Debunking the myth of a Muslim demographic threat in the West

Debunking the myth of a Muslim demographic threat in the West
by John L. Esposito
The Malta Independent


The findings of ‘The Future of the Global Muslim Population: Projections for 2010-2030’ should also challenge the public to reconsider its perception of Islam and Muslims.

Sceptics, particularly those in Europe and North America, have long sounded alarm bells regarding the growth of the Muslim population.

Such scare-mongerers claim that Islam is a demographic threat, warning of an impending ‘Eurabia,’ within a few decades. This picture, of a triumphant Islam over a Europe which has lost its Christian roots, has contributed to the growth of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim political parties and to their notable successes in European elections last year. In America, this fear began in the late 1990s with articles that warned “The Muslims are coming, the Muslims are coming!” and continued with the recent Park51 debate over a plan to build an Islamic centre near Ground Zero.

This paranoia – based more on fear and misperception – fuels anti-Islam and anti-Muslim hysteria across Europe and North America, contributes to undermine our multi-cultural society.

Pew finds that the world’s Muslim population is expected to increase from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030. But what about an “Islamic wave” across Europe?

Muslims will remain a relatively small minority, but they will make a growing share of the total population. According to the study, Europe’s Muslim population is projected to grow from 44.1 million in 2010 to 58.2 million in 2030. The greatest rise is expected to be seen in Western and Northern Europe, where Muslims are expected to approach double-digit percentages. For example, in France, the population is expected to rise from 7.5% currently to 10.3%.

The Muslim share of the US population is projected to grow from 0.8% in 2010 to only 1.7% in 2030, meaning that Muslims will share the same population figures as Jews and Episcopalians. Interestingly, the US is projected to have the larger number of Muslims by 2030 than any European country, except Russia and France.

Pew’s findings demonstrate that fear of a European Muslim-takeover is largely the product of hysteria; France is not destined to become an “Islamic republic” by 2048.

Regrettably, these Pew findings and projections are less likely to circulate as widely or quickly as statistics and predictions about a Muslim takeover.

The result in America, a nation of immigrants, is that, according to Pew, Gallup, and others, roughly half of Americans see Islam as a violent religion. Many European countries with long traditions of tolerance like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands seem in retreat as right wing anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim parties gain ground. Immigration and the cultural diversity that follows are strengths.

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Prof. John L. Esposito, author of The Future of Islam, is University Professor of Religion & International Affairs at Georgetown University and founding director of the Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding and is an Advisory Board member of the British Council’s Our Shared Future project and a UNAOC Global Expert. Sheila B. Lalwani, a Research Fellow at the Centre, contributed to the analysis



The Malta Independent is a partner newspaper with the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations and the project Global Expert Finder


www.globalexperts.org


Global Experts (www.theglobalexperts.org), a project of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

The Muslims are coming; the Muslims are coming!!

I am sure that you have received this link to a YouTube video about Muslim demographics in which viewers are alerted about how Muslims are supposedly on a secret plan to reproduce and migrate to Europe and the U.S. in order to take over the world.

Sounds like a devilish plan from a "Pinky and the Brain" episode. (If you don't know what show this is, then you are too young or too old. Sorry.)

Anyway, back to my more serious point. The video is nothing short of a typical propaganda production to promote fear and paranoia of immigrants in general and Muslims in specific. Basically, the "film" is screaming at us: "The Muslims are coming! Run for your life or do something about it."

Ironically and surprisingly, a few Muslims were sending the link out to fellow Muslims. I guess they are feeling such pride and a false sense of achievement in these exaggerated and fabricated statistics. How pathetic can we be! Are we so intellectually defeated and feeling inferior that even forged statistics about irrelevant "success" make us feel satisfied.

Since when does Islam teach us to worry about numbers? Are we in some kind of a race with others? For the record, we are not. Islam wants quality and not quantity from us. A small number of ethical, educated, productive, just, honest, and compassionate Muslims is better than huge masses of marginal Muslims who are not contributing to our world's well-being, not helping end poverty and war, and not living Islam's principles of peace, mercy, and equality.

The main distribution of the video link has been done by people who are not Muslim. I have been copied on dozens of such email messages in which the senders add their comments reminding fellow Americans and Christians about the supposed danger of Islam and Muslims. In one message, the sender wrote, "every church and synagogue must show this video." In another message, the sender qualified his actions by assuring recipients that "I am the last person to be a racist and I personally have met many peaceful Muslims, but we cannot ignore those stats." My favorite message was the one that ended with, "In Christ's Love." You can have my word that Christ (peace be upon him) does not appreciate his name nor his love being linked to such hatred and ignorance.

The video itself, so far viewed by over 7 million people, was posted by someone who obviously dislikes Islam and believes that the solution is to evangelize the world. The video parades numerous inaccurate and even fabricated statistics and claims that the growth in the number of Muslims is in itself as threat to mankind (that is bigoted to begin with) and that is somehow planned by Muslims. Obviously the producer of this video has no clue about Muslims. We can't even agree on when to begin and end the fasting month of Ramadan or when to celebrate Eid, does he/she really believe that we could agree on such an elaborate plan? That's really comical.

In conclusion:

- Muslims are NOT planning to take over any place.
- Having more Muslims, Jews, Christians and all type of good people around is not a bad thing; it actually helps us sharpen our social skills and appreciate each other.
- Spreading fear and bigotry is not cool.
- Immigrants are lovely people who enrich our societies.
- Stop being paranoid about having people who are different than you.
- Take time to meet and learn about people who are different. You will realize how much in common we all have.
- Learn to make friends with all people and find ways to cooperate with them to turn our world into a better place for our children.
- The internet can be a dangerous tool for spreading rumors, lies, and fear. Use it to promote dialogue, justice, peace, and positive activism instead.


Here is a link to a good response to the video. It addresses the many false claims. It is a must read.

Muslim Demographics
"...The point of the video is to say that Europe will be predominantly Muslim within fifty years or less, as a result of low birthrates among native Europeans and high birthrates among Muslim immigrants. I’ve seen these arguments over the past few years. It’s stuff promoted mainly by American Right-wing Christians, often with dire warnings that Europe will be Islamicized within 50 years, and America will stand alone in the world...

In case you have no idea what I am referring to, here is a link to the video: