Europe Resources

 

Articles

 

Ali., Mary C. “The Question of Hijab: Suppression or Liberation?” The Institute of Islamic Information and Education. In a short essay, Ali Mary explains the meaning of hijab and its religious value. http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/humanrelations/womeninislam/whatishijab.html

 

“Beliefs and Daily Lives of Muslims.” PBS: Frontline. This text clarifies briefly what the major beliefs and practices of Muslims are, as well as the daily life in Islam and the role of women. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/muslims/beliefs.html

 

Biehl, Jody K. “The Whore Lived Like a German.” Spiegel online, March 2005. This article in the German newspaper “Der Spiegel” talks about the horrific practice of honor killings, after six Muslim women in Berlin have been murdered by family members for living Western lifestyles. http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,344374,00.html

 

“Euro-Islam.” Religion and Ethics News Weekly, July 2004. “Euro-Islam” reports about Islam in Europe and the Anti-Muslim tensions that continue to increase in Western Europe. The video-report of “Euro-Islam” is viewable on-line. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week746/cover.html#

 

“Europe's Integration Challenge.” Deutsche Welle-World.de. The dossier “Europe's Integration Challenge” of Deutshe Welle-World provides several articles discussing the integration challenge in Germany and the rest of Europe as Muslim influence grows. It also offers various links to other resources on integration in Europe. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1171302,00.html

 

Evans, Leslie. “Is Europe Unable to Assimilate Its Growing Islamic Minority?” UCLA, International Institute, May 26, 2004. This article describes some of the issues that Peter O'Brien, Professor of Political Science at Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, brought up during a lecture in May 2004 at UCLA. He talks about the rise of anti-Islamic movements among mainstream Europeans and explores contemporary relations between Muslim immigrants and the mostly Christian mainstream of Europe. http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=11511

 

“Immigration to Become an Issue in Germany's Next Election.” Workpermit.com, 7 July 2005. Short feature about the issue of immigration during the coming elections in Germany.     http://www.workpermit.com/news/2005_07_07/europe/immigration_germany_election.htm

 

Khalaf, Roula. “Muslim's Integration in Europe is Urgent Challenge.” Financial Times, July 15, 2005, p.15. Interesting article illustrating the need for closer integration of Muslim minorities in Europe, offering some facts and figures about the Muslim population in Europe, in particular in Britain, Spain, and France.

 

“Law on Nationality,” German Federal Foreign Office. Explanation of the central points of the new German law on nationality that were enforced on 1 January 2000.     http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/www/en/willkommen/staatsangehoerigkeitsrecht  

 

Leiken, Robert S. “Europe's Angry Muslims.” Council on Foreign Relations: Foreign Affairs Articles, July-August 2005. This article focuses on the spread of radical Islam among descendants of Muslim immigrants in Europe, and the danger this represents both for Europe and the US. http://www.cfr.org/publication/8218/europes_angry_muslims.html

 

            

Le Quesne, Nicholas. “Islam in Europe: A Changing Faith.” Time-Europe, December 2001. This article examines how Muslims in Europe are redefining Islam in the context of their identities, as believers who were born and bred in Europe. “Euro-Islam” represents a bridge between two cultures, providing young believers with a way of respecting inherited traditions while living in a different world. http://www.time.com/time/europe/eu/printout/0,9869,188641,00.html

 

“Muslims in Europe.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia is a free on-line encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Under the title “Muslims in Europe” you can find very extensive information, facts and figures, about Muslims in different EU-countries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslims_in_Europe

“Reform of Germany's citizenship and nationality law,” German Embassy London. Explanation of the main features of the new legislation.

http://www.german-embassy.org.uk/reform_of_germany_s_citizenshi.html

Robelen, Erik W. “The Great Divide.” Education Week, May 11, 2005. This feature describes some of the tensions over Germany's immigrant population, especially in schools.

 

Telvick, Marlena. “Identity Crisis: Old Europe Meets New Islam,” p.2. PBS-Frontline, January 2005. The author examines the issue of integration of Islam and Muslims in Europe's secular societies, and suggests different paths to move forward. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/front/special/roots.html

 

“The Veil Controversy: International Perspectives on Religion in Public Life.” The PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life, April 2004. Transcript of an event organized by the PEW Forum. This extensive text offers a good view on the different perspectives on the headscarf issue and on the broader subject of religion in a secular society, in particular in France. http://pewforum.org/events/index.php?EventID=55

 

Weil, Patrick. “A Nation in Diversity: France, Muslims and the Headscarf.” Open Democracy, April 2004. This short feature explains the meaning and the historical background of laïcité in France, as well as the relation between secularism and Islam in modern-day France. http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article-5-57-1811.jsp

 

“Which Turkey.” The Economist, March 17th 2005. “Which Turkey” focuses on the different ways Turkey is perceived throughout the EU.  The article is part of a special edition by the Economist on “Turkey and the EU.”

 

Wyatt, Caroline. “French Headscarf Ban Opens Rifts.” BBC News, February 2004. This BBC article reports on the vote in France in favor of the law that bans conspicuous religious symbols in public schools. It provides also various links to related materials such as other features, viewpoints, questions, and answers, and a multilingual debate on the headscarf issue. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3478895.stm

 

 

 

Books

 

Aluffi, B-P. and Zincone, G (Eds.). The Legal Treatment of Islamic Minorities in Europe. Leuven, Belgium, 2004.

 

Ben Jelloun, Tahar. Islam Explained, New Press, 2004.

 

Ben Jelloun, Tahar. Racism Explained to my Daughter, New Press, 1999.

 

Cesari, Jocelyne. When Islam and Democracy Meet: Muslims in Europe and in the United States. Palgrave, New York, 2004.

 

Hargreaves, Alec. Immigration and Identity in Beur Fiction. Voices From the North African Community in France. Berg, New York, 1997.

 

Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck. Muslims in the West. From Sojourners to Citizens. Oxford University Press, 2002.

 

Hunter, Shireen T (ed), Islam in Europe and in the United States. A Comparative Perspective. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC, 2002.

 

Hunter, Shireen T. Islam, Europe's Second Religion. Praeger Paperback, 2002.

 

Kepel,Gilles. Les Musulmans dans la Société Française. Presses de Sciences-Po, Paris, 1988.

 

Lewis, Bernard. The Muslim Discovery of Europe. W.W.Norton & Company, 2001.

 

Malik, Jamal (ed), Muslims in Europe, From the Margin to the Centre. Verlag editor, Frankfurt, 2004.

 

Ramadan, Tariq. Western Muslims and the Future of Islam. Oxford University Press, 2003.

 

Rath, J-R and Penninx, K. Europe and its Islam. The Netherlands, Belgium and Britain React to an Emerging Religious Community. Leiden, 2001

 

Roy, Olivier. Globalised Islam: The Search for a New Ummah. Hurst, London, 2004.

 

Roy, Olivier (ed.). La Turquie Aujourd’hui, un Pays Européen? Universalis, Paris, 2004.

 

Vermeulen, Hans (ed). Immigrant Policy for a Multicultural Society. A Comparative Study of Integration, Language and Religious Policy in Five Western European Countries. IMES/MPG, 1996. http://www2.fmg.uva.nl/imes/books/Vermeulen-MPG.pdf

 

 

Research Papers and Reports

 

Böhning, WR and Zegers de Beijl, R. “The Integration of Migrant Workers in the Labor Market: Policies and their Impact,” Employment Department, International Labor Office, 1995. This paper examines the integration of migrant workers into the society in which they have settled, in particular in Belgium, France, Germany, Canada, the UK, and the US.     http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/migrant/download/imp/imp08e.pdf  

 

Özcan, Veysel. “Turks in Germany-Aspects of their Socio-Economic and Socio-Cultural Integration.” Paper prepared for the conference Integration of Immigrants from Turkey in Austria, Germany and Holland, February 2004. The author explores the integration of Turkish migrants in Germany, examining their position on the labor market, their educational credentials, as well as their identificational integration. http://www.ces.boun.edu.tr/papers/feb/veysel_ozcan.pdf

 

Pfaff, Steve “Islam in Europe: Identities and Interests in a Changing Religious Economy.” Paper prepared for the Islam in Europe Teacher Workshop, Department of Sociology, University of Washington, May 2005.

 

Tucci, Ingrid. “Poverty Among Immigrants and their Children in Germany: What are the Prospects of the Young Generations?” Paper prepared for the Conference on Social Stratification, organized by the RC 28, International Sociological Association, Los Angeles 2005. In this paper, an analysis is made of the evolution of poverty among natives and immigrants in Germany. The author also studies the economic situation in which children of young people of immigrant origin grow up, as well as the labor market situation of immigrants and the second generations. http://www.ccpr.ucla.edu/isarc28/Final%20Papers/Poverty%20Immigrants_Tucci.pdf

 

“Islamic Extremism: Common Concern for Muslim and Western Publics.” PEW Research Center, July 2005. This report contains the findings of a survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, conducted among more than 17,000 people in 17 countries. The survey polled how Muslims and Westerners see each other, how non-Muslim public view Muslims, how Muslims see themselves and Islam's role, and how Muslims view relations with the world.

 

Stasi, Bernard. “Commission de Réflexion sur l'Application du Principe de Laïcité dans la République : Rapport au Président de la République.” 2004. This is the whole report, including all the testimonies that were given, of the Bernard Stasi Commission, the Presidential Commission to study the implementation of the principle of secularism in the French Republic. This report is in French. http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/brp/notices/034000725.shtml

 

“An Uncertain Road, Muslims and the Future of Europe.” The PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life, 2004. This report studies the social, religious and political challenges that today's Europe, in which a rapidly growing Muslim population is making its presence felt, is confronted with. http://pewforum.org/publications/reports/MuslimsinEurope2004.pdf

 

Film

 

Le Grand Voyage, by Ismaël Ferroukhi, 2004. Reda is asked by his father to accompany him on his pilgrimage to Mecca. Reda is reluctant to agree, but the trip across Europe helps Reda come to terms with his dual identities as a Muslim and as a young European.

 

Websites

 

EURO-ISLAM.INFO: http://euro-islam.info/

This website intends to provide information and analysis on the most important cultural and religious changes that Europe is experiencing.

 

ISLAM AWARENESS: http://www.islamawareness.net/

The objective of Islam Awareness is to learn about Islam and Muslims worldwide. The homepage offers a list of various terms, which, when selecting, will link you to related articles and resources.

 

ISLAM PROJECT: http://www.theislamproject.org/

The Islam Project is a multimedia effort aimed at schools, communities, and individuals who want a clearer understanding of Islam.

 

ISLAM ONLINE: http://www.islamonline.net/english/index.shtml

Islam Online's goal is to create a global Islamic site on the Internet that provides services to Muslims and non-Muslims in several languages, and to become a reference for everything that deals with Islam, its sciences, civilization and nations.

 

QANTARA:http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_softlink.php/_c-365/i.html

This site offers an analysis of Islam in the European media.

 

 

Radio Reports

 

“An Islamic Journey Inside Europe.” NPR: Day to Day, February 2004. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli examines in a five-part series Europe's challenge to accommodate the new religious and cultural force of the continent's growing Muslim population. http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2003/feb/europe_muslims/index.html

 

“Origin and Importance of Muslim Head Scarves.” NPR: Day to Day, March 17, 2004. NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with Cheryl Benard, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, about the origins of the Muslim tradition of women wearing headscarves and the political significance of that practice. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1773933

 

 

“With Hostages in Iraq, French debate Headscarf Ban.” NPR: All Things Considered, September 2, 2004. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports about the first day of the ban in France on the display of obvious religious symbols while at the same time two French journalists are being held hostage in Iraq in an attempt to force the French government to withdraw the law. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3886467

 

 

Lesson Plans

 

“Muslims.” PBS: Frontline. This teacher's guide provides teachers with background information and classroom activities to extend the viewing experience of the film "Muslims," that shows Muslims in six countries: Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Turkey, and the United States. The classroom exercises are designed for teachers who have a working knowledge of the difference between stereotypes and facts about Islam. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/muslims/beliefs.html

“Religion and Culture: Suppression or Liberation? Islam, Hijab and Modern Society.” PBS: Wide Angle. Through the materials presented in this lesson (for grade levels 9-12), students will explore basic beliefs and practices of Islam and examine the different views of women's modesty and hijab among Muslims and in modern society. This lesson guide provides several articles and video clips. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/classroom/2lp5.html

 

“Roles of Women in the Middle East and Islamic Societies.” Global Connections. This dossier on the “Role of Women” includes several lesson plans related to the hijab and to Muslim Women, as well as many other resources. One of the lesson plans “Who wears a veil” aims at defining stereotypes and learning how common misperceptions foster visual stereotypes about Muslim women. Students will identify famous women and learn about the significance of the veil in different cultures. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/women/index.html#theveil

 

“Al Qaeda's New Front.” PBS: Frontline, 2005. Al Qaeda's New Front is a documentary that tells the story of increased terrorist activity in Europe against the backdrop of strained relations with the U.S., increasing Muslim immigration, and a Europe struggling to unite. A lesson guide, discussion questions, additional lesson ideas and several Internet resources are provided. These teaching activities examine the political ramifications after the Madrid train bombings and what actions the U.S., European countries, and moderate Muslims can take to help rectify the situation. Also, teachers and students can watch the film streamed in its entirety on Frontline's website. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/front/

 

“The Hijab between Secularism and Piety.” Council on Islamic Education. The purpose of this lesson is to elicit discussion on the contemporary meaning of hijab and the various reactions it draws from different cultures. http://www.cie.org/ItemDetail.aspx?id=N&m_id=28&item_id=105&cat_id=28

 

“Islam and Terrorism.” Religion and Ethics News Weekly. In this lesson (for grade 9-12), students will explore the teachings and values of Islam and of the Muslim community in their own area. They will also examine the experience of the Muslim-American community after September 11, 2001. Through exposure to members of the Muslim community (i.e. as guest speakers, field trips to mosques) and research using various text and media resources, students will explore how Islam has been interpreted by terrorists for their own political purposes. Students will also consider why Islamic extremism and militarism might appeal to those individuals, especially young people, who have been subjected to intense violence and poverty. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/teachers/lp_terrorism.html

 

Maps

 

Europe: a blank map

www.globe-europe.org/ europe/map.htm

 

Europe: a map

http://www.backpackingeurope.com/Pics/Map%20of%20Europe.jpg

 

Europe: maps of each European country

http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/europe.html

 

“Headscarves in the headlines.” BBC-News, February 2004. BBC-News provides an on-line map to find out where and when head scarves have been in the headlines. By clicking on the links of countries such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Saudi-Arabia, Egypt and Singapore, you can learn more about the headscarf issue in places outside France. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3476163.stm

“Muslims in Europe, Interactive Map.” Financial Times, July 8, 2005. This online, interactive map shows the distribution and ethnic backgrounds of the approximately 20 million Muslims living across the European continent, with emphasis on the UK communities.

http://www.ft.com/muslimmap

 

Statistics

 

“Germany: rates of foreign unemployment by nationality, in percent.” European Migration Centre. http://www.emz-berlin.de/Statistik_2/de/de_03.htm