France holds the largest Muslim population apart from Germany in Europe. Muslims have been living in France for centuries. The major migration began in the fifteenth and sixteenth century during when laborers were hired from different corners of the world. The majority of laborers were from the Muslim world. After their jobs were completed, many Muslim immigrants stayed and also invited their families and relatives. As a result, France has remained a thickly populous Muslim region in Europe.
Muslims in Paris is a report by Open Society Foundations At Home in Europe Project. The project highlighted many aspects of the Muslims living in Paris.The research conducted aimed at analyzing the Muslim integration with the rest of the communities in France. In the research, it showed that there are 11 cities with a strong Muslim community. The research showed that Muslim integration is higher in the 11 cities of Europe. These 11 cities are Antwerp, Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Leicester, London, Marseille, Paris, Rotterdam, and Stockholm.
In the study, Muslims in Paris revealed everyday details their lives. The report also sheds light upon the interactions of Muslims and the non-Muslims: the reasons why Muslims have not been in good books of non-Muslims is because of the hostile and violent images portrayed by the media around the globe. After the 9/11 incident, Muslims are all considered extremists who can and will blow themselves up in order to achieve their end goal. The never-ending disputes of Muslim countries such Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya etc. put non-Muslims in a state of confusion. As a result, of these news shown, Muslims have been discriminated against.
In Paris, it was revealed that non-Muslims and Muslims were getting along more. When locals of both communities were asked, they stated that they lived together in harmony. Apart from their religious views, Muslims and non-Muslims share much in common
The report conducted examined some of the important issues such as discrimination to Muslims, their deliberate exclusion from the job opportunities, and limited access to nationwide recognition.
The report stated that “By engaging with communities and policymakers, local experts heading the research explored the primary concerns of Muslim residents in the 18th arrondissement.” Issues addressed include education, employment, health, housing and social protection, citizenship and political participation, policing and security, media, belonging and identity. The report acted on its findings by offering a series of recommendations for local and national authorities, Muslim communities, other minority groups, NGOs, community organizations, the media, and broader civil society.” (Euro-Islam)
Although Muslims and non-Muslims differ in religion, they both have a sense of belonging in Paris. Both are on good terms with each other, and this hopeful attitude is now catching on with the rest of the world.
View the Original article
0 comments:
Post a Comment