Europe, Islam's New Front Line: Britain
Among Britain's 1.8 million Muslims, anxiety is growing over a sharp rise in what the British call Islamophobia. Post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorist legislation and proposals for even tougher measures have led to widespread disaffection, anger and isolation among Muslim youth. The result is a widening generational disconnect, as NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from London in the third story in our series on Muslims in Europe.
Britain is unique in Europe: after the breakup of its empire, it became a haven for Muslims from around the world, and it nurtured a Muslim establishment, whose members include prominent doctors, lawyers, writers and journalists.
Mohammed Sham-Su'ddin, 55, lives in London's Banglatown neighborhood. A Muslim from India, Sham-Su'ddin says he no longer feels safe: "The police stop us, search us, but we have nothing, police can search anybody." Sylvia Poggioli, NPR hide caption
A recent poll showed that 33 percent of Muslims want more integration in mainstream British society. But Britain's Muslim upper crust -- whose size is difficult to measure -- is a leadership without followers. The vast majority of British Muslims live in poor, closed communities.
Egyptian-born author Ahdaf Soueif, who has made London her home, worries that the rise of Islamophobia is eroding what she calls the "mezzaterra:" Sylvia Poggioli, NPR hide caption
The men who live in these Muslim enclaves are keenly aware that they've become the prime targets of police scrutiny. According to a report issued last week by the Open Society Institute, young Muslim men are increasingly at risk of social exclusion; many feel they are "under siege."
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and events in Iraq have further fuelled the polarization and radicalization of young Muslim men. It's a source of anguish for British Muslims who still believe in what Egyptian-born author Ahdaf Soueif calls the "mezzaterra" -- the common ground between cultures.