E.U.: RAISING THE INTEGRATION BAR FOR MOSLEMS

Europeans slowly raise integration bar for Muslims
By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor

PARIS – When France first debated a ban on Muslim headscarves in state schools, criticism from abroad was so strong that the then foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, complained it created diplomatic problems for him.

After three years, a murder and two bombing sprees, many of France's neighbours have come to agree they should set tougher integration standards for their Muslim minorities to meet.

The standards vary from country to country, but the recent debate about whether face veils hinder Muslim women's integration in Britain – among Europe's most lenient 'multicultural' societies – was music to Villepin's ears.

'I'm glad to see they're now asking themselves the questions we've been asking ourselves for quite a long time,' Villepin, now prime minister, remarked last week.

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GROWING DISILLUSION

The murder of van Gogh by an apparently integrated Dutch citizen of Moroccan origin was the tipping point in Europe, said France's Muslim Council head Dalil Boubakeur.

'Then came the bombings in Madrid and London,' he said, referring to attacks in 2005.

'Europeans were stunned to see even people who seemed to be quite integrated could do this.'

The French, whose five-million-strong Muslim minority is the largest in Europe, have taken the lead in raising integration stakes, especially in demanding respect for strict secularism.

'All these moves being made in France are based on the abstract concept of being a French citizen,' said Farish Noor, a Malaysian politicial scientist at Berlin's Centre for Modern Oriental Studies.

Other Europeans lack such a clear guiding principle, he said: 'There is no offer of becoming fully fledged German citizens in the abstract sense.'

The German government was firm when it met 15 Muslim leaders in September at an 'Islam Conference' to launch a dialogue about integration with groups claiming to speak for the country's 3.2 million Muslims.

'Islam is part of us now,' Schaeuble said afterwards. 'That means Muslims must adapt and not just pay lip service to doing so. They must put up with cartoons, gender equality, possibly insulting criticism – all this is part of our open society.'

Denmark outraged conservative Muslims last year when it refused to punish a newspaper for printing caricatures of Islam's Prophet Mohammad, insisting the basic right to free speech took precedence over religious sensitivities.

While it has cracked down on immigration since 2002, Copenhagen has let local government and schools decide on Muslim headscarves.

DOUBTS ABOUT LAWS

In the Netherlands, politicians have suggested banning the head-to-toe burqa and even requiring immigrants to speak Dutch in public. But a government study about banning facial veils has repeatedly been delayed.

A popular nationalist party in Spain's Catalonia region says immigrants should have to prove they are integrating to be eligible for social services and housing.

Even Muslim leaders who promote integration doubt it can be speeded up. 'Integration takes time, it is not a process that can be managed by laws,' said Ayhan Tonca, chairman of the CMO umbrella group of Dutch Muslim organisations.

'A soft presure to assimilate emerges everywhere,' said Omar al-Rawi, integration officer for the Austrian Islamic Community. 'What is important is that demands are not accompanied by pressure or the threat of sanctions.'

(Additional reporting by Alexandra Hudson in Amsterdam, Stephen Brown in Rome, Kim McLaughlin in Copenhagen and Karin Strohecker in Vienna)

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