A new study, coauthored by political scientists - Carolyn M. Warner and Manfred W. Wenner - at Arizona State University and entitled "Religion and the Political Organization of Muslims in Europe," stated that the 15 million Muslims living in Europe today do not in any way pose a threat to the European culture or political system, according to Times of India.
The study findings challenge many analysts’ theories that emerged in the wake of September 11 attacks of the United States, warning against the impact of Muslims on European politics and policy based on the false assumption that a Muslim bloc would rise up to dominate European countries' foreign and domestic policies.
"Western fears and criticisms are partly based on serious ignorance of the characteristics of Islam and of the people in Europe who adhere to it," the study, which appeared in 'Perspectives on Politics,' a journal of the American Political Science Association (APSA), said.
The authors of the study also tackled the issue of immigration, saying that "religion has failed to be the unifying focal point of Muslims in Western Europe," as Muslim immigrants remain divided by ethnic differences in those states.
It also discussed the absence of organized structure in the majority Sunni religious hierarchy prevalent in Muslim communities in Europe.
The study also shed light on the fact that there are four different schools of law in Sunni Islam that co-exist and overlap.
"Islam manifests itself differently across and within cultures and societies," according to the study. The authors also pointed out the importance of considering "the inter-relationship of the various 'brands' of Islam with the country of origin and ethnicity of its members."
Analysts and Islamic scholars acknowledge that the biggest challenge facing Islam and the West today is how each side perceives the other, specially that recent years witnessed the spread of negative misconceptions about Islam that rose noticeably following September 11 attacks on the United States, which shaped many people’s opinion, establishing a false link between Muslims and terrorism.
The study findings challenge many analysts’ theories that emerged in the wake of September 11 attacks of the United States, warning against the impact of Muslims on European politics and policy based on the false assumption that a Muslim bloc would rise up to dominate European countries' foreign and domestic policies.
"Western fears and criticisms are partly based on serious ignorance of the characteristics of Islam and of the people in Europe who adhere to it," the study, which appeared in 'Perspectives on Politics,' a journal of the American Political Science Association (APSA), said.
The authors of the study also tackled the issue of immigration, saying that "religion has failed to be the unifying focal point of Muslims in Western Europe," as Muslim immigrants remain divided by ethnic differences in those states.
It also discussed the absence of organized structure in the majority Sunni religious hierarchy prevalent in Muslim communities in Europe.
The study also shed light on the fact that there are four different schools of law in Sunni Islam that co-exist and overlap.
"Islam manifests itself differently across and within cultures and societies," according to the study. The authors also pointed out the importance of considering "the inter-relationship of the various 'brands' of Islam with the country of origin and ethnicity of its members."
Analysts and Islamic scholars acknowledge that the biggest challenge facing Islam and the West today is how each side perceives the other, specially that recent years witnessed the spread of negative misconceptions about Islam that rose noticeably following September 11 attacks on the United States, which shaped many people’s opinion, establishing a false link between Muslims and terrorism.
