literature review.
Running head: FRANCE’S CRIME RATE AND ISLAM 0
France’s Crime Rate and Islam
Dicheng,Lu
Belkin, P., Blanchard, C. M., Ek, C., & Mix, D. E. (2011, September). Muslims in Europe: Promoting integration and countering extremism. In CRS Report for Congress (pp. 1-49).
In this report, the authors intend to determine the measures that several European countries have come up as they attempt to promote integration, combat terrorism, and counter violent extremism in France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK. All these states contain significant Muslim populations. The researchers point out various reasons that have influenced the idea that some segments of the Muslim population in Europe is susceptible to terrorist recruitment and radicalization especially after the 9/11 attacks in the US. The study on the Muslim population in France finds out that only a small number of them are involved in either violence or disruptive behavior, and such factors as the fact that some Muslims are not fully integrated into the French society; whereby there are huge differences in terms of education levels, housing access, and employment rates between them and other non-Muslim citizens could have contributed to some of the behaviors among them. However, the authors also state how the French government has adopted measures to assist in the better assimilation of Muslims in its attempt to address potential security threats that could emanate from Muslim communities.
Downing, J. (2015). Paris attacks: Why France must avoid viewing its Muslim population as a security threat. LSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blog.
Downing discusses in this paper the probability that the individuals involved in terrorist and other domestic crime in France are not necessarily Muslim but just a small fringe minority of French citizens or even immigrants. In the paper, the author points out that the largest percentage of individuals of Muslim faith in France that are often marginalized do not condone, conduct, or associate themselves with these acts of terrorism. The fact that the Muslim faith prohibits such acts is given as a reason why these acts should be connected to stronger links and associations with international crime and terror forms and even the instability in the Middle East. He has used instances such as that of the Kouachi brothers, showing that they were well connected to fighters in Iraq and Syria and the November 13, 2015 terror attacks in Paris that were linked to individuals with connections to Belgium and Syria.
Triandafyllidou, A. (2015). European Muslims: caught between local integration challenges and global terrorism discourses.
The main idea the authors of this paper intended to put across regards the distinguishing of integration of Muslims in Europe, France included, and jihadist terrorism. The study done on the different lifestyles of Muslims in such countries as Denmark, France, Germany, Britain, Sweden, and the Netherlands came up with the linking of global geopolitical and symbolic issues with the real-life problems Muslims across Europe face is counterproductive for understanding and also for addressing these issues on the basis that these challenges of integration have little to do with the Muslim religion itself, less to do with Muslim youngsters that are usually put at the forefront in case of terrorist attacks in Europe, and with the origins of their parents. Additionally, the authors state that further research needs to be done to relate extremist violence to radicalization. The authors suggest that the media, social workers, educators, policymakers, and employment officers are supposed to play a huge role in getting rid of the idea of the link between the failed integration of Muslim communities in European societies and domestic crime.
Precht, T. (2007). Home grown terrorism and Islamist radicalisation in Europe. From conversion to terrorism.
The radicalization process of terrorists is the main idea covered by the author in the paper. He intends to point out the factors that influence home grown terrorism and violent extremism by Islamists in Europe. The specific phases, characteristics and catalysts of the terrorist radicalization process and the counter radicalization measures are discussed throughout the paper as it is the author’s purpose to do this. The phases he gives are pre-radicalization, conversion and identification with radical Islam, indoctrination and increased group bonding, and violent action. He points out societal integration policies, counter ideology efforts, awareness training of people about radicalization signals, and increased public diplomacy as the counter measures. All this data is collected from a review of public intelligence information, public investigations, academic literature on the topic, legal documents, and meetings with researchers on violence and terrorism.
Hoffman, B. (2007). The Radicalization of Diasporas and Terrorism: A Joint Conference by the RAND Corporation and the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich (Vol. 229). Rand Corporation.
The proceedings of the conference that are put down with knowledge and information of analysts, academicians, and security experts from seven countries are meant to establish the relationship between terrorism in the diaspora and migrant communities, radicalization and terrorist recruitment, and the organization, tactics and targeting of terrorists. With special attention paid to the activities of the Al Qaeda, the terrorists linked with extreme attacks are said to converts to Islam, first-generation immigrants who fail to fit into their new society, and second-generation failed immigrants. According to the proceedings, in France, the individuals involved with domestic crime are mostly influenced by economic goals and not religious ones, therefore, only a bit of them are usually Islamists. It is gangs that control territories and also participate in black market operations and drug trafficking. However, the hypothesis regarding diaspora communities is shown in France, whereby some expatriate Algerians are given as an example of individuals that carried out attacks in Paris. Ways to curb the radicalization of diaspora communities were also discussed as pointed out in the paper.
Serajzadeh, S. H. (2017). Islam and crime: The moral community of Muslims. Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies, 4, 111-131.
Islam is considered to be a religion with a set of political, economic, legal, and social doctrines that play a huge role towards every facet of the Muslims’ social lives. The Islamic way of life and its strict penal laws are the factors Seyed intends to bring out as the reasons behind the low crime rates in Islamic countries. He uses international statistics to demonstrate that high crime rates are recorded in countries with low numbers of followers of the Islamic faith such as those in the Caribbean, in Latin America and in some Asian and African countries. The author delves into details of the Islam faith that influence peace and low crime rates among them, and states other reasons such as the low development of some Islam states which has a positive effect on crime rates as the reasons that could signify why crime is not associated with Muslims. However, the author also states that the rapid development of Islamic societies has affected the crime rates among them, together with the misinterpretation of the Quran by extremists and jihadists.
Lugo, L., Cooperman, A., Bell, J., O’Connell, E., & Stencel, S. (2013). The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society. World.
This paper discusses the social and political views of Muslims from all parts of the world. The public opinion surveys done by the Pew Research Center from 2008 to 2012 in around 39 countries around the world was done to figure out the opinion of Muslims on security concerns and political sensitivities. The study shows sets out to show how they express a desire for the traditional Islamic law to be recognized as the official law in their countries, and according to the information the research subjects provide regarding their faith, they do not generally support suicide bombing and other violence forms against civilians in the name of their religion, Islam. The authors also dwell on other factors such as Islam religion and western culture, modernity, science, evolution, and interfaith relationships and how these factors affect their way of life. A number of them state that there tends to exist a level of tension and hostility between Muslims and Christians in some places, which could explain the connection between Muslims and crime in countries like France.
Schmid, A. P. (2016). Links between Terrorism and Migration. An Exploration. The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism–The Hague, 7(4), 40.
The paper by the International Center for Counter-Terrorism is meant to explore and question the assumptions on the causal links between global terrorism and migration. Migration is intended to be linked to state terrorism, state failure, non-state terrorism, civil war, the presence of refugee camps and Diasporas, migrants, and counter-terrorist operations throughout the study. The researchers also intended to find out how the causes of forced migration of Muslims could be the determinant factors of terrorism in some parts of the world, France included, because a large number of Muslim applicants for asylum go there every year. However, the paper states that migration and terrorism could be potential drivers of international conflict, even though there is scarce literature related to terrorism. The continued receipt of refugees is shown to be potentially dangerous to the security of European Union member states, and it is stated that these states need to coordinate and pass policies that manage the refugee stream there.
Arnold, A. P. (2011). Mosques in France: The visible presence of Islam. University of North Texas.
The report relates the discrimination of Muslims in France to some of their behaviors and attitudes there. Even though France, the nation in Europe with the highest Muslim population has little problems integrating and accepting many cultures, the authors set out to show how this has changed recently and how it could be a reason why some Muslims turn to terrorism and crime. As a result of changes in France politics, the Muslim population faces challenges in the handling of their issues by the government, and certain laws prohibiting Islamic customs and traditions that are and have been passed in France only show how Islam is increasingly being considered a tougher religion to follow. The authors set out to understand and establish the connection between the collective French mind and the complex relationship with Islam by looking at French historical facts such as the ones regarding colonialism and relating it with present day discrimination. It is the prejudice and campaigns against Islam ways that has turned some of them into radicals and extremists.
Andreescu, V. (2015). Concerns about Violent Crime in France: Does Immigrant Status Make a Difference in Public Perceptions of Safety? Journal of Identity and Migration Studies, 9(1), 49.
Criminal victimization of French natives, be they natives of foreign-born, is the main issue that the author focuses on in this paper. She uses prior analysis based on samples of data from UK and French residents to address the issue at hand. The research finds out that people that are somehow found to possess immigrant statuses are vulnerable and the level of fear in them about victimization rises. The serious the victimization the easier it is for the influence of fear of violent crime to diminish among them. Despite the creation of ministries and associations to ensure the easier integration of immigrants into the French society, the statistics in the paper show that even the children of the immigrants are bound to face higher unemployment rates, and even discrimination when getting hired. Therefore, the nation is still open to changing safety perceptions when comparing natives and immigrants when it comes to actual victimization rates, and such happening as the 2005 riots across France by Arabs, North African and black second-generation immigrants that led to a state of emergency shows how much the country is prone to future insecurity in case the victimization and discrimination levels do not reduce significantly.
