  Muslims want to force a harsh form sharia law on their countries and  communities. Second of all, the practice of Sharia in some Muslim countries, codified in national laws, like Saudi Arabia, as opposed to the practice, or lack of practice in Europe and America by European and American Muslims is further evidence of the diversity of European and American Islam.This has come to light from a recent study of Dutch Muslims in the Netherlands demonstrated that there is no clamor for Sharia courts, let alone the harshness of Sharia of some Muslim countries. This is due – again – to the sheer diversity of  Dutch Muslims – and Dutch Muslims themselves feel that the laws of the Netherlands are fine with them. They also word out conflict resolution among themselves.[ Geen shariarechtspraak in Nederland -  Sharia in the Netherlands - Study-Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen - Cabinet Finds No Sharia Courts in Netherlands]

Fact Two: The practice of Sharia is diverse, harsh forms are the exception, not the rule. As with other religious faiths, Muslims have debates and discussions on the practice of their Islamic faith, including women and human rights.  A poll of Muslim nations found that Muslims want freedom of speech on all issues of society – and to have democratic societies that incorporate the Sharia legal system.The evidence of law schools and universities points in the direction of the practice of Sharia that is exclusively within the Muslim community, and includes family law, as well as banking, contracts and conflict resolution. Sharia Law applies only to Muslims, not non-Muslims.

A case study from the US demonstrates by Emory Law School finds that imans lack some lack basic training in local and Islamic laws and follow varied practices with regard to marriage in their communities. Again, this problem stems from the sheer diversity of Muslim communities and differences in practices. An excellent article that highlights diverse practices of Sharia in Muslim countries with comes out of Tuffs’ Islamic studies department. The contrast is between Sharia in Saudi Arabia and Morocco and the response to domestic violence.[Introducing Islamic Law-U of London - Kecia Ali-Teaching about Women, Gender, and Islamic Law: Resources and Strategies - Muslim London-BBC-Kurt Barling]—

Related Blog posts* No Sharia law courts in the Netherlands* Islam is not the cause of the Times Square bomb scare* Geert Wilders and his freedom of speech—-Paper: Delusions of Eurabia: The Islamification myth, European Islamophobic Extremists and a rational picture of European Muslims. ESLaPorte – April 2, 2010.—

Selected Bibliography.

Eurabia MythAktürk, Sener and Mujeeb R. Khan. 2010. How Western anti-Muslim bigotry became respectable: The historic roots of a newly resilient ideology. Axis of Logic. 5 January. [http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_58013.shtml] accessed on March 4, 2010.

Boot, Max. 2010. “Eurabia” Debunked. January 6. Commentary Magazine. http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/boot/212021 [accessed on April 11, 2010.]

Dnes, Mladá Fronta. 2010. Wilders’ imaginary Eurabia. March 4. Presseurop. [http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/203771-wilders-imaginary-eurabia] accessed on March 20, 2010.

Greenweld, Glenn. 2009. The allegedly growing domestic Muslim threat. December 14. Salon. [http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/12/14/terrorism] March 20, 2010.

Hari, Johann. 2007. America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It’ by Mark Steyn. March 8. accessed on March 15, 2010.

Hari, Johann. 2007. Islam in the West. Winter. Dissent Magazine. accessed on February 10, 2010.

Peters, Ralph. 2006. The ‘Eurabia Myth.’ Muslims taking over Europe? Sorry, there’s no Chance. November 29. New York Post.

Saunders, Doug. 2008. The ‘Eurabia’ myth deserves a debunking. September 20. Globe and Mail. [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/article711186.ece] accessed on March 4, 2010.

Vaïsse, Justin. 2010. What Eurabia Authors get wrong about Islam in Europe. Janurary/Feburary. Foreign Policy. [http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/01/04/eurabian_follies] Accessed on March 4, 2010.

William Underhill- 2009. Why Fears Of A Muslim Takeover Are All Wrong. July 11. Newsweek. [http://www.newsweek.com/id/206230] accessed on March 15, 2010.

Wolf, Joerg 2006. US Prophets of Europe’s Doom are Half Wrong. October 20. Atlantic Review. accessed on March 4, 2010.

Dutch Muslims

Bayham, Lindsay. 2008. Second Generation, Not Second Class. May. Duke University. [http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=isp_collection]

Brinks, Jan Herman. 2008. The Netherlands between Islam and populism. Politique étrangère, Nr. 3, 587-98.[http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Units/cgjs/publications/HBLesPaysEng.pdf] accessed on March 4, 2010.

Demant, Froukje Marcel Maussen and Jan Rath. 2007. Muslims in the EU: Cities Report: Netherlands. Open Society. accessed on March 6, 2010.

Kent, Mary Mederios. 2008. Do Muslims Have More Children Than Other Women in Western Europe? Feburary. Population Reference Bureau. [http://www.prb.org/Articles/2008/muslimsineurope.aspx?p=1] accessed on March 4, 2010.

Valenta, Markha. 2006. Facing up to Islam in the Netherlands. Feburary 6. Open Democracy. [http://www.opendemocracy.net/faith-europe_islam/netherlands_3253.jsp] accessed on March 4, 2010.

Verkuyten, Maykel and Jochem Thijs.2002. Racist victimization among children in The Netherlands: the effect of ethnic group and school. Ethnic and Racial Studies. Vol. 25 No. 2 (March), 310-331. [http://ics.uda.ub.rug.nl/FILES/root/Articles/2002/VerkuytenM-Racist/VerkuytenM-Racist.pdf] accessed on March 4, 2010.

European Muslims

Allen, Chris and Jørgen S. Nielsen. 2002. Summary Report on Islamophobia in the EU after 11 September 2001. European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. May. [http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/Synthesis-report_en.pdf] accessed on April 2, 2010.

Caeiro, Alexandre. 2004. Muslim Youth in France. June 11. CNRS-GSRL [http://www.cestim.it/argomenti/02islam/02islam-caero-torino.pdf] accessed on March 4, 2010.

Cesari, Jocelyne. 2006. Securitzation and Religious Divides in Europe. Muslims in Europe after 9/11: Why the term Islamophobia is more a predicament than an explanation. June 1. Paris : Challange. [http://www.libertysecurity.org]___________. 2006.

Use of the Term Islamophobia in European societies. November 22. [http://www.libertysecurity.org/article1167.html] accessed on April 2, 2010.

City Mayors Society. 2010. The state of Muslims in Western European cities. March 22. [http://www.citymayors.com/society/muslims-europe-cities.html] accessed on April 1, 2010.

Council of Europe. Islam in Europe [http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/youth/Source/Resources/Forum21/Issue_No12/N12_Islam_in_Europe_en.pdf]Human Rights Watch. 2007.

In the Name of Prevention. June 5. [http://www.hrw.org/en/node/10947/section/2] accessed on Feburary 20, 2010.Inglehart, Ronald and Pippa Norris. 2009.

Muslim Integration into Western Cultures: Between Origins and Destinations. March Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government.Klausen, Jytte. 2008. Public Policy for European Muslims: Facts and Perceptions. Feburary 22. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. [http://www.strategicdialogue.org/PublicPolicyMuslimsWEB.pdf] accessed on March 22, 2010.

Liberty and Security. WP 10 : Securitization and Religious Divides in Europe after 9/11. [http://www.libertysecurity.org/rubrique20.html] accessed on March 20, 2010.

Open Society Institute. 2010. Muslims in Europe: Report on 11 EU Cities. [http://www.soros.org/initiatives/home/articles_publications/publications/muslims-europe-20091215] accessed on March 25, 2010.

Pew Forum. 2009. Europe Overview: Mapping the Global Muslim Population. October 15. [http://pewforum.org/Muslim/Mapping-the-Global-Muslim-Population%2814%29.aspx] accessed on March 16, 2010.

Torrekens, Corinne. 2007. Concentration of Muslim populations and structure of Muslim associations in Brussels.Brussels Studies. Issue 4, March 5. [http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/en_35_bs4en.pdf] March 16, 2010.

Vaïsse, Justin. 2008. Muslims in Europe: A Short Introduction. September. Brookings Institute. [http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/09_europe_muslims_vaisse.aspx] [PDF Report] accessed on April 1, 2010.

Vladescu, Eloisa. 2006. The Assimilation of Immigrant Groups in France— Myth or Reality? U. of Miami. Vol. 5 No. 39 [http://www6.miami.edu/eucenter/VladescuWP%20French%20Immigration.pdf] March 16, 2010.

YaleGlobal. Swiss Referendum Stirs a Debate About Islam – http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/swiss-referendum-stirs-debate-about-islam—