Publication

The article discusses the situation of Islam and Muslims in Europe. By first giving a brief historical overview the author seeks to provide the necessary background to examine the problem. As the author argues, in the pre-9/11 era, there was something like a "Euro Islam" emerging, a heterogeneous community accepting Western political values. But then, with the terrorist attacks in New York, the attitude towards Muslims changed drastically. According to the author, the public opinion was not only influenced by the media, but also by politicians, spreading Islamophobia. This in return, had the consequence to make Muslims in Europe becoming more susceptible to fundamentalist propaganda. The author concludes that Europe will have to change its attitude towards Islam, seeking to start a dialogue with its Muslim population in order to genuinely integrate it.