Synopses & Reviews
Examining an urgent topic for many nations around the world, this book aims to reverse the commonly held belief that recent Muslim immigrants to Europe have failed to integrate satisfactorily into European culture. The authors look at Muslim communities in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdomandmdash;countries with a range of differing strategies for coordinating ethnic and state identities. Using the European Parliamentandrsquo;s benchmarking guidelines, surveys, and other data, they find several locations where Muslims are in fact more integrated than popularly assumed. Additionally, they show that many Muslim communities, despite a desire for fuller integration, find their opportunities blocked.
Review
andldquo;Benchmarking Muslim well-being in Europe offers hard statistical evidence showing that xenophobes who accuse European Muslims of refusing to integrate are blaming the victims. This authoritative study demonstrates convincingly that Muslims do want to join mainstream society but are often rejected by their non-Muslim fellow citizens. Every political leader and journalist in Europe should read this book.andrdquo;
Review
“It is a landmark publication in my eyes and very welcome analysis.” Mark J. Miller, University of Delaware
Review
andldquo;It is a landmark publication in my eyes and very welcome analysis.andrdquo; and#160;and#160;
Review
andldquo;The key contribution of this book is that the authors are able to quantify the degree of trust expressed by Muslims in specific public institutions, which is then compared to how non-Muslim countrymen rate the same institutions. The findings reveal that Muslims are more socially conservative than their non-Muslim countrymen but, against the prevailing consensus, Muslims appear to be equally, if not more, supportive of the political and juridical process, as well as being equally strong supporters of equality and capitalist goals. These findings undercut much of the anecdotal evidence concerning attitudes of Muslim immigrants, demonstrating that Muslims are invested in democratic governance, the secular state, and the capitalist enterprise. Moreover, these results are all the more surprising given that alongside them, Muslims across all four nations generally report feeling discriminated against and more susceptible to crime than non-Muslim citizens.andrdquo;
Synopsis
This highly topical book aims to undermine unsubstantiated myths by examining Muslim integration in Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, states which dominate the debate on minority integration and the practice of Muslim religious traditions. These nations have a range of alternative relationships between religion and the state, as well as strategies for coordinating individuals' ethnic and state identities. Using the European Parliament's benchmarking guidelines, surveys and other non-official data, the authors find that in some areas Muslims are in fact more integrated than popularly assumed and suggest that, instead of failing to integrate, Muslims find their access to integration blocked in ways that reduce their life chances in the societies in which they are now permanent residents. The book will have an impact on research and policy especially with the commencement of the EU-wide integration benchmarking effort and will be an excellent resource for researchers, academics and policy makers.
About the Author
Pamela Irving Jackson is director of the Justice Studies Program and professor of sociology at Rhode Island College.and#160;
Peter Doerschlerand#160;is assistant professor of political science at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.and#160;
Table of Contents
List of tables and figures
Acknowledgements
Preface
1. Benchmarking the well-being of European Muslims
2. State involvement in Muslim well-being
3. European Muslimsandrsquo; confidence in the justice system
4. Muslims in European politics: support for democracy and trust in the political system
5. Muslimsandrsquo; experiences of discrimination in public institutions
6. The general well-being of Muslims in Europe
7. Reducing disparities and polarizations in Europe
Appendix I: ESS variables
Appendix 2: Descriptives of variables from ALLBUS (2008)
References
Index