Integrating Europe’s Muslims

Over the next 20 years, Europe’s Muslim population is projected to grow from 17 million to nearly 30 million, which would represent 7 to 8 percent of all Europeans. In his new book, The Emancipation of Europe’s Muslims (Princeton, 2012), Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Jonathan Laurence argues that rising integration problems and fears about terrorism have led governments to assertively step up efforts to engage their Muslim communities and incorporate them into the institutional, political and cultural fabrics of European democracy. However, these governments still have critical steps to take before integration can be judged a success.

On February 17, the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings (CUSE) hosted a discussion to explore the integration of Muslims in Europe and how it is linked to the ongoing struggle for religious and political authority in the Muslim-majority world. Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja and Professor Peter Mandaville of George Mason University joined Jonathan Laurence in the discussion. Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Omer Taspinar provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion.

After the program, panelists took audience questions.