Muslim Immigrants In Europe
Abstract
Immigration has practiced in the world for a very long time. People move from their countries for various reasons, with the ultimate aim of improving their lives. Immigration offers several benefits but has its challenges as well. Muslim immigrants in Europe have experienced discrimination in different aspects of life and have been subjected to attacks. Various studies and literature provide explanations for anti-immigration policies and attitudes. These include economic threats, cultural threats, human security threats, among others.
Introduction
An immigrant is a person who moves from his home country to another country to live there. Immigrants leave their countries for diverse reasons ranging from economic hardships, political unrest, religious persecution, reunification with family, among other reasons. Immigrants move from their native countries to other nations with the hope of improving the quality of their lives. Most of them have aspirations to get better jobs offering higher wages, improve their education, raise their living standards, and so forth. Immigration also comes with some challenges. The cost and process of immigrating can be overwhelming, as well as assimilating into the way of life in the new country. Immigrants are willing to take on the risks and challenges they come across to enjoy the long term benefits of immigration.
Muslim immigrants in Europe
There are millions of Muslim immigrants living in the various member nations of the European Union. The majority of them moved into these countries in search of employment opportunities and social advantages. They took up jobs that the Europeans considered difficult and dangerous. Immigrants brought their families over to Europe, resulting in a significant increase in the Muslim population. Most of the immigrants had also improved their living standards, leading to a decline in the number of workers among them. Over the years, Muslim immigrants established their culture in Europe. This created anxiety among native Europeans about Islam and resulted in the emergence of far-right parties opposed to immigration. Many European nations put up strict restrictions to reduce the immigration rate. Immigrants devised new ways to move into Europe, although it became more difficult and riskier.
Islamophobia has been witnessed in different parts of Europe. Numerous Muslims have reported that they have experienced discrimination because of their religion or cultural practices. Islamophobia is manifested in various ways. There have been incidents of verbal and physical attacks on Muslims, their places of worship, and their possessions (Khader 2019). Various legislations that indirectly target Muslims and curtail their freedom of religion have also been passed. Muslims have also been victims of religious profiling and police abuse, especially in matters concerning terrorism. Muslim immigrants in Europe have been subjected to discrimination in different areas such as education, employment, housing and so forth. The involvement of radicalized Muslim youth in terror attacks in Europe has enhanced Islamophobia and garnered support for anti-immigration.
Literature review
In most parts of the world, most people are distrustful of immigrants and hostile towards them. The majority of citizens in host nations hold negative feelings towards immigrants. The minority group threat theory postulates that relations between the dominant group and minority group are determined by the threat posed by the minority to the majority’s economic and political power. Additionally, an increase in a minority’s population is likely to increase the degree of discriminatory behavior. This is because the increased minority population results in fierce competition for limited resources and political power. However, recent studies concluded that the perception of group threat is dynamic and determined by various factors such as the use of radicalized outgroup cues in media and the ethnic and racial composition of a society.
Cultural considerations also influence attitudes towards immigration. Rising Islamic identity and culture in Europe has contributed to opposition to immigration in Europe. Some Europeans view Muslim immigrants as a threat to cultural hegemony and continuity. The degree of anti-immigration attitudes is related to the pervasiveness of religious immigrants. The study established that opposition to immigration in European countries is greater when a greater proportion of immigrants is made up of Muslims. Threats to human security also significantly influence immigration policies and attitudes (Young et al. 2018 pg. 4). An increase in terror attacks in Europe conducted by radicalized Muslim youth has shored up support for restrictive immigration policies. The terror attacks have largely contributed to the surge in Islamophobia in Europe.
Class materials
People have the right to move to other countries. It is a moral human right, not a legal one. Enacting immigration restrictions limits the freedom of people because it prevents them from undertaking various activities. Immigration restrictions are only justified in severe situations where immigration can result in acute social repercussions that cannot be avoided. Numerous arguments have been advanced on why countries are justified to impose immigration restrictions. One of the arguments is that exclusion can be upheld to prevent deepened distributive injustice. Proponents of this argument assert that if immigration is not restricted, the wages of the poor would decline substantially and harm the social cohesion that makes redistributive policies possible. Another argument for curbs on immigration is to preserve the culture of the host nation. Uncontrolled immigration can result in radical erosion of the cultures practiced in the host nation (Fine & Ypi 2018 pg. 25). A third objection is that unrestricted immigration would overwhelm the host countries due to the scarcity of resources.
Analysis
Anti-immigration policies and attitudes are influenced by various factors. These factors include economic threats, cultural threats, human security threats, among others. Discrimination against Muslims and their culture has been rife in Europe in recent years. Increased Muslim presence in Europe has been interpreted by some people as a threat to their culture and ordinary way of life. However, Muslims pose no threat to European cultures because they make up a small proportion of the population and do not force their beliefs on anyone. Human security threat is the most significant cause of anti-Muslim sentiments in Europe. The involvement of a few radicalized Muslim youth in terrorist activities has contributed to anti-immigration attitudes among Europeans. This is because it poses a threat to personal and national security. The scarcity of resources has also been used to advance restrictive immigration policies in various countries in Europe.
Summary
Immigration is a moral human right. Despite the various reasons advanced to enact strict immigration policies, countries should allow people to immigrate and ensure they receive equal access to opportunities and services. The discrimination of Muslim immigrants in Europe should be discouraged since it can harm social cohesion among people. They should be integrated into European societies without being profiled or discriminated against because of their ethnicity or religious beliefs. The involvement of a minority of them in extremist activities should not be used to discriminate against other Muslim immigrants who are involved in honest economic activities. This project provides the various objections given for restrictive immigration policies. These objections should be reviewed in future studies to ensure that people enjoy the freedom to move from one country to another.
References
Young, Y., Loebach, P., & Korinek, K. (2018). Building walls or opening borders? Global immigration policy attitudes across economic, cultural and human security contexts. Social science research, 75, 83–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.06.006
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Fine, S., & Ypi, L. (2019). Migration in Political Theory: The Ethics of Movement and Membership.
Khader, B. (2019). Muslims in Europe: The Construction of a “Problem”. Retrieved from https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/muslims-in-europe-the-construction-of-a-problem/Bottom of Form