Jihad in Europe: The wider context

Abstract

A year or more on, and following new terrorist outrages in London, the Madrid bombings of m March 2004 can now be revisited from a broader perspective. Three fundamental factors stand out: the emergence of jihad terrorism in Europe, Muslim iininigration and Spain's proximity to Morocco. It is this intersection between jihadism and immigration that makes jihadism a formidable threat in European countries, firstly because young Muslims may be swayed by a doctrine that rejects integration, advocating in its place unremitting hostility towards the ‘infidels’ and even their annihilation through attacks such as the m March bombings; and secondly because, if European societies identify terrorism with Islam, a rift of mistrust between communities could open and eventually lead to a divided society.