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Generation gaps may be a factor in alienating young European Muslims. |
- Western Europe is now home to more than 15 million Muslims, most of them under 30.
- The level of religiosity of European Muslims became higher starting from the 1990s onwards; this has made Muslims more visible.
- European Muslim youth, similar to their non-Muslim counterparts, have identity questions.
- Second and third Muslim generations try to forge an identity of their own as they are European, they feel Muslim and at the same time they may have different ethnic origins and traditions.
- Generation gaps may be a factor in alienating young European Muslims. They may speak a different language than their parents and grandparents, have different cultural reference points and a different life at school or university, consume different styles of entertainment, and even pray in a mosque that Muslims of a different ethnicity pray in — something out of the question for the older generation of Muslim immigrants.
- In some European countries, Muslim organizations and community leaders are seen as unrepresentative by the younger generation; the spokespersons are older and not in touch with the youth's issues. The youth need to feel a greater sense of representation.
· Sometimes the youth feel there is prejudice among Muslims themselves for their different ethnic origins, political affiliations, and levels of religiosity in addition to the so-called silent majority.
· A number of European Muslim youth pursue professional careers. However, increasing poor levels of education, employment, and housing lead some younger European Muslims to question whether they are facing an institutional kind of discrimination.
| European Muslim youth, similar to their non-Muslim counterparts, have identity questions. |
· The perpetuator and the planners of terror attacks and plots in a number of European countries were announced to be young European Muslims.
· Facing "terrorism," sometimes European governments and media outlets fuel problems by adopting unsuccessful policies and using inaccurate, even offensive, phrases against Muslims.
- European security bodies question whether a new angry, alienated generation of European Muslims is now being drawn to radicalism. These youths' feeling of humiliation is fuelled by negative media stereotyping.
- To avoid any future attacks, these bodies try to discover the ways and reasons of recruiting the youth to join any violent group.
- Poor knowledge of Islam and Arabic make a margin of European Muslim youth to create their own style of understanding Islam that de-contextualizes Islamic religious texts and causes misunderstanding.
All the aforementioned snapshots lead us to ask ourselves whether we have a certain definition of the identity of the young European Muslim generation. Do we have certain characteristics of this generation?
A number of experts answer the same question in very different ways. Some of them see it as a more politicized generation that does not see its faith as a personal issue but as a vehicle of change and social reform. Others see that these youth are no longer concerned with the political side of Islam; they see the Islamic identity as a set of cultural expressions, modes of actions, and artistic forms in personal and un-hierarchal levels.
It's well-known that we are talking about an inhomogeneous generation, but the common concern is how to see these young people in the frontline and how to help them to take the initiative and connect to their community.
There are some suggested methods:
One is that European Muslim youth need to involve themselves more to make their voices heard and get their message across. More young Muslims should work and communicate more with the media, involving themselves more in the community and helping to improve the image of Muslims.
Another states that getting better education and Islamic knowledge is a main factor for being integrated without that sense of defensiveness of being Muslim.
Concerning the relation with the older generations, some of the youth themselves see that in a way it is their fault as they should stand up more and have the ownership of their issues. Others believe that they are fine under the umbrella of the older generations.
What is your own opinion? What are the keywords that you, as a European Muslim youth, should use to deal with the different mentioned problems?
Many European circles, especially the security bodies, work on the issue of the European Muslim young generation to make Europe a safer place. Don't you agree with me that they should adopt more comprehensive methods to deal with the Muslim youth? If they do, don't you agree that Europe will not only be a safer place but also a better one?
Share what you think below.
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