Beyond minarets: Europe’s growing problem with Islam

New studies on Muslims in Europe by organisations such as the Open Society Institute paint a picture of communities of European Muslims living comfortably and in peace with their non-Muslim neighbours. The OSI and the British Council are working on projects which focus on living in a "shared Europe" where conflict and confrontation between different religious communities in not inevitable, provided governments - at national, provincial and local levels - implement correct policies.

Addressing Europe's unease about accepting multiple identities, a recent Gallup poll shows that an overwhelming majority of Muslims in France and Germany said they were loyal to their country and saw no contradiction between being French/German and Muslim. In Britain, a 2007 Gallup study found that despite Muslims' strong identification with their religion, a majority condemned terrorist attacks on civilians and did not want to live in segregated communities.

Also, most European governments are finally waking up to the challenge. Across the continent, efforts are being made to change school curricula to reflect Europe's multicultural landscape while state authorities are encouraging the recruitment of ethnic minorities into the police force, health services and government offices. They are also working to promote the setting up of businesses by Muslims and other minority groups. Meanwhile European business leaders, worried about shortages of skilled and unskilled workers, are pressing governments to open their doors to new migrants and are stepping up the search for workers in Europe's migrant communities.

Such efforts have to be sustained. The onus is on European leaders and policy makers to marginalise the far right's discourse of hate and anger. But European Muslims must also work equally determinedly to counter extremist and radical ideologies in their midst. If Europe is to prosper and grow, European policymakers must recognise urgently and publicly that Europe is now a multicultural society whose members are willing to celebrate diversity rather than fear it.