I am not a Muslim, but I have been raised in Belgium and still spend half my time there, so if I may give some advice.

IMHO, Steve is right that social services are excellent in Belgium, as is the level of education. But you note you want to start an enterprise, and for that I am not sure Belgium is very suited. The government bureaucracy is horribly old-fashioned and slow. Taxes are considerably higher than in the US as well.

And to be quite honest, Belgium (especially Flanders) is probably one the most racist countries in Europe. I have seen frequent studies showing Belgians as a particularly racist and there is a very strong extreme-right Islamophobic party. While debate about Muslims is tamer in the Belgian press than in many other European countries, I do not think the average Belgian is particularly tolerant of Islam.

In all honesty, I agree with Fishman, the US and UK have a much more tolerant reputation than continental Europe. I think if you are disgusted with Islamophobia in the US you will not fair better here, at least in the US negative attituted about Islam are just based on political ideology. Over here most of the distrust is actullay rooted in the particularly high crime rate among Muslim youths.

Mind you, I don't want to sound too negative. Surely you can succeed in Belgium and generally it is a great place to live . But since you are fleeing from anti-Islamic feelings, I just have to warn you that it is probably worse here than in the US. Perhaps Canada is a good alternative?

Originally Posted by QuranStudy

Thank you brother Fishland and steve, I will seriously consider the UK and Belgium now.

Things are getting a bit scary here. My mother is forcing me to change my name (Mohammed). I am discouraged to attend a mosque. I try my best not to tell other I am Muslim. The discrimination is making life difficult.

as a fellow american, i am sorry that things have come to this. not sure what part of the country you are in - i think the north east coast and the west coast are more tolerant than all the states in between.
i too have heard that canada is pretty civilized. there are a lot of muslims in toronto.
my impression is that there is a growing (quite ugly) backlash against muslims in much of europe - i think worse than u.s. and canada. i think UK makes more of an effort than the european mainland; i'm not sure if the peoople are any less racist tho.
best of luck to you.

salams
its really sad to here that you have to leave your country because of the way you are being treated, but i think nowadays all muslims around the world are being targeted with racist comments, im a british citizen and from my point of view i think a large majority of british people respect islam and are not racist towards muslims, except tony blair. Mashallh alot of non muslims have converted to islam. I would recommend england, but why dont you pray istikhar inshallah allah will guide you.

I live in Florida.

How is Australia or New Zealand?

Thanks

any place is good to reside to praise Allah

however it will be better in a Muslim country ofcourse

Originally Posted by al-fateh

any place is good to reside to praise Allah

however it will be better in a Muslim country ofcourse

I'm not so sure about that, those living in a more challanging enviroment might get bigger reward for the same deed right?

Originally Posted by QuranStudy

How is Australia or New Zealand?

Thanks

I don't know about New Zealand, but Australia is pretty much the same as America, afterall it's the pet of America (aka Bush) Unless ofcourse you live in Sydney (in particular Lakemba, where I'm living) you will feel like you're living in a Muslim country since it's packed with Muslims. I'm not too sure about the employment part though, maybe someone else can help you with this one

Bro i am telling you england iss the best you should see how many muslims are heree and mosqus
I think here is the best best place in europe to be

And it is quite good here enomically.

Wasslam

belguim has a very small muslims community there and many of the people there are hostile towards islam.the most tolerant country in europe that i can think of is england.there are a ton of muslims there.

Is the job opportunity in England good?

Thank you everyone.

it seems to me that Arabs don't like Turkey.. (why?) Maybe there?

Turkey seperates its Government and all Politics from Religion. Many Muslims do not like that.

If you're worried about job prospects why dont you try applying to some jobs online? Like seek.co.uk and other job sites. See if there are any jobs there.
Or if you're really serious, go for a short stay there and see what you make of it. Or just take the plunge and stay there - then if you dont like it, just go back home.
Truth is, we cant tell you 'its soo good, come here'. We can only tell you what we know. Most people will be partial to the country where they live.
You have to experience it for yourself to know what it is truly like!

Peace

Originally Posted by QuranStudy

Salaam,

I have some interest in moving to a European nation where there is the greatest tolerance for Muslims, and where I can work as an entrepreneur. I currently live in America and I am an American citizen. I am sick and tired of the hate for Muslims here in America and I cannot stand the intolerance anymore (ex. My name is Mohammed, and thus I am frequently bombarded with “terrorist” jokes).

I want to live in peace and tranquility where people are tolerant and not racist based on race or religion. Europe seems to be a better place. Is Belgium a good place for Muslims to reside and start a business? There are many Muslims in this board from Belgium, so can anybody give me some input? From what I’ve seen, Muslims are the second largest religion after Christianity in Belgium. Do you think it is a better place to stay in than America?

If you know of better European nations where I can live peacefully, please let me know. All suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. I just want to leave as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Salam, UK is a good country. Muslims are respected in my area and police dont hestitate in the least to protect our Mosques if need be. I've never been singled out because of my Islamic religion and racism is very looked down on here. I think its very tolerant, and it'll be easier for you if you dont know French.

QuranStudy, why not move to a place that has more Muslims there. Places like Dearborn, Michigan which are huge areas for Muslims could be comfortable for you.