Fluid identities: Muslims and Western Europe's nation states

Abstract

This article traces the evolution of the concepts of identity and religion within the Muslim minorities in the countries of western Europe. It introduces the challenges faced by first generation immigrants and the changes that took place in the socio‐economic structures of the host countries. It goes on to present the reactions of these Muslim communities to the tensions of modernisation and life in urban, industrialised, secular Europe and the search for re‐acculturation that characterised the second generation of Muslims. The article details the reactions and shortcomings of British, French and German responses in particular to the demands of these gradually developing ethnic minorities, and focuses on policies adopted in the sensitive areas of education and citizenship. The article concludes by exploring the changing nature of the Muslim identity and its potential to become fully integrated within an over‐arching European identity.